RVHS to present "I Hate Shakespeare"
Royal Valley High School’s fall production of “I Hate Shakespeare!” will give audience members a new perspective on some of the playwright’s most famous work.
The humorous two-act play, which is directed by Stephanie Allen and Jenny Simpson, will take center stage at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the elementary school auditorium.
“It’s a compilation of his most popular plays with a modern twist on some of them,” Allen said.
“I Hate Shakespeare!” takes snippets from “Hamlet,” “Macbeth,” “Richard III,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Othello” and characters from others.
“In the play, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is transformed into a dating game, and ‘Othello’ is turned into a daytime talk show,” Allen said.
The play also includes man-eating zombies for those characters who have especially long-winded soliloquies, Allen said.
Written by Steph DeFerie, the play is relatively new, and Allen said she found it while looking for scripts online.
“The cast list is really flexible,” she said. “It can be performed with six to 40 students.”
Royal Valley’s production includes 22 students, with many taking on multiple roles as the production progresses through each of Shakespeare’s plays.
“Everyone was forced to read Shakespeare in high school, and this is an entertaining look at those plays,” Allen said. “It uses modern English language, and the students have fun becoming each of the different characters.”
Members of the cast include Chance Clement (Hamlet and Ted), Max Hennis (Unhappy Person), Hannah Smith (Cheerleader and Fleance), Hannah Schnacker (Cheerleader, Traditional Juliet and Spirit), Kyle Meyer (King/Ghost, Othello, MacBeth and Paris), Hannah Sutton (Queen, Iago and Lady MacBeth), Noah Spencer (Claudius, Timon and Murderer), William Jackson (Ophelia, Laertes and Romeo), Samantha Rupnick (Modern Juliet, TV Woman and Witch), Abby Harding (Emcee and Duncan), Hanna Allen (Richard III, Bill Shakespeare and Puck), Allison Clements (Narrator and Messenger), Taylor Holte (British Literary Historian and Jessica Lange), Keigan Kebert (Jerry Maury Povich Springer and Bob), Porcha Evans (Desdemona and Burbage), Katie Rose (Sheila and Miss Purdie), Tanner Holte (Dick and Banquo), Deasha Stewart (Director and MacDuff), Lexi Greene (Cow and Antony), Coonie Coon (Zombie), Blake Holte (Zombie) and Jack Wiedemann (Zombie).
Tickets are available to purchase at the high school office. Adult tickets, purchased in advance are $6.50 each, or $7 at the door. Admission for children ages 10 and under is $5. Cheesecake will be served during intermission and is included in the ticket price.
Prior to Friday evening’s performance, a dinner will be served at the RVHS commons for $5 a person as a fund-raiser for the school European trip. The dinner will include a pasta bar with marinara or alfredo sauce, salad and bread.
