UPDATE: The shows are: Thursday at 7:00pm, Friday at 4:00pm, Saturday at 7:00pm Tickets prices are: $10 General Admission, $7 ASB, $7 Senior Citizens, $7 Kids under 10

Fall play auditions are right around the corner, on Tuesday, September 24th from 4:30pm-7:00pm in the Big Theatre. This year, the drama department has chosen A Midsummer Night’s Dream by the well-known William Shakespeare to be performed by students for the fall play!

Why Shakespeare? Ms. Ranae Bettger (Drama Dept.), says, “It was time to offer something different to the entire community. It’s been at least seven years since UHS has performed a classical piece for the fall play.” Bettger says that she plans to “break the norms of what was provided [in past years].” She worked hard over the summer, reading fifty plays in order to find the perfect piece.  Bettger believes this piece will “provide educational opportunities for the cast and crew, fit into the budget and demographic of UHS Theatre Arts…and still will sell tickets.”
Despite the difficulty of Shakespearian language, this play gives students an opportunity to be involved with theater. Sami Lodi (Sr.), an actor in many of UHS’s plays and musicals, says “I’m really excited about doing Shakespeare this year… With Shakespeare, students can connect the literature they are reading to the stage. ” Alex Kramer (Sr.), another actress involved in the drama program, says, “Shakespeare is really fun for high school actors  and Midsummer gives all of the actors a lot of room to do their own thing.” Due to Shakespeare’s unique style, the actors are able to interpret their characters in their own ways. Kramer says, “We will all get to make a lot of character choices because so many aspects of his work are left up to interpretation.”
Many times, students will be invited to events but rarely get a description of how that event or activity can benefit them. Bettger says, “The show will be aesthetically beautiful, highly entertaining, hilarious and provide an opportunity to escape the pressures and stressors of this world, even if only for a few hours. Spoiler Alert: think Game of Thrones goes Peter Pan at the traditional Italian Carnival.”
If you have any interest in showing your talent in acting, now is the right time! Auditioning itself and having no fear of failure gives you a high boost in your confidence and certainly gives you more experience. Don’t let the opportunity pass! As William Shakespeare said, “It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.”
Written by Niusha Maleki
Staff Writer