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| Bringing in the Bard |
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| Students, community invited to professional Shakespeare performance |
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Crook County High School freshmen have been learning the joys and tragedies behind William Shakespeare's plays, and the dramas' relevance to our time.
That relevance will be shown in Thursday performances before the student body and community members.
On Nov. 9, CCHS students and the community are invited to see first-hand, Shakespeare's dramas as well as contemporary works, courtesy of two actors, William Langan and Heather Robison, from Ashland's Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Teacher Lora Nordquist has been among those sharing Shakespeare with her students, talking with them about the tragedy "Romeo and Juliet" - its focus on two teenage lovers and their feuding families.
"I think the great works of literature are enduring," Nordquist said, adding that questions posed by Shakespeare 400 years ago are still relevant to us today. "They are questions that are never resolved and never answered."
Fellow English teacher Rich Daniels has been instrumental in helping bring the two thespians to CCHS, Nordquist said.
"It was his energy that got this going," said the teacher, who also works as the district's arts and communication coordinator. Each spring, Daniels takes a group of English students to see three or four plays in Ashland.
"This is the first time that they are coming here, at least since Rich has been here, so we are excited," Nordquist said. "I think the only thing I want to emphasize is to give credit to Rich Daniels, because it is his brain child, not mine."
She said although some students have made the trip to Ashland, many CCHS youth have never seen a play or a live actor.
Nordquist has seen similar performances put on by other actors from the festival.
"They know their business," she said. "They know what they are doing when they perform before school audiences."
"They are going to do two productions at the school, and two, one-hour workshops with students, with selected students, so we are going to get a lot of mileage from them that day," she said.
Nordquist also welcomed Crook County residents to attend Thursday evening's performance.
"I think that it's splendid and entertaining and they shouldn't be frightened off by the word Shakespeare," she said, adding that sometimes people think this is highbrow. She said if the show is anything like she has seen the Festival perform at other schools, "it should be a really entertaining evening of live theater." |
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