Published: April 29, 2008 10:13 am         

'Romeo and Juliet'

Students put creative spin on Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet'

FROSTBURG - Students in Nathan Chesky's junior English class at Mountain Ridge High School had a blast performing a scene from Shakespeare.

In preparation for the sixth annual Shakespeare Festival, the students rehearsed their lively performance of a scene from "Romeo and Juliet" with the help of Frostburg State University senior Amanda Baldwin on Friday. The festival, to be held Wednesday at FSU, is a collaboration between the university's English department and Allegany County public high schools.

While the lines were unchanged, the students were encouraged to put their own creative spin on the performance.

"It's been fun to watch their own ideas that they bring to it - it adds a lot to the show," said Chesky.

"We got to put it in a more modern light," said Ashley Davis, who played Tybalt. Sword fighting and dancing to Run DMC's "It's Tricky" were a few of the fast-paced activities featured in the performance.

"I like dressing gangster and having fun," said Emily Africa, who played Lady Capulet. "I like that you can change it up and it's still Shakespeare."

"I like seeing it all come together," said Mariah McKenize, who designed the props.

Baldwin, who has been meeting with the students on a weekly basis since February, said the Shakespeare Festival increases the students' enthusiasm for literature.

"They see that this can be fun," said Baldwin.

Will Clauson, who played Romeo, has enjoyed the experience.

"It's fun to be able to do something different than you usually do in English class. It's fun to do more of an arts thing instead of book work," Clauson said.

Roy DeVore, who played Benvolio, agreed.

"It's nice to do literature hands-on," he said.

FSU students who participate in the festival work under the supervision of English professor Rochelle Smith with groups of high school students. This year, more than 200 high school students are participating.

"The Shakespeare Festival gives FSU students the opportunity to share their expertise and passion for literature with high school students in the community, and it gives high school students the opportunity to achieve a deeper understanding through performance of the work of the greatest writer in the English language," said Smith.

Contact Jennifer Raley at jraley@times-news.com.