TROUPE OFFERS AREA SIXTH-GRADERS EXPOSURE TO WORKS OF SHAKESPEARE

Justin Castleberry was surprised to see Hamlet hairless but delighted that his performance was nothing short of hair-raising.

Sean Baldwin said Thadd McQuade was born to play the role of Hamlet. And Eric Kohler considered the entire Shakespearean production a tad boring until the fight scene at the end.

These West Lane Elementary School sixth-grade students were among several hundred area youths who witnessed their first live production of a Shakespearean play courtesy of the 11-member Shenandoah Shakespeare Express troupe Friday morning.

"The play was too long and there were a lot of art's and tis's, but I liked watching the character of Hamlet," Castleberry said before embarking on a later-than-usual lunch Friday afternoon.

Castleberry said the only other version of "Hamlet" he has witnessed was played by Mel Gibson on television. "He played it a lot different than the actor I saw today," Castleberry said. "For one thing Mel Gibson had a lot more hair than this guy, but I liked them both," he said.

Baldwin said Hamlet and the character of Horatio, played by Darius Stone, were the most interesting actors to watch.

Asked if he would go back to the theater in the near future, Castleberry said: "Probably. But I might like to see a more modern play the next time. The language made it hard to follow, but I was able to understand the story."

The two-hour production altered the class' routine. However, West Lane sixth-grade teacher Dave Klein thought the educational experience was worth the alteration in his normally tight schedule.

"Education comes in bits and pieces," Klein said. "I thought all of the students got something out of the experience. Maybe if we would have had a 10-minute break in the middle of the play it would have helped everyone stretch a little bit and concentrate on the story more when it resumed."

Klein observed his students throughout the play, which took place at Southeast Missouri State's Rose Theater. "I looked down the line to see how they were reacting to the play, and they seemed to be doing pretty good," Klein said. "For the most part they seemed interested in the story."

Klein said he first heard about the weeklong Shakespearean offering from a friend. "It's good to expose them to something like this," he said. "I'll find out how much they got out of it when we talk about it later, but I thought it was a good experience."

Notre Dame drama teacher Cindy King brought a class that is studying the nuances of Shakespeare's work to see "Hamlet." "The class is Shakespeare II, so this was a great tool to use for teaching," King said. "My students were particularly interested in the performances of Hamlet and Ophelia. It was just an excellent production."

King's class will discuss the difference between styles of actors who have played Hamlet. "The actor today was different than Laurence Olivier, Mel Gibson and Kevin Kline," she said. "It will be interesting to discuss what those differences are."