A red Solo cup. A pile of gold coins. A cowboy hat. Handcuffs. These are the items gathered in the WAHS drama storage room, hailing from various locations and acquired for one purpose–the production of a more than 400-year-old play.
The tradition of performing one of William Shakespeare’s works during the springtime at WAHS is currently in its sixth year, all organized and directed by drama teacher Cate Caffarella. In 2024, the play will be one of Shakespeare’s most famous comedies–Twelfth Night, which follows a woman who gets shipwrecked and ends up dressing as a man in the midst of a cast of colorful characters and love triangles. Due to a large number of interested students, the play is double-cast, with two separate casts performing at the two showings.
Throughout the years, Choir and Drama teacher Caffarella has been able to interact with many groups of students and perform multiple works in the WAHS courtyard area. This experience is more casual than the musicals and straight plays put on during the rest of the school year, but still comes with its own set of difficulties.
“The time frame is quite fast, so getting lines down is really important,” said Caffarella. “Also, working with the more sophisticated language–though I’m always impressed with how well the students interpret the dialogue.” Shakespeare’s work is notorious for its complicated language, attributed to the Elizabethan era during which his plays were written and performed. The upcoming production of Twelfth Night will be set in a modern, reality show-esque setting. Still, his plays continue to be performed worldwide both with modernized language and with the original text. In their run at WAHS, the courtyard setting can be both a feature and a hindrance.
“We perform outdoors on the patio, so the staging and blocking can be more challenging. Also, working around the weather can be interesting,” said Caffarella. “[However], I loved the [performance of] A Midsummer Night’s Dream we did in the courtyard across from the gym one year where we utilized the tree. That was fun.”
This year, Twelfth Night will be performed on the first of June, with two showings at 1 PM and 3 PM with different casts. In terms of what to expect, senior Lizi Kutchukhidze anticipates that audiences will enjoy the tone of the comedic show.
“There are a lot of jokes that a lot of people will find funny and it’s a really small play, only one hour,” said Kutchukhidze. “I think [people] will have a lot of fun if they come.”
