North Hollywood High School’s very own theater department has been hard at work preparing for Shakespeare in the Ag, which will premiere Thursday, April 8th. This year, students will be performing “Twelfth Night,” one of Shakespeare’s well-known plays.
Expectations for the play are hopeful according to fellow actor who will be playing the part of Antonio, Noah Nosrati, a junior. “I expect everyone to do great; I expect it to go well; and I expect everyone to have a great time. I feel like my part is a pretty funny role and I hope the audience will like it.”
Oscar, an actor playing the role of the Jester adds, “I expect it to be awesome and wonderful. I’m excited because this is the first year we have expanded the play into an entire ren fair [Renaissance Fair]. There will be face painting and flower crowns and singers, I think it’s going to be cool.”
Assistant director, Jamie Pugsley also expressed their enthusiasm for the play. “I think it’s gonna go really well. I’m very excited for the ren fair. I think we are gonna get a lot of laughs and the physical comedy will help people understand the Shakespearean English.”
Ms. Buccolo, the teacher and main director of the play, highlights the students’ roles in shaping the play. “A student is serving as an assistant director which gives them the chance to direct scenes, observe me, and at times, I really give them the reign to take over and really run parts of the rehearsal to give them a good experience.”
She details, “As for the students themselves, they get to offer suggestions on blocking, they get to interpret the text and give me feedback and it really is a collaborative process.”
When asked what the most challenging part of producing this play was, Ms. Buccolo added, “[One of] our biggest challenges is that we don’t have a theater nor a rehearsal space. Another is that many of my students have other responsibilities, so they have to find a way to balance that with the insane amount of dedication, time and effort it takes to put on a show.”
As the school year comes to an end, with exams on the horizon and stress levels at their highest, the theater department hopes to provide an enjoyable experience for everyone. Jackie Sanchez, stage manager added, “[I hope] for everyone to have fun, for people to come and enjoy the show, have their own experience in the renaissance time.”
