East Texas

Shakespeare is alive and well in East Texas. Well, at least it will seem that way when the Jacksonville High School Curtain Club, under the direction of Theater Arts instructor Shirley Grote, presents its production of Hamlet.

The performance dates have not been finalized, but the current plan is for sometime in late October. The cast met Monday for their first “line run” rehearsal.

The parts have all been cast, the players have studied their lines all summer, and now the work of stage production, costumes, dress rehearsals, and learning how to best infuse the performances with the nuances that have made the play a timeless classic.

“We’re really excited to be bringing one of Shakespeare’s most time honored plays to the Jacksonville community,” said Mrs. Grote. “We are trying to get more community involvement this year. The students are taught to take the audience members on a journey through their acting, and we really would like to see more people come out and be a part of that.”

The troupe will convene several times a week after school to master their parts and be able to live up to the audiences expectations.

“It’s exciting to be doing something on stage that we have studied academically for the last few years and now to see it start to come to life,” added cast member Kaitlyn Turney, a Jacksonville High senior.

-- submitted by Marc McCloud

Members of the JHS Curtain Club meet for their first rehearsal as they get ready to bring The Bard to Jacksonville with their production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
(Courtesy photo)