Our Spring season opened with Much Ado about Nothing, performed by our youngest Players. Set in the early days of California (perfect for the Mission Project that is a part of the school curriculum for most California 4th graders), the Players danced to the music of Early California, and did an exceptional job of telling the story. We broke audience records for their final performance – we had kids sitting on their parents’ laps, and on yoga mats in the front row, as the actors made sure not to dance on their audience’s toes!
Next was Troilus and Cressida, performed by our elder statesmen. This challenging and rarely-done play was set against an apocalyptic playground in an indeterminate time, and the set was constructed almost entirely from discarded artifacts (also known as “trash” – Players scavenged for plastic water bottles for weeks to construct Achilles’ tent). The sounds of the digeridoo, rap played on bagpipes, and “I, Who Have Nothing” sung by Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey … and Pandarus … made up the musical landscape of this haunting and affecting production.
The season closed with Antony & Cleopatra, a sprawling and epic production performed by our Shakespeare in the City troupe, ages 7 through 15. The roles of Antony and of Cleopatra were each divided between two actors – the four actors wove in and out throughout the piece, illustrating the change our personalities and resolves can undergo when we are in different company. The production featured both veteran LADC performers (one of the actors playing Cleopatra, at age 13, had already appeared in 8 LADC productions), and young actors appearing on stage for the first time.