“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” These famous Shakespeare words will be brought to life this week as the Theatre is My Passion program debuts their latest production of As You Like It.
“I wouldn’t have just any old youth group do Shakespeare,” said Mark Rodrigues, program coordinator and director of the Theatre is My Passion program. “After watching Pollyanna last year, I knew the talent would be easy to come by and I was right.”
Fourteen youth between the ages of eight and 17 are in this year’s Theatre is My Passion, a free after-school program run by The Huntsville Theatre Company. This program gives youth experience with performing and all that is included with putting on a production.
“I direct them just as I would direct adults,” said Rodrigues. “They’re given a boost in confidence and self-esteem, while learning skills that can extend beyond the stage like discipline, determination, teamwork and respect to name a few.”
So what can residents expect? Rodrigues said residents can expect to see one of the youngest performances of Shakespeare that they’ve ever watched done accurately and comically.
“For the first 10 minutes you might think “wow I can’t believe these kids memorized all these words and are doing a Shakespeare play.” But by minute 20, you’re invested in the story and forget how young these performers actually are,” said Rodrigues.
As You Like It is a full two-hour show with intermission. The play debuts at Trinity United Church on Friday, June 16 at 7pm. Other performances include Saturday, June 17 at 2pm and 7pm and Sunday, June 18 at 2pm. Tickets are only $10 and can be purchased at Treasures and Trophies or online at www.huntsvilletheatre.org. All proceeds go back into the Theatre is My Passion program.
“We have some kids who are brand new to performing and I challenge anyone to try and figure out who they are,” said Rodrigues.
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