Over the years we have taken Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to explore Shakespeare’s romantic world. Whether thinking about famous couples like Romeo and Juliet, or the more unlikely match between Titania and Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, we have certainly been a bit love-struck at this time of year.
Now, though, we wanted to focus on a more Platonic love: That which exists between the actors and a production.
Let us hasten to say that no troupe is perfect: Any group enterprise, no matter the profession or context, brings with it the potential for conflict. Given that, it is all the more important to highlight for young actors the values of camaraderie and community. Shakespeare, of course, wrote much about the complexities of friendship, as this fascinating article by scholar Will Tosh explains; but the shared purpose that “putting on a play” requires exceeds even this kind of bond. “The play is the thing” which unites every theatrical ensemble — it is both the driving force behind and the final result of rigorous rehearsals and pre-production planning.
How interesting it is then to reframe this team-work in the bigger picture of Valentine’s Day. Rather than focus primarily on romantic or even family attachments, this season could also be about Shakespeare more broadly: uniting love for his works, respect for the production process, and admiration for the fellow performers (and stage managers, costume and set designers!) who work together to bring a play to life.
So this February 14th, encourage your students to celebrate “the band of brothers” who work together both on the stage and behind the scenes.
©2023