By Christian Fernandez
Making Shakespeare understandable to adults can be challenging. Making Shakespeare understandable to elementary students can be daunting. The Motley Players had to face such a task as they performed their education show As You Like It at Bessie Weller Elementary School. Motley’s performance was the first time a Mary Baldwin University MFA Company performed at the school.
Brooke Spatol, the company’s touring manager, explained that Motley was able to perform at Bessie Weller because the company received a grant from MBU. “We received an education grant called the High Impact Education Grant. This grant allowed us to go to two elementary schools and one middle school for free. It provided us a chance to take both shows and workshops.” Richard Fletcher, the principal of Bessie Weller, received a call from Doreen Bechtol explaining how the grant provided Motley with the chance to perform at the school. Fletcher happily accepted the opportunity for his younger students to acquire a joy for Shakespeare. He said the school wanted “To expose to students a unique educational and cultural fine arts opportunity they might not otherwise have the chance to experience, whether due to unfamiliarity, finances, etc.”
The company was scheduled to perform for the third grade class, making it Motley’s youngest audience to date. Such a challenge would require the company to build upon all their experience from previous performances. Spatol believed the actors had learned from those performances “which jokes worked for each age group.” Clare Boyd, who portrayed Celia, noted that one of Motley’s strengths was its ability to read various audiences. “The little ones love the physical comedy,” said Boyd, “and middle schoolers tend to be most likely to respond vocally during the show. With every tour I think the cast gets better at reading the audience.”
The performance took place in the school’s cafeteria in the afternoon. However, since the company had fight calls during lunch time, students had an opportunity to get a glimpse of the show to come. “They were so responsive during our fight call” Spatol remembered, “ causing our actors to get excited. This carried over into the show and lasted throughout.” Boyd observed the students’ energy also contributed to the company’s energy, increasing the strength of the performance as the show progressed.
The challenges of having a younger audience had their moments. Spatol highlighted the love letter scene of Act III Scene 2 as one such difficulty. “It is the longest scene, and it contains no music, fights, or dancing. Also, it is at about the halfway point of the show. When you get children to stay seated for an extended amount of time, they will become restless at some point.” When students were restless or disinterested, Boyd noticed such students did not conceal their mood. “A class of third-graders will not pretend to be interested if they are not, and once you have lost them, it is pretty hard to get them back.” Nevertheless, the actors found ways to remedy these troubles and keep students engaged. For example, Boyd made sure to maintain eye contact with the students and deliver lines towards the audience more than she had in previous shows. The company overcame the challenges, producing several moments that delighted the children. According to Spatol, the students laughed the most when characters repeatedly pushed Silvius over. Boyd also observed students enjoy scenes with Touchstone and Aubrey. Even moments as simple as the actors sitting in the audience excited the students.
For both Motley and Bessie Weller, the performance was a success. Spatol said “These kids were so excited about having us there. The majority of our tours have included some slight reservation from the audience. However, these students were more than willing to play along. They loved talking to the cast and found it to be a joyous experience.” Fletcher was impressed by the Motley Players, expressing a desire that future MBU MFA companies return to perform at Bessie Weller. “Not only was the performance (and the follow-up workshops) enjoyed and well-received by 3rd grade teachers and students,” Fletcher said, “but students at other grade levels, when they saw what was going on for the Third Graders, kept asking me ‘When is it our turn?’ The experience definitely incited interest around the entire school!”
