Short Shakespeare comes to the Carrollton Stage

“Fun, engaging, exciting, and suspenseful – the show was hilarious and is one of the best comedies Carrollton has ever done!” – Sofia Tomas ‘23

It’s that time of the year again when another play debuts on the Carrollton stage. This November, it was The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) – written and originally acted by Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield.

To give a little context, more than 30 of Shakespeare’s plays, condensed into a single performance, are presented by an amazing band of Carrollton actors and directed by Ms. Zena Rodriguez. The play put a modern and parodic twist on Shakespearean plays including Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Hamlet, and many others. 

Normally performed with only three actors, the theatre department expanded the cast list to include the entire theatre department. The cast consisted of 12 students and two stage managers of which half take drama as their elective. 

Mrs. Rodriguez said, “I read the script a few years ago and thought it very funny and then when I knew we were able to do a fall show this year, I thought it would be a good play to do.” Even if you are not a fan of or have not read all of Shakespeare’s works, it is hilarious and enjoyable. 

“When I first heard about the school play being The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), I was a bit shocked because I had never heard of it before and I was a little worried because I knew it was Shakespeare and thought it was a little odd – but then I watched the show online, and I absolutely loved it,” said Alexandra Azan ‘23. 

Rehearsals began right after Labor Day so the cast has been working on it for a good 2 months. In the last 2 weeks leading up to the performance, after school rehearsals lasted  until 6 pm, and dress rehearsals took place the weekend before. 

Show day finally came! I attended the second night of the performance and was absolutely blown away at the details and comedy within the show! The group’s performance was remarkable and at times I was laughing so hard, I barely could breathe. I especially enjoyed the interactions with the audience and how some of the actors even called attention to several members of the audience. 

“What I enjoyed most about the play was being able to perform such an innovative and funny piece with all my castmates,” wrote Eleanor Harrison ‘22. After the performance I asked some other castmates how they thought the performance went. Eleanor wrote, “everyone who had seen the show and talked to me about it told me they loved it, and we got a lot of good feedback overall, which I think is important for the type of interactive performance we had put on.” Cecilia Oses ‘24 said, “I think it went very well! I could feel the energy in the cast and all our hard work paid off. I could not have imagined a better show.”

 “I’m one of those directors that I let my actors do, and if I don’t like it, I stop them. But for the most part, what they do is great.[. . .] It’s kinda like a collaboration, said Mrs. Rodriguez. Alex added, “Yes, we have practiced where to enter and exit and where we need to go. But for the most part we are having the time of our lives.” 

As the show has come to an end, Alex recalls that “many of us have not done this in so long because of COVID, that it is just really amazing to get up on stage and do a show that just allows you to have fun and be creative.” For that reason, the show was a hit!

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