The storm whirled, flinging the students from one side of the ship to the other as they recited the ancient lines of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” The play, which opens October 17, will be the first theater play directed by a professionally paid female director, Debbie Ruiz Esparaza.
Although “The Tempest” is written in a stricter and more organized style than most of Shakespeare’s plays, it retains the complexity Shakespeare is known for, and presents numerous challenges for the actors who need to both understand and perform it.
“Going beyond just regular conversation, the characters are usually very complex, and you have to try and make them realistic,” Esparaza said. “Doing Shakespeare well is absolutely the best, but there’s nothing worse than doing Shakespeare badly.”
Originally, students were to perform the play in the courtyard, which would symbolize the island on which the play occurs. Outside, in the courtyard, the performance was supposed to give the audience the experience of “Shakespeare in the park.”
“The courtyard is a great place to have the play, because the play occurs on an island and it’s surrounded by water, and the courtyard is surrounded by fountains,” Esparaza said. “The courtyard has its own natural little stage.”
After the recent rain, Esparaza decided to move the play indoors to the black box. As a result, tech theater students had to build a second set inside while the actors learned their new stage movements to fit the black box layout.
“I think that the show will still be perfectly wonderful inside – it was difficult for all the actors because we had to learn blocking for outside and inside,” senior actress Sydney Stephens said. “Originally, the show was going to be ‘Shakespeare in the park,’ and we were bringing lawn chairs, but due to the rain, it would have definitely been unpleasant for the audience with all the mud.”
Having been in charge of the acting program at Richland College for 31 years, Esparaza hopes students will benefit from the experience of performing outside. More importantly, Esparaza believes the experience will be especially beneficial because students had to work with a director whom they didn’t know before, just like in the entertainment business.
“I think it’s been interesting getting a new perspective on acting and of the acting world,” junior actress Elisabeth Warner said. “It has helped me build responsibility.”
Esparaza gave students deadlines to memorize their lines, blocking (stage movement), and inner monologues, so she wouldn’t have to go back and give instructions from the previous rehearsal. After almost a month and a half of practice, Esparaza believes the students have shown an exemplary work ethic and are prepared to perform beginning mid-October.
“The quality of the students has been really wonderful,” Esparza said. “The students are here because they want to be here and they want to learn this. I think they appreciate the fact that I professionally experienced the business and they want that experience from me.”
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