Speaking the Speach of Shakespeare

Drama students duel with the words of the Bard

By Deanna Zammit

12/14/1999 Ashland Tab

Onstage at the high school's first ever Shakespeare Festival, Eric Dwinnells' rendition of Sonnet No. 3 is still hanging over the audience, murmuring in the small auditorium.

"I'm going to get that kid into the [Boston] Conservatory if it kills me," whispers Donna Wresinski, Ashland High school drama teacher.

On Tuesday, 10 advanced acting students performed one of the Bard's sonnets and one monologue from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" for a panel of administrators.

When those judges chose Dwinnells to represent Ashland High school at the English Speaking Union's Shakespeare Competition semi-finals in Weston this January, no one was surprised.

"Well, I guess I had expected to lose because Eric is a great actor," said Chris Kloko, "He's the best that we have. Everyone knows it."

Like each of the 10 students at the festival, Dwinnells and Kloko spent month preparing their sonnet and monologue. Like many, they performed those monologues as part of the school's performance of "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

But, for Dwinnells and other performing arts hopefuls, every minute spent on stage is a dry run for the 10 minute Boston Conservatory audition that could change his life.

"I have a list of all the shows I've been in," said Dwinnells, who hopes to secure a spot in a musical theater program. "That's pretty much the bulk of my portfolio."

Dwinnells and other performing arts hopefuls spend hours everyday practicing their acting, singing or dancing technique during advanced acting classed and free periods.

During auditions, high school students pull together performance portfolios that usually include two contrasting monologues, a few bars of music, an perhaps a few dance steps.

"I'm working on a monologue. rom a play called "The Teen-aged" about a teen that tries to kill himself but is stopped by his brother," said Dwinnells.

"The problem with a lot of monologues written for teens is that they aren't very good," Dwinnells said, "So, when you find one that isn't completely lame, that's the one you go with."

Most high school seniors spend hours filling out college applications, writing essays and preparing for SAT's. When those preparations are complete, they can sit back and bite their nails until the postman tells them "yes" or "no" with either a large or small envelope.

But, Just like the Shakespeare Competion, performing arts students come face to face with the faculty panel that judges them and their competition.

"It's a nerve-wracking experience," Dwinnells said.

But, Dwinnells and Kloko said that competitions like this are a win-win experience. They offer a chance to get on stage and practice.

And a chance to have fun.

"You slap a word like "competition" on something like this and people automatically think it takes all the fun out of it," said Kloko, "but that's not so in the theater."