By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
This weekend, Thomas More Prep-Marian students are set to hit the stage for their production of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
And while the over 400-year-old play is a well-known staple, this performance will feature an Art Deco twist and has been adapted for the annual TMP-M play.
"It's a 'twist on an old story,' " said Travis Grizzell, director and TMP-M English, drama, debate and forensics instructor. "We are setting it in the 1920s, the Jazz Age, with all the guys in the three-piece suits and the flapper girls. It takes place in Athens, Greece, and we got the 1920s theme kind of rolling with Art Deco set design and a lot of fun stuff in that way."
He said while the language used by Shakespeare can sometimes be difficult for young performers, the story remains timeless and universal.
"It's not exactly a language or a script that we're used to," Grizzell said. But "once we get up on the stage and moving, I use the analogy that Shakespeare is kind of like opera, even if you don't get all the language, if it's done right, you pretty well get the gist of it.
"For 400 or so years, he had this great talent for finding out what motivates us and how we're affected with emotions and circumstances and conflict," he continued. "And it translates well to just about any time period because it's just about that human condition."
Along with adapting the visuals to Art Deco, the script was adapted for length. Grizzell said the show will run around an hour and 45 minutes and will be presented without an intermission.
While some of Shakespeare's work can be "heavy" he said this play resonates with youth.
"A Midsummer Night's Dream is fun," Grizzell said. "It's a bunch of fairies. It's young lovers. And it plays really well with high school students because these young lovers are so emotional, and it's a lot like Romeo and Juliet in that they are force-fed that 'I'm in love. I know because I've seen him, and I've known him for 15 minutes, that kind of thing.' And it all plays out. It's a happy ending. It's not a tragedy. And it's just fun and relatable."
Nearly 40 TMP-M students have worked to bring the performance to the stage, including longtime performers and those taking the stage for the first time.
"It's just been an absolute blast with this group rehearsing and getting ready for Shakespeare," Grizzell said.
He said it is especially rewarding watching students grow from that anxiousness into convincing performers.
"From my perspective, and my assistant director, Wendy Richmeier, we saw when we were handing out the script, and they're glossily eyed, and they're like, 'Dude, there's no way we can do this,' " Grizzell said.
But from those initial impressions, he said the students took to the play and made it their own.
"Some of these students, they absolutely bloom and take off," Grizzell said. "And we've got some amazing kids doing some amazing stuff.
"These kids, some of them really, they dig in, they prioritize, and they work their little tails off to make this stuff happen," Grizzell said. "And that is a huge project. And it culminates in the span of three days, and then they're done. So it's a cool thing. It really is."
The result is a show anyone can enjoy, he said.
"If you go multiple times, or if you just check it out once, I can almost guarantee you won't totally regret going. You'll have a good time," Grizzell said. "You'll feel good about supporting the art, supporting the students, and you'll be cultured now because you've been exposed to 'The Bard' Mr. Shakespeare."
Performances of A Midsummer Night's Dream are set to be performed in the school's Dreiling Theater at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets are available now on the school's website, tmp-m.org, or at the door for $8.