The Cupertino Courier

Community

Local youngsters do Shakespeare proud

By Crystal Lu

Two small children in simplified medieval costumes fight with fake swords. Another child tries to stop them by shouting, "Gentlemen, for shame, forbear this outrage!"

They're portraying Tybalt, Mercutio and Romeo in a scene from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, incorporated into one of the three final performances in this summer's Bay Area Shakespeare Camps in Cupertino. Thirty-eight of the 40 campers entertained their parents and relatives with a performance Aug. 3 at Union Church.

The children spent two weeks learning how to be Shakespearean actors. They made their own costumes in a production and design class, but a few of them were allowed to wear street clothes on stage if they preferred.

"We want the kids to be comfortable," said Josh Sigal, one of the three teachers.

Shakespeare Camps are held during the summer throughout the Bay Area. They began with a single session of 30 campers in 1993 as a branch of the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, a nonprofit organization that has put on Free Shakespeare in the Park productions every summer since 1983.

Bay Area Shakespeare Camps have four two-week sessions every summer. Each session has four to seven locations. The Cupertino camp was so popular the staff had to turn away 10 applicants, said Rebecca Ennals, arts education director for the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival.

Ennals said the first of the three final performances, Dead Ends, was a creation of the Shakespeare Camps staff. The mini-play combined sword-fighting scenes of Macbeth, Henry IV, Henry VI, Richard III, Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet to draw active young children, especially boys, into the world of Shakespeare. The camps use this mini-play for the youngest age group, 7-and-8-year-olds.

Two other staff creations for the youngest campers are Playing the Fool, a combination of clown scenes from the Bard's plays, and Shakespeare Magic, consisting of dialogues between fairies.

Some of the youngest children came with their older siblings. But Liam Cleary, 7, claimed it was his own choice to join the camp, not to follow his 10-year-old sister Ciara Zambo.

Both Ciara and Liam knew some Shakespeare from comic books before signing up. Ciara had also seen the play A Midsummer Night's Dream before cross-dressing to play the character Bottom in the final performance of her age group.

The oldest group was from ages 11 to 13. Some of them were returning campers. Aaron Simonson, 11, said this was his fourth year in the Shakespeare Camp. His mother first signed him up four years ago because he had always liked performing in school plays.

"The camp helps me improve my acting skills," said Aaron.

For more information about the Bay Area Shakespeare Camps, visit www.sfshakes.org.