By Ryan Finerty, Staff Writer
April 27, 2023
ROCKLAND- A famous Shakespeare play was performed on April 7 at Rockland Senior High School.
The Boston Theater Company performed A Midsummer's Night Dream, one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedic plays.
The play follows three storylines that all come together in the end: one about young love, another about a troop of actors, and the last about the fairies that live in the woods the play is set in. For timing purposes and to simplify the roles for the actors who were playing multiple parts each, some parts of the play were removed.
The play was open for all students in grades 10-12. According to Principal Dr. John Harrison, freshmen were excluded due to a worry about space in the auditorium.
And while some students and staff expressed excitement for the play, the reactions ended up being divided.
Sophomore Simon Gheberamariam did not enjoy the play, and said, “It was boring and hard to follow what was going on.”
He also believes that it would've been better to just go to F and G blocks rather than attend the play.
However, sophomore Katherine Mini enjoyed the play. She said that the actors did a good job performing and that the viewing experience was not disrupted by students.
And while she thought that the play was “not worth the effort of missing F and G [block]” she does believe that they should do it again next year.
English teacher Mr. Chad Bigsby said that he thinks the play was well-performed. He believes the play served as a “joyful interruption of the monotony of school.”
However, Mr. Bigsby did note some students being disruptive, saying that he “feels bad for those kids, they lack joy in their life.”
Overall, Mr. Bigsby hopes that the school is able to hire the company for another performance.
English teacher Ms. Kristen Walsh was the faculty member who applied for the grant to fund this play.
When asked if she would apply for this grant again she said, “I believe that live theater performances are beneficial to all students, but after seeing how many students were dismissed, I would probably rethink who was invited to the show if I did the grant again.”
The grant was given to the school by the Rockland Education Foundation, which gives money to schools to allow them to have theater programs, new technology, and unique learning programs.