Shakespeare takes center stage at Rocky Heights Middle School
Carson Timmons played the role of Demetrius and Ava Schniederman took on the role of Hermia in the Rocky Heights Middle School production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The show provided lots of laughs and was well received by audience members.
By RHMS eighth grade student Maiya Upton; photo courtesy of RHMS Yearbook
On November 5 and 6, Rocky Heights Middle School (RHMS) swept audiences of all ages into the magical world of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The play is a comedy that focuses on four lovers: Helena, Hermia, Lysander, and Demetrius.
As the lovers try to deal with a trick that Puck, a mischievous little fairy plays on them, audiences are thrust into the lives of mortals and fairies alike as they try to cope with struggles of their own. The play kept the audience on the edge of their seats the whole time and made them constantly wonder what was going to happen next. “Though Shakespeare is usually reserved for a cast that is a bit older, the RHMS seventh and eighth grade cast generated an abundance of laughter,” said Castle Pines resident and show attendee Julia Brochey.
“I really enjoyed performing Shakespeare, but it was definitely a challenge when I was trying to figure out what to say,” said Elizabeth Mayr. “In the end, it was a really great experience.” Mayr played Nick Bottom, a comical character that got turned into a donkey and managed to get the audience laughing out loud throughout the course of the show. Filled with a widely diverse cast, everyone brought life to their characters in a way that no one else could. Mayr stated that her favorite thing about being a part of the play was, in fact, the cast.
As Brochey said, Shakespeare is usually performed by an older cast, but these young actors managed to pull it off. Kameron Fisher, who took on the role of Mighty King Theseus said, “I didn’t like Shakespeare at first, but it grew on me, and now I would love to do another!” Agreeing with Fisher, Trevor Fearon, who portrayed Wall said that doing a Shakespeare production was both interesting and challenging.
Even though the show was a struggle at first, by the production nights, RHMS managed to put on a show that wowed audiences of all ages. Considering the amount of applause from the audience and the proud grins worn by both the cast and crew at the end of the show, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was a hit and one show that won’t be soon forgotten.
