Theater Club Celebrates Shakespeare's Birthday with 2nd Annual Festival
Sarah Pasterniak
Staff Writer
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| Photo by Sarah Pasterniak |
| 'The Comedy of Errors' - Regan Dye (left) and Crystal Crook performed a skit from William Shakespeare's "The Comedy of Errors" at the Shakespeare Festival. The Theater Club sponsored the second annual festival April 20. |
The second annual Shakespeare Festival, held April 20, celebrated the Bards birthday with activities ranging from poetry and pictures, to skits and snacks.
The Theater Club hosted the event in the lobby of Horsfall Hall to honor the widely-studied William Shakespeare. Vice President Errin James extended a warm welcome to those present, inviting them to have cake and tea.
Professor of English Robert Moore opened the event with the reading of sonnets 25, 73 and 94.
Moore said sonnet 94, “has had a profound effect on me as a teacher.”
Tray Barnes followed by reading sonnet 91. Courtney King read 116 and Montega Culbreath read 18.
Betty Matthews, professor of English, read sonnets 18, 29, and 116.
Matthews said she needed a podium. However none were available, so Brittany Pickett volunteered to be the podium and held the book for her.
Kay Walter, assistant professor of English and sponsor of Theater Club, read sonnet 149.
"Pertaining to the sonnet, we see our beloved as perfect in our eyes, but we still cherish the bad traits too," Walter said. "Shakespeare loved it all."
Daniel Hostetter then read sonnet 91.
The festival ended with a bang. Crystal Crook and Regan Dye performed act three, scene two of "The Comedy of Errors." The women looked animated and enthusiastic, complete with drawn-on mustaches.
A little unintended humor occurred when Dye forgot her lines and resorted to her arm (where they were written) to pick back up. It turned out well as the women acted as thouth it were part of the skit.
“They were very theatrical," Pickett said of the skit. "Where have they been all of UAM’s life?"
The Theater Club set-up for the festival and borrowed “of the Age” costumes from the Music Theater department and hung them in the windows. Walter loaned quite a few of her books and pamphlets from numerous plays to display throughout the lobby.
"(I am) really proud of (the) students,” Walter said, for taking the time and courage to read at the event.
Walter said more people turned out this year and it seems to be growing.
The Theater Club plans on hosting the event next year around the same time in April. It also announced it will be handling all school plays from now on.
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