Preston Schoenherr,
Will Shakespeare
Tell me about your character.
Will Shakespeare … is very smart, clever and witty but at the same time struggles to find his own voice. He’s good friends with the ‘Shakespeare’ of their time, Christopher Marlowe. When people think ‘playwright,’ they think of [Marlowe]. [Will’s] good friends with Christopher Marlowe [who] was a big inspiration to Will. This isn’t directly said in the play, but a lot of Shakespeare’s early work was inspired by things Marlowe wrote. He kind of plagiarized … here and there. … He falls in love with Viola. At the beginning, he’s stuck in writer’s block and it’s really hard for him to write and he can’t get words on the page, but when he meets and falls in love with Viola, it’s like he finds his muse. He’s able to write things now.
What inspired your passion to act on stage?
Before high school, I’d never done theatre. Due to a scheduling error, I was put into Beginning Drama class. I think I put Digital Photography, but Drama was the only one available so I thought ‘Oh fine, I’ll go to Drama and then switch out next week, whatever.’ I ended up being too lazy and it was a lot of fun. Someone convinced me the next semester to audition for “Twelfth Night” and it was a lot of fun. … I kind of stuck with it since and … around sophomore year, I realized this is my thing, this is what I want to do. Theatre is a really special medium. It is limited in [the] sense that you can’t do the things you can do with TV, movies or books, but the one serious advantage it has over [other mediums] is this intimacy between the performers and everyone on stage and in the audience. The whole thing is happening in the moment. … It’s all very intimate, a really special, magical feeling that I don’t think could be created in any other medium.
Do you think “Shakespeare in Love” challenges you?
I think the biggest challenge for me has been having to fall in love on stage. Romance is one of the main focuses in the show. I’ve played other characters who have fallen in love but it has never been a focus. … I need to really throw myself into it because if I don’t, it’s not going to be good. If the audience isn’t buying it, it’s not fun for anyone.
Are you planning on pursuing a theatre career after high school?
I’ve applied to college for theatre, I plan on going into theatre. Hopefully I can be just successful enough to live and keep doing theatre.
How do you think Aragon productions will influence your future in theatre?
Aragon productions are very much on the same level as other professional productions. I’ve been in one other production over the last summer in Chicago and technically, is on the same level [of professionalism]. I think this graduating class [might have] the most seniors who want to go into theatre. We have a large proportion of this year and last year of people going into theatre compared to previous years. Everyone is very supportive and it really is a family. Everyone is here for you to encourage your art and exploration.
Kyra Knibbs,
Viola De Lesseps
What can the audience expect from the play?
The audience can expect lots of romance, lots of excitement. There’s a lot of stage combat and fighting. They can expect some interesting things with a lot of people dressing in different genders. A lot of women dress as men, [both] purposefully and not on purpose. … They can expect an amazing set. There’s going to be a rotating stage at the end so you can see the behind the scenes of the play that’s going on versus the backstage. There’s going to be beautiful costumes. … It’s a romance and it’s going to be very funny. A lot of people, when they think of Shakespeare, think of something a little more boring that they can’t understand but there’s so much comedy, action-packed, it’s a great play for a high school. It’s also a little sad and scary and there are some serious things happening in it because every single comedy, every good comedy, especially with Shakespeare, has a tragedy in it. This is a really great play and all of us are working really hard on it, making it as great as it can be. Mr. Smuin doing a great job, the costumes, it’s all coming together. Everyone should definitely see it.
Since you are a senior, what do you think of “Shakespeare in Love” as your last play?
I think it is a great show. Especially because it has such a big cast and that’s really great for a high school production. There’s also a lot of involvement with a lot of different kids which I really like so it’s not just like specifically certain kids having a lot of lines which I really like about it.
What are some challenges you have faced in “Shakespeare in Love?”
Well I just have a hard time memorizing my lines. That’s always just been a thing with me. But also my character, she dresses up as a man because she loves theatre so much so I’ve been having a hard time with that and how to do that specifically without going so far, how deep my voice should be or how much should I embrace this man-like nature or if I should still be my character.
Eddie Georgievski,
Edmund Tilney + Sir Robert De Lesseps
Tell me about your character. Do you relate to your character?
I have two characters. The one I usually play most is Tilney, who is a second hand to the queen. He is supposed to be a very strong character. He is very stoic and obedient to the queen. I don’t think I relate to my character that much but I have to have this strong force in the room at all times because I have to enforce the law.
What inspired your passion to act on stage?
I think it’s kind of the ability to express yourself and be someone else. It’s kind of a different feeling you can’t feel in sports or school. Being someone else is a break from all the stress from school.
What has been your favorite memory from “Shakespeare in Love?”
During rehearsals, in the green room we had a huge duel with swords. It was kind of a ‘king of the hill’ time thing where whoever could touch the other person first with the metal tip would win. Everyone else was cheering on the side and everyone had to do this quietly. It was actually the hardest thing to do because everyone was dying with laughter.
Nicholas Schick,
Hugh Fennyman
Tell me about your character.
I really enjoy the character I play. His name is Fennyman and he’s a landlord for the guy who owns the theatre where Shakespeare’s works are performed. My character goes through a change throughout the play. At the start he is greedy and a money-focused man. He actually attempts to burn someone’s feet if they’re not paying his rent. As he progresses through the play, he starts coming to rehearsals and develops a love for the art. In the end he becomes one of the actors in the play on stage.
What has been your favorite memory of “Shakespeare in Love?”
After auditions and seeing the cast list and seeing my name on it next to the character I got. That was very exciting to see I got that role. I’m surprised I got him and quite glad I got him.
