Kaitlyn Hart
Life Editor
Idaho State University’s School of Performing Arts is gearing up to present the heartwarming comedy-drama, “Shakespeare in Love,” which will run on April 12, 13, 18, 19 and 20 in the Beverly B. Bistline Theatre in the L.E. and Thelma E. Stephens Performing Arts Center.
“‘Shakespeare in Love’ takes everything we love about Shakespeare and adds even more dimensions,” said director and ISU theatre faculty member Vanessa Ballam. “It’s delightful to experience a new interpretation of what could have inspired some of Shakespeare’s greatest writing.”
The story begins in 1590’s London, wherein a young William Shakespeare, played by ISU student Tristan Berg, finds himself struggling with writer’s block. The deadline for his new play is fast approaching as he looks desperately to find his muse to help him finish writing his current work, a half-written mess of a comedy entitled Romeo and Ethel, The Pirate’s Daughter.
Along the way, he manages to eventually find the muse he was looking for in Viola de Lesseps, played by ISU student Megan Thomas. De Lesseps, a motivated and driven young woman, even goes so far as to disguise herself as a man in order to fulfill her lifelong dream of performing onstage, where women are not allowed.
As the play goes along and events unfold, William Shakespeare grows very fond of de Lesseps, to the point of falling in love with her. His love for Viola is what inspires him to make his greatest masterpiece of all.
“This play is the perfect challenge for an actor,” Ballam said. “The demands of this show include singing, dancing, sword fighting, dialect work, period costumes and working with Shakespearean texts.”
The production will include many period costumes, some created by Theater professor Tara Young and many of them rented from the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City, Utah.
“I knew this play would really push our theatre students and take everything we teach in our classes and demand that of our students onstage,” Ballam said. “I’m also a hopeless romantic, and ‘Shakespeare in Love’ is one incredible love story.”
Tickets are available at isu.edu/tickets or at the ISU Box Office.
“I hope the audience walks away being reminded of how lucky we are to have Shakespeare’s plays,” Ballam said, “and the idea that art can elevate us.”
