A larger than life politician so beloved by the masses that if he “had stabbed their mothers” they would love him “no less.” The elite senators who fear his abuse of power. A conspiracy hatched to overthrow him. An ominous warning from the “press” that he should be worried about the future. Plucked from today’s headlines? Actually, it’s all in Act 1, Scene 2 of “Julius Caesar,” this year’s Envision Shakespeare scene, presented in a myriad of creative ways by ensembles from the seven participating area yeshiva high schools, hosted by the Frisch School.
After the opening, inspiring keynote address by Leah Gottfried, creator and star of YouTube’s award winning comic web series “Soon By You,” students participated in one of two Shakespeare themed workshops entitled “Music in Shakespeare’s Plays” or “Reimagining Shakespeare’s Plays through Visual Imagery.” Theater professionals Beth Selter, Nathan Kruman and Sara Leone, along with master educator Tikvah Wiener, led these imaginative hands-on workshops in which students working in groups flexed their creative muscles while experiencing some of the best of the Bard.
Shai Gutfreund, a former Envision Shakespeare competitor and TABC graduate, made a surprise return to judge the competition, the first time a former student has returned as a judge. “We’ve come full circle now,” said Lopkin. “Having a student return excited to just breathe the air of the program and then sit with the judges and evaluate the students work shows just how impactful this program truly is. We welcome all seniors back to spend the day and wade in Shakespeare’s waters.”
After each school presented their spin on the chosen scene from “Julius Caesar,” students enjoyed a pizza lunch and a Q&A with Gottfried. She shared clips of her web series, took questions from the audience of budding actors, directors and filmmakers and encouraged students to follow their dreams and passions.
The afternoon offered a new addition to the program: a sonnet competition. Four schools competed and this year Tal Najman of SAR HS took home the trophy. While judges deliberated throughout the day, students enjoyed competing to answer Shakespeare trivia questions for cute and kitschy prizes! After finalists Frisch, Ma’ayanot and Bruriah performed their scenes one final time the judges deliberated and winners were announced:
Grand Prize- Ma’ayanot
Most Creative Interpretation of a Scene- Bruriah
Best Actor- Yitzchak Tollinsky (TABC) and Benji Stock (Kushner)
Best Director – Elisheva Hirsch and Shana Erblich (Bruriah)
Best Supporting Actors- Benny Edelman (Frisch) and Naomi Bruk(Ma’ayanot)
Students left with a swanky competition T-shirt in hand (featuring the quote Cassus quips in the scene presented, “The fault is not in our stars but in ourselves”), a smile on their faces and several new friendships built on the stage that Shakespeare wrote one play at a time. One of the judges remarked, “I think I’m in heaven. At Envision Shakespeare, kids are chanting a demand for Shakespeare trivia.” That pretty much sums it up—students are begging for more arts opportunities and experiences, and Envision Shakespeare fits the bill!
