Shakespeare

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While Mudd is known as a science and math college, not everyone knows that it also has a diverse range of humanities courses available. With nineteen faculty members, it’s not a small department either, and the classes cover a wide range of topics including history, literature, economics, and art.

This semester, I am taking Lit 110, or Shakespeare, with Professor Dadabhoy. While technically a literature class, it is split into two parts. In the first half, we read and discuss five Shakespeare plays. During the second half however, we choose one of these five plays to perform at the end of the semester. The class gives everyone a chance to act and work backstage, regardless of experience. I have never put on a play before but I’ve wanted to try directing since high school, and this class has given me the chance! It’s a lot of work (not only do we have to rehearse, but we also have to edit the script, come up with the costumes, make the set, and more), but this lets us make the play our own. We get to make all of the decisions, from where the play is set, to whether it should be funny or serious, it is all up to the students. Last year even, the Shakespeare class put on their own interpretation of Romeo and Juliet and set it in the 20s! Though it’s a lot of work, it’s also a lot of fun, and I can’t wait for our performances on May 1st and 2nd!

Below are photos of some of our actors posing for poster pictures and practicing a few fight scenes, courtesy of Kathleen Schaefer.

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