What would lead a bunch of teens to tackle Shakespeare? Curious to find out, Morning Edition host Andrew Garcia and I went backstage with Junior Players to chat with the young leads, ages 14 to 18, of the company’s upcoming show, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
One group of teens gathered in a large rehearsal space at East Dallas Christian Church, while the rest clustered together outside in the hallway to practice their lines.
The director, Kyle Lemieux, called out instructions to the actors.
“Alright, so let's start on page 28. Let's run that sequence,” Lemieux yelled.
Act Three commenced and the "mechanicals" or clowns, discussed how to stage their play "Pyramus and Thisbe," which involves a scene where the characters meet by moonlight.
“So today we are looking at Act 3 of Midsummers,” Lemieux explained. “It's a good time to start working in larger chunks so the actors can start to build up that kind of muscle memory of, not just how the scene functions, but how the scenes kind of lock together.”
During the school year, Lemieux is a drama professor at the University of Dallas, but this summer, instead of college students, he’s directing the teens from Junior Players in their annual Shakespearian production. Junior Players is a non-profit arts organization that serves North Texas kids ages 5 to 18 with programming that includes visual, media, dance, and of course, theater.
When we visited, Lemieux was guiding the troupe through the intricacies of the famous Shakespearean comedy.
Not familiar with the plot of A Midsummer Night’s Dream? Here's the Cliff Notes version: It takes place in an enchanted forest where the stories of four young lovers, the magical goings-on of the fairy world and a group of amateur actors all come together.
17-year-old Charlotte Foree from Allen plays the mischievous fairy Puck. Here’s her even briefer take on the plot.
“It is a bunch of teenagers stuck in a love square running through the woods and having fun and joking.”
Foree’s character Puck is a pot-stirrer. She said going from a high soprano ingénue in musical theater to playing a creepy little dude that curses people was a stretch for her, but she developed a unique approach to making the character her own.
“I was asked what creature I think Puck is and I said a hyena,” Foree said. “There's a lot of very creepy laughter, lots of Kubrick stares, lots of creepy smiles, and I'm just having fun.”
The kids credit their director with helping them find their characters and their voice in the play. Lemieux said his passion for the Bard came when he was a teenager.
“I was in high school when I first fell in love with Shakespeare, and for me that was really impactful. It kind of changed the trajectory of my life,” Lemieux said.
16-year-old Maximo Casas, who plays Lysander, one of the bewitched lovers, is a rising Senior at Booker T. Washington High School in Dallas. He shares Lemieux’s affinity for Shakespeare.
“I'm a little bit of a nerd when it comes to this stuff,” Casas said. “I love Shakespeare and I love doing the shows. The community we experience here is really welcoming. Everyone's uplifting to each other. There's no drama.”
While thankfully there's no drama behind the scenes, there was plenty at rehearsal as the ever-devilish Puck transforms an actor's head into that of a donkey causing pandemonium. Actors flee while Puck runs around mocking them.
Both on stage and behind the scenes you can tell that they're all having a lot of fun, but Shakespeare is no walk in the park. It’s impressive the amount of dedication it takes to not only memorize the lines but also to deliver them.
But even though it's challenging, the kids said the support and friendship of their fellow actors makes this experience one they'll carry with them throughout their lives.
“No matter where I end up, or whatever I do later in life, I think I want to find a place like Junior Players.” Casas said. “I want to return the favor, just like they did for me, helping me become not only a better actor, but a better person as well. “
And that sort of growth is exactly what Director Lemieux is hoping for.
“In some ways, this is a kind of sentimental experience for me.” Lemieux said. “To see kids get exposed to the richness and depth of the language and the characters and the story and to watch them discover parts of themselves they didn't know existed within that, and the ability to kind of express that, oh my goodness, that's just delightful to watch and to witness.”
Details: July 29-Aug. 3 at Theatre Three, 2688 Laclede St, Dallas. Tickets are $12-$17.
