Spring break might have ended too soon, but that doesn’t mean its celebrations have to.
The English department will host The Super Shakespeare Extravaganza on Wednesday in honor of William Shakespeare’s 450th birthday.
The Bard’s birthday bash will run as a literary festival rather than an academic exposé, according to University English professor Chris Barrett. Participants will be introduced to the more whimsical characteristics of Shakespeare’s works, including the comedic aspects of his tragedies and the tragic aspects of his comedies, both of which are rich with Shakespearean humor.
The festivities will offer students a chance to unwind and settle back into their studies before the weight of finals week descends upon them. Still, Barrett hopes the festival will be a learning experience.
“For centuries, Shakespeare’s plays have been occasions for diverse communities of audiences and readers around the world to come together,” Barrett said. “We wanted to give the LSU community a chance to come together and share Shakespeare’s wacky, stunning, gorgeous and unruly world of heroes, villains and all the many unforgettable, quirky characters in between.”
The event was first proposed by Barrett and fellow English professors Anna Nardo, LeRoy Percy and Bill Demastes, and was brought to fruition by the students in each of their classes, “Shakespeare,” “Bad Shakespeare” and “Shakespeare Our Contemporary.”
The festivities will feature lighthearted student performances liberally interpreted from classic Shakespearean plays. Scenes from “King Lear,” “Macbeth,” “Othello,” “Troilus and Cressida,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Twelfth Night” and the infamous “Titus Andronicus” will all find their way on stage.
True to the tradition of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, none of the performances will feature a director or a manager, and no formal rehearsal will be held in advance. For the most part, students will only know their own lines, keeping with the original motto of the Globe, “All the world is a stage.”
The faculty in charge of the event made this decision with the hopes of producing a fun and authentic “Shakesperience” to commemorate his 450th birthday.
“We want to keep the original production values,” Barrett said. “It’s going to be a blast.”
Students from each of the four participating classes will incorporate the various skills they learned during their studies into their acts. Performers from “Bad Shakespeare” will lampoon the most ardent criticisms of the Bard’s works and a student from “Shakespeare Our Contemporary” will assume the role of the Bard himself.
Victoria Herrmann, English junior, said she is particularly excited to participate in the event.
“Literature takes us outside ourselves as nothing else can,” Herrmann said. “Celebrating things like Shakespeare’s birthday is an attempt to help those who do not yet have that appreciation and understanding realize that English literature is a beautiful, fun and necessary thing.”
Each of the acts will be punctuated with other arts that pay homage to the Shakespearean tradition, including live music and juggling. Several students produced their own films for the event, and some performers prepared comedy routines that combine modern humor with Shakespearean aesthetics. Most of the performers will be fully costumed, and some will involve audience interaction.
The Shakespeare Birthday Bash will be held from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday in 139 Allen Hall. Refreshments will be provided, and the event is free for anyone to attend.
“For centuries, Shakespeare’s plays have been occasions for diverse communities of audiences and readers around the world to come together. We wanted to give the LSU community a chance to come together and share Shakespeare’s wacky, stunning, gorgeous, and unruly world of heroes, villains, and all the many unforgettable, quirky characters in between.”