From April 23 through April 26, the Theater and Film department at Concordia is putting on “Scenes of Love from Shakespeare.” The upcoming performances will take place this Sat., April 25 and Sun. April 26 at 2 p.m. This play is directed by seniors Cara Winkelman, Gracie Leininger and Casey Bolton. 

This student-directed play showcases many different stories from Shakespeare’s extensive collection. While most of the plays this past theater season have been a journey of one singular story, taking audiences through the work in its entirety, “Scenes of Love” shows the audience just enough to leave them wanting more. Some of the acts to look forward to would be the romantic comedy, “Much Ado About Nothing,” and the renowned “Romeo and Juliet.” 

As one of the directors, Winkelman spoke on the type of work that it takes to direct a scene like “Much Ado About Nothing.” “I did a full dramaturgy on each of the three plays I directed scenes from. There are also a lot of moving pieces as we have a big cast and they aren't involved in all of the scenes, so it takes time to understand the flow of the show.” For all those not familiar with drama lingo, dramaturgy is the study and practice of dramatic composition, structure and context. 

Playing the role of Ursula, the devoted lady-in-waiting in “Much Ado About Nothing" is sophomore Charlotte Brant, an English major. Brant was able to provide her take on the work it takes as an actor, saying, “Well, because this is a student-directed production, the amount of work can vary from director to director. My director was Cara Winkelman, and she was very good about our blocking and slight lines. I also had the pleasure of working with Gracie Leininger in her “Romeo and Juliet” scene, and she made the scene follow some music, and as such, our blocking was timely and precise.” 

Some favorite moments of the performance prep time for Winkelman were when she “saw the show as a full run-through for the first time. It was awesome to see the actors do it all!” While the cast has been enjoying themselves preparing for the show, there have also been some learning moments that have stuck with them as well. “I have never had to block a play where I was being viewed on three sides before. It was frustrating at first because a lot of my natural go-to blocking wouldn’t work, but once you get the hang of making sure two sides can see your face, it’s a lot of fun!” Brant said. 

“Making a cohesive picture throughout the show is a challenge that the other directors and I had to work through,” Winkelman said. Some food for thought for viewers would be that “reading Shakespeare and watching it are two different experiences, and it’s my opinion that when you watch Shakespeare, you realize just how timeless his jokes and plots are. The same joke that was a hit at the Globe Theater hundreds of years ago is just as funny now,” said Brant. 

Catch the final showings of “Scenes of Love from Shakespeare” this Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Purchase tickets at https://www.simpletix.com/e/scenes-of-love-from-shakespeare-tickets-231063 

Students can use the code CUISTU for free admission.

Tags: Theatre

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