The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare
Dramatech – Charles Neifeld
Director – Salil Singh
With hard work and a little Shakespearean flamboyance, I do believe the Techies and Thespians of CPS will captivate audiences with The Winter’s Tale, a story about the jealous king of Sicilia named Leontes (played by Matthew R. ‘17) who suspects his wife, queen Hermione (played by Charlotte G. ’17) to be having an affair with his friend, the king of Bohemia named Polixenes (played by Eli Q. ’17). This suspicion leads to a variety of events, all of which thicken the plot of this story. The play will preview on Thursday, with performances on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Both the Techies and actors of CPS gained valuable experience through this production. “[concerning Dramatech in The Winter’s Tale] It’s enjoyable especially for something to do in freshman year,” says Will S. (’20). Eli Q. told me that while practicing for this performance, he acquired a better depth of understanding for Shakespearean plays, works that confuse many due to their complicated language. I could relate to this experience, as someone who has acted in a Shakespearean work before.
The company of this play certainly knows what they are doing, masterfully capturing emotion in their acting. Trying to accurately portray a Shakespearean play (or trying to act in any play) by merely reciting lines is virtually impossible. It is of vital importance that the actor shows what they are feeling in order to have the audience understand what’s going on. Before run-throughs of the play, which can be quite draining, the actors disperse to shoot lines back and forth, while Salil directs a specific group on what they must do (movements on the stage, pauses in between lines, voice projection etc.). Offstage, musicians play to accompany the atmosphere of the performance. The company as one ensemble shows great potential, with their fluid movements from scene to scene, as well as their positions on the square-like stage.
I certainly empathize with Dramatech, and appreciate the incredible work that has gone into showing the audience the true majesty of this play. Tirelessly and efficiently working (and fueled by the incredible power of dank memes, of course), the Techies erected beautiful replicas of trees amongst the pillars of the auditorium, having the stage of the play in the center of the auditorium itself. Dramatech even brought in actual tree branches to place on the catwalks of the auditorium. The set-painting has been done extremely well, and the Techies have embraced the challenges of lighting for this play in particular. The fact that they believe this challenge will be turned around and become a highlight for Dramatech in this performance shows how powerful the Tecchies can be, taking a foe and making it their friend.
This sold-out show will definitely be an outstanding one based on how I’ve seen the company and Dramatech work. It’ll give you chills (sorry for the pun).
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