William Shakespeare once said, “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players.” That’s the case with Northern Kentucky University’s recent Shakespearean visitors.

The Cincinnati Shakespeare Company visited NKU’s campus on Thursday, April 21 at the Eva G. Farris Amphitheater with an outdoor performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

The performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” organized by Emily Detmer-Goebel, an associate professor in the graduate English program, was performed with limited props and six performers who played many roles.

According to James Duvall, a professor in the Intensive English Program at Northern Kentucky University, one of the benefits of seeing this production live is that students get to experience Shakespeare the way it originated — on the stage.

“I just think it was very interesting and educational, and I think that something like this is real; whereas you read it in a book, it’s just a story. You can try to picture it in your mind,” Duvall said. “But this is the real thing, this is the way it was meant to be heard.”

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” one of Shakespeare’s many comedies, had the audience members laughing in their seats and the performers scrambling humorously across the stage. For Carey Davenport, NKU theatre alum and Lysander in the play, acting is about expressing oneself.

“Acting on stage has kept me young and it’s taught me how to be expressive,” Davenport said.

For Jolin Polasek, a graduate of Wright State University and Helena in the play, it’s all about the laughs.

“Laughter. Hearing people giggle at me being stupid on stage and helping people forget about the crap that’s going on in their lives for two hours,” Polasek said. “And just seeing people smiling and laughing, that’s the greatest gift really.”

Even if you don’t fully understand the language of Shakespeare, you would understand the play.

“The Shakespeare Company makes Shakespeare relevant and fun, even if they’re [audience members] not cognizant in the language,” Margo Jang, a professor in the Intensive English Program at NKU said.
For more information about the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company you can visit their website at http://www.cincyshakes.com/.

Story by Shawn Buckenmeyer