Students from DPU, county schools present Fall Festival of Shakespeare this weekend

A 12-week-long collaboration between DePauw University, all eight Putnam County middle and high schools, and Shakespeare & Company will lead to the presentation of Shakespeare plays this weekend.

The public is invited to enjoy DePauw's Fall Festival of Shakespeare, scheduled for Friday, Dec. 6 and Saturday, Dec. 7 in Moore Theatre, located within the Judson and Joyce Green Center for the Performing Arts.

David Michael Maginity and Hannah Gellman of Greencastle High School rehearse a scene from the Shakespeare classic, "Romeo and Juliet."

The program is based on a nationally recognized and awarded program started by Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Mass.

At DePauw, college students are trained to work with high school and middle school students and teach the material by going into the schools every week. The younger students learn to use their bodies and voices through Shakespeare's demanding yet rewarding plays.

Students from Cloverdale Middle School and High School will perform "The Taming of the Shrew" at 6 p.m. Friday.

Greencastle Middle and High School will stage "Romeo and Juliet" at 8 p.m. Friday.

North Putnam Middle and High School will do "The Merchant of Venice" at 3 p.m. Saturday.

South Putnam Middle School and High School will perform "As You Like It" at 5 p.m. Saturday.

"Shakespeare is the ideal script to put into the hands of adolescents," Amy Hayes, director of the program and a theater professor at DePauw, said. "They don't have epic language, but everything they experience is epic.

"We're not doing Shakespeare for young people. It's not children's theater. We're doing Shakespeare with young people."

The DePauw student directors include Grace Lazarz, Laura Drew, Kya Simmons, Lanie Gleeson, Alissa Britigan, Carter Gorman, Brittney Biddle, Alison Howard, Henry Johnston and Kay Wood.

Tickets for each play are $3 for students and $6 for adults.