This fall, a new group on campus will be devoted to the infamous playwright and the original bard himself-- William Shakespeare. Jay O’Berski, assistant professor of the practice for the department of Theater Studies and visiting lecturer Dana Marks are the founders of Antic Shake, the only Shakespeare performance group on campus.
In his professional career, O’Berski has worked in some capacity with almost every Shakespeare play. Throughout his 13-year teaching experience, he knows of no Shakespeare-centered performance groups to have existed at Duke, though he has attended informal readings and sporadic Shakespeare plays and performances put on by Duke students. Because he has never seen a Shakespeare-focused ensemble crystallize, he’s been wanting to do “something Shakespeare at Duke” for a while.
“I realized I was graduating Theater Studies majors at Duke who had never done Shakespeare before,” O’Berski said.
Moving outward from his own department, O’Berski harnessed his long history of experience with and love for the playwright to found Antic Shake. The group initially began two years ago, but took a break due to O’Berski’s heavy involvement in the Durham theater company Little Green Pig Theatrical Concern. With only one original member of the group still at Duke, O’Berski hopes to grow the company into something accessible and fun for all students.
“The aim of this group is really to de-stigmatize Shakespeare as that farty old guy you read in high school. Everyone has some experience with his plays, and we want to make this group open to everyone,” O’Berski said.
O’Berski has high hopes for a program with the potential to pull students from many different backgrounds together; it isn’t just Theater Studies or English majors whom he wishes to attract. O’Berski is interested in, among others, engineers, athletes and students with a broad range of other interests. In fact, he suggested only one requirement for participation in the company.
“Of course, they should all be tied with a common interest in Shakespeare,” he said.
Ideally, ten actors and actresses and four to five directors will compose the club. There will also be opportunities for students to work behind the scenes in design and dramaturgy.
In its inaugural year, Antic Shake will present a handful of performances. On December 3 the company will perform scenes from some of Shakespeare’s late romance plays, centering on the theme of forgiveness. Sarah Beckwith, chair of the department of Theater Studies and professor of Theater Studies and English, will be on hand to help with applied theory.
After the winter performance, the spring semester will allow for more shows and collaborations. In February, as a joint effort with Duke Performances, Antic Shake will work closely with New York City’s Fiasco Theater Company. British actor Jonathan Cullen, who trained with the Oxford University Dramatic Society, is scheduled to be a guest director. And in April, the group plans to undertake a one-hour chamber version of a Shakespeare play.
No matter the production, Antic Shake aims to keep Shakespeare relevant to Duke students and audiences.
“I think we all learned in high school that Shakespeare can be very reverent or boring or daunting. But really, it’s this incredible, intense, sexy material that needs to be approached like anything else that’s worth watching and performing,” O’Berski said.
Auditions for Antic Shake will be held Saturday, September 10 in Brody Theater in Branson Hall on East Campus. More information can be found at the Duke Theater Studies website and questions should be directed to jayoberski@yahoo.com.
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