Shakespearean actors perform for classes

Shakespeare went interactive this week at the University. Five actors from the London stage who are touring American universities brought a fresh perspective to the English playwright's works in a series of acting workshops, dinners and guest appearances in classes throughout the University. "Because we are actors and not academics we enable students to see the play's text come off the page," said actress Holly Wilson. In many of the classes, students were encouraged to participate by acting out scenes from the plays. Actor David Howey began his workshop entitled "A Comparison of Claudius in Hamlet to Macbeth" by engaging students in traditional acting warmups to "take some of the seminar quality off the event," he said. The culmination of the actors' tour was a performance of Macbeth at the Annenberg Center Wednesday by the five actors. But with only five actors and over 20 characters in the script, the play called for some deftly executed dual-role playing. This is exactly what the actors did in the minimalist production, which used no sets and just the bare minimum of costumes. "Doubling of characters is an English tradition which differs markedly from the American style," said Howey. "The emphasis is not on getting deeply into your character like Dustin Hoffman does, but on telling a story." The non-traditional production of what is usually a sober play cast Shakespeare's comedic talents in a whole new light. Actor Stephen Casey utilized Shakespeare's portrayal of an inebriated palace guard to mock random people in the audience, drawing large amounts of laughter. Casey, who began his acting career playing in hospitals and jails alongside Patrick Steward -- formerly Captain Jean Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation -- felt his twist on the scene was entirely appropriate. "The play isn't for the actor, it is for the audience," Casey said. "It doesn't matter if I come up and purge my soul on stage if the audience can't hear what I'm saying, [so] I might as well come up on stage and scream." Students in the audience raved about the show afterward. "That's the way it would have been done in Shakespeare's time," said Wharton junior Lea Bigelow. Many were also amazed at the group's ability to convincingly portray so many characters simultaneously. "They are perfect acting machines," said College junior Derrell Bradford.