Canadian International School Students to perform "Tempest: Unplugged, a play themed on William Shakespeare"

Students of the Canadian International School will be presenting Tempest: Unplugged, a play themed on William Shakespeare, at the Ranga Shankara Theatre Fest at 11 am, Saturday, 20th October, 2012. This play is an original collaboration of IB Theatre and IGCSE drama students. A risk-taking performance from an all-female cast, a bold collision of multi-lingual text with extraordinary imagery using different theatre styles, innovative adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest - a menagerie of prolific characters and eclectic music.

Alina Carson -IB 2 (Grade 12): "I love it - it's extremely crazy and interesting. It's a crazy spin-off from Shakespeare's version but it still gets the message across. But what I especially love the most about Lawrence's take on it is the breaking of gender boundaries and the use of cultural diversity. The fact that we're all from different nationalities and backgrounds, and speaking different languages throughout, it promotes the idea of world diversity and equality - which I feel people still fail to view today. The play truly has everything, such as humor, creativity, passion, quarrels, honor, and love. I stand behind it 100% of the way".

Mallika Makkar - IB 1 (Grade 11): "Being a Shakespeare lover and a theatre enthusiast, the tempest really allowed me to take my love for acting to the next level. working with our brilliant cast and our unforgettable mentor, Mr. Lawrence, helped us develop what i think is one of the most unique interpretations of this play i have come to know".

Colette Bertschy - IB 1 (Grade 11): "A novel, challenging, and yet exhilarating adventure that brought us together - pushing boundaries and exploring outside the box".

Rhean Kaula - IB 1 (Grade 11) "Performing the Tempest has been a great experience for me. There have been a lot of fun times as well as stressful! I learnt that even though with using different languages we can all still relate to what is happening. It also showed me a more open-minded view about the whole thing as this performance has been done with all girls. Doing the Tempest has been challenging, especially for the actors to portray a male actor. This has challenges all of us and this will certainly help me in the future. The use of the shadows bring out a very different idea of the way the drama is usually performed with makes it different and interesting. Overall it has been an experience and I have thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it".

NurShafain Omar - Grade 10 IGCSE: "Well...as a Caliban...I think calm is needed for him....he needs peace....so I think peaceful life could change a person's personality..."

Lawrence Espinosa - Drama Teacher: "I want my theatre and drama students, by the time they graduate, to have gained a wealth of different acting experiences, including opportunities to perform in different gender roles. Breaking gender boundaries is fascinating and liberating for artists and audiences alike, because illusions are the most valuable and necessary of things. Sometimes illusion and play are the most effective ways in which we can create change. So much that we had to use multilingual dialogues to tell the story. I do believe that language is an eye opener - to see how translation opens up the text in new ways. Language is much more than just the spoken word. Someone who doesn't speak a single word in French (that's me) can still grasp the core issue of a Shakespearean play staged in French, Hindi, Bahasa, Spanish and Catalan (spoken in Barcelona). The concept of multilingual theatre works because language also involves mime and gestures. No matter which language you speak, the profound feelings and essential features of humans are understandable through acting. And Shakespeare's themes, concerned with basic human issues and pitfalls, are just as current as they were more than 400 years ago".

Commenting on the initiative, Ms Shweta Sastri, Executive Director, CIS said "CIS has always given the freedom to its students to explore the pool of creativity and talent through such programs. They play a catalytic role in creating a common ground between people of different cultures and belief systems. With such initiative, we wish to spark an interest in arts, dance, music and theatre amongst students at an early stage and also encourage them to explore these as career options." The program will provide an opportunity for students to showcase their hidden creativity.

Source : Equity Bulls

Keywords