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To Thine Own Self Be True

What usually happens when you load 43 high school kids on a bus, give them too much sugar, and throw in a big dollop of excitement and hormones? Mass chaos! However, except for the overly caffeinated, excessively sugared, super excited hormonal part – the kids I spent last weekend with were an absolute pleasure. Sure, there were a few cases of “What the hell are you doing?!? And Why?” but for the most part our kids were punctual, well behaved and obedient… for high school kids. (wink)

The bulk of Friday was spent supporting the eight students who were competing in the monologues and duo/trio scenes. They had three rounds each, and were scored on a whole battery of acting choices by professional Shakespearean actors and directors. And they were fantastic! Josh (director, teacher and bff) and I managed to see all of them compete in at least one of their rounds, and while that meant sprinting across campus in some cases – it was absolutely worth it. These kids were fantastic. I laughed, I was sufficiently creeped out when appropriate, and I felt giddy when I should… the level of craft and skill employed by these 17 and 18 year old actors was incredible. And they have every reason to be proud of themselves.

The Utah Shakespeare Festival was begun in 1962, and the high school competition portion began in 1976. This competition has grown to include 6 divisions (based on school size), 84 schools from all around the country and over 2500 students competiting for trophies and scholarships to Southern Utah University (the host university and home of a premier Shakespeare acting program).

I have about a million thoughts running through my head about this trip, some of which I don’t think I’ll share (too personal, too revealing of minors, too “I don’t know how to properly word this to get the emotion across”… too something). I hadn’t been to the Shakespeare Festival for six years, since my senior year of high school – and it was kind of a strange feeling to be back as a “responsible adult”, to see a whole new generation of kids be involved and moved and changed by the experience. A strange, fantastic, make-you-stop-and-smile feeling. I don’t quite know how to describe it – but if this kind of satisfaction comes always comes from teaching kids and seeing the change in their perspectives and actions as a result; then for the first time I can understand why people become teachers. I had always thought of professional teachers (that’s you Andrea and Aly) were nothing short of heroic; working incredibly long hours, in less-than-ideal conditions, for incredibly subpar pay. And while I am more-or-less convinced I could never be a full-time teacher, I still think of them as heroes, and for the first time I understand why they continue to teach, despite the sometimes depressing work-conditions.

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