The Bard Finds His Way Into Newtown For A ‘Shakesperience’ At McLaughlin Vineyards

by Clare Boyle

(Newtown Middle School rising seventh graders Clare Boyle and Willem Sandercox will take the stage next weekend, Saturday, August 28, in Shakesperience Productions, Inc’s showing of Shakespeare’s Henry V at McLaughlin Vineyards, 14 Alberts Hill Road, Sandy Hook, at 6 pm. The following article was submitted by Clare Boyle for publication in The Bee.)

 The Shakespearian saga chronicling a 15th Century clash between France and England and the improbable events that ensued, Henry V will be presented by Shakesperience Productions in affiliation with Newtown’s own McLaughlin Vineyards, 14 Alberts Hill Road, Sandy Hook, on Saturday, August 28, at 6 pm.

“I love all the shows, they’re such great stories. For children, for people of all ages,” said rising Newtown Middle School student Willem Sandercox. This will be Will’s third Shakesperience Productions, Inc, performance. He also performed in Twelfth Night and Hamlet.

Shakesperience, of Waterbury, was started by the company’s artistic director, Emily Mattina, at age 19. She realized that to fulfill her new ideas for a business model, she would have to create her own organization, so together with Jeffrey Lapham (now the executive director), Ms Mattina brought her dream into reality. Now the Shakesperience team consists of Ms Mattina, Mr Lapham, a production stage manager, and a company of resident actors.

Shakesperience’s objective as a business and community organization is centered around the collaborative nature of theater. Ms Mattina said, “There were several reasons for the founding of the company. Jeff and I were interested in the revitalization of Waterbury. We also wanted to provide a place for professionals to practice, and to create an ensemble built of professionals educating both students and community members.”

Will and fellow rising seventh grade student Clare Boyle will be performing in the play together during the August 28 performance at McLaughlin Vineyards.

“Henry V is a history play, which sets it apart,” said Will. “It actually recounts history, so you can learn something.”

Henry V is one of several plays that include events integral to the molding of contemporary England, about such kings from Richard III to Henry VIII. What is unique about this play is that it is such a treasured victory, and certainly an improbable one. What is unique about Shakesperience Productions’ showing is that to reflect the games of strategy executed in everyday life and in battle, Ms Mattina has conceptualized it on a giant chessboard, each actor a player. After all, the objective is to capture the king, and in this play, perhaps his heart as well, as the French Princess Katharine, portrayed by Shakesperience veteran Amy Henion, attempts.

Ms Henion said the Shakesperience approach to Henry V is unique, because it “fuses traditional and familiar concepts of theater with an abstract setting.”

For Clare, the experience of visiting the theater provides the chance to leave the distractions of today’s world behind, while stepping into someone else’s shoes, and living the lives of the imagined that is attractive. “At the auspicious moment when the curtain rolls up, you are not yourself, but your character,” she said. Will agreed, saying props, costumes, and lighting design add flare to a show, but a wonderful cast of professionals and others truly brings a script to life.

There are many elusive elements to theater, but a confidence-building confirmation of a successful performance, Will said, was, “being able to tell stories to others and make them laugh or cry, to stir emotion.”

The skills required to clearly communicate are another thing students glean when studying with Shakesperience; the conveyance of emotion is elemental in day-to-day life, and crucial on stage.

“A lot of hard work and dedication from the actors and everyone involved, and a lot of time as well, as the show was first presented in June [comprised this production],” said Will.

This exceeding effort is directed on a mutual goal, to enrich and provide food for the soul of the community.

Will said, “[It allows for] communities like Newtown to appreciate the culture and art of drama.”

Tickets for Henry V are adults, $12; children, $6; and families $20. The show has a rain date scheduled for August 29.