After months of preparation everything was in order for an enjoyable night. The players were energized and the audience was receptive. On the night of April 1, the Advanced Theatre class showcased their scenes for the DTASC Shakespeare festival at Chatsworth High School.

“People who play sports have games every other day, we just have one game against 800 other teams at once,” junior and advanced theatre student Tara Robertson said, “This is our only chance for a real live practice before the game.”

Eleven groups presented to an audience for an hour and a half in the order as follows: Set, Lights and Graphics, Group Humorous, Character Costume, Shakespeare for Children, Audition Monologue, Quest for the Throne, Court Costume, Audition Monologue, Modern Shakespeare, Clowns and Fools and Group Serious.

“That was a very good show, I’m glad I came,” junior Allie Degour said, “[Group humorous’ interpretation of Twelfth Night] was like She’s The Man!”

The groups put on a successful show with depictions of Shakespeare’s works that were understandable to the audience, something very appreciated when approaching classic works. There were laughs, tears, and moments of silence where the audience was enthralled by what they saw. The actors knew they succeeded in their job when the audience had joined them in the imaginary world of which they occupy on stage.

One of the scenes, Modern Shakespeare, has chosen the popular television drama “Breaking Bad” to template their rendition of MacBeth. Another scene, Group Serious, delivered a powerful performance of Hamlet as written, and Colin Team’s presentation of the Court Costume provided non-stop humor that brought some audience members to tears.

“It’s hard to pick which one was my favorite,” parent Erik Ohlin said,”They all did so well, I do believe they will do well as a whole in their competition.”

Groups have worked hard over a few months to develop these scenes, and now the rigorous process is almost at an end for them.

“I think it’s coming together,” senior and advanced theatre student Jacqueline Dister said,”But it’s really hard to know how we stack up.”