Monmouth College students Darren Jackson (Othello) and Lindsay Jackson (Desdemona) rehearse a scene from the upcoming production of "A Taste of Shakespeare," which will be performed March 1-4 at the college's Wells Theater. Besides an abridged version of "Othello," a one-hour adaptation of "Hamlet" will also be performed.

MONMOUTH, Ill. — Rarely is there an opportunity to view, in one sitting, two of William Shakespeare’s greatest plays, but Monmouth College’s Crimson Masque theater group has found a way to do just that. The opening production of its spring theater season, “A Taste of Shakespeare,” presents cleverly edited and re-crafted one-act versions of the Bard’s classic tragedies “Othello” and “Hamlet.” Performances are March 1-3 at 7:30 p.m., and a matinee on March 4 at 2 p.m. in the college’s Wells Theater.

Tickets are $4 for MC students, faculty and staff; $5 for other students and senior citizens; and $6 for adults. Reservations can be made via e-mail at theater@monm.edu or through tickets purchased at the door. An opening-night discussion will be held immediately following the March 1 performance, during which audience members can join the cast for cookies and conversation.

The one-act productions of “Hamlet,” under the direction of Bill Wallace, director of theater, and “Othello,” directed by senior Michelle Anstett of Peoria, are a result of Anstett’s desire to create an independent study to direct “Othello.” The two directors spent many hours adapting the scripts to allow for the intent of the plays to be realized within two one-hour performances.

“Often, an educational theater program is measured by its success in doing the classics,” said Wallace. “This gives us the chance to offer more opportunities for student actors, as well as the challenge of making both shows fit in an evening of theater.

“Sometimes it is very daunting to tackle Shakespeare because you know so much has already been written and created,” Wallace added. “I hope our production will provide insight as well as enjoyment. Certainly, I have discovered new interpretations and staging ideas, and I think the production will be of value both for audiences new to the Bard as well as those who have seen many Shakespearean productions.

While the cast of “Hamlet” features more than a score of Monmouth College student actors, the principal characters include junior Mark Mullaney of Gresham, Ore., as Hamlet; freshman Mike Wozniak of Stickney as the King (Claudius); sophomore Melissa Metz of Lincoln as the Queen (Gertrude); freshman John Wells of Freeport as Horatio; freshman Paul Bridges of Bettendorf, Iowa, as Polonius; freshman Mike Diamond of Orland Park as Laertes; and senior Stephanie Haas of Geneva as Ophelia.

Commenting on her independent study project, Anstett said her first experience with “Othello” was during a summer Shakespeare camp at Barat College just after she graduated from high school. “I fell in love with the play, especially the richness of interpretive possibilities. Many people see this play as boiling down to Iago’s hatred of Othello on the basis of his race, but I contend there are many other reasons, all of which are equally plausible, for Iago’s decision to enact his plan of revenge upon Othello and Desdemona.

“When I was asked to cut the entire show down to a one-hour block of time, I believe my head started to spin,” Anstett continued. “I didn’t know, at first, how I could possibly take my beloved, complex play and shave it down to one hour. Then, I began toying with only using the most central characters and the most central plots, making the revenge upon Othello the most prominent part of the piece and not focusing on the other characters as much.”

The English and theater arts major said her cast in Othello “has been exceptional. For a college which only presents Shakespeare once in a student’s career, I was stunned at the abilities of my four actors to sensitively and accurately interpret the difficult language and to fully develop their characters in the short amount of time allowed to them.”

She added, “I have every confidence they, along with the cast of ‘Hamlet,’ will present a wonderful night of Shakespeare. They’ll allow the community to experience the beauty and power of a playwright who has been dead for nearly 400 years and help them see that not all things we experience are unique to our times – some things resonate throughout all time.”

Anstett’s cast includes senior Darren Jackson of St. Louis as Othello, senior Michael Seufert of Lansing as Iago, sophomore Lindsay Jackson of Moline as Desdemona and Katelyn Griffith of Woodstock as Emilia.

Released by the Office of College Communications
Barry McNamara, Associate Director of College Communications
Phone: 309-457-2117
Fax: 309-457-2330