The Acting Company Performs at Stuyvesant

The English department held a showing of Shakespeare’s “Othello” on February 11. The play was performed by The Acting Company, a New York City-based acting troupe created to promote classical productions. The performance was a part of their yearly New York City school tour, where they visit a variety of middle and high schools.

The performance was organized by English teacher Lauren Stuzin. Stuzin was reading Shakespeare's “Macbeth” with her sophomore students when she learned about The Acting Company’s tour. “I actually interned at The Acting Company when I was in college, and since then I've just been going to their plays and checking out what they've been doing every year. I got an e-mail from them saying that they were doing a tour around New York City public schools, and I was like, ‘Oh that's a coincidence,’” Stuzin said.

Stuzin hoped the performance would spark a love of the performing arts in students. “I think it's really good to have access to public free arts,” Stuzin said. “I was hoping that, first of all, students who had never seen theater would be able to see it for free. I was also hoping that for my classes in particular, we have watched a lot of film adaptations of interpretations to Shakespeare stuff, so I felt like being able to see the real thing would help students understand how the play works and what the play used to look like when they would put it on.”

After the performance, The Acting Company hosted a Q&A session. “The most memorable part was actually the Q&A at the end of the performance because it gave a lot of insight into their artistic process,” sophomore Gallo Patel said.

The performance was met with praise from the Stuyvesant community. “I think, from what I've heard, that students and teachers really enjoyed it. [The Acting Company] did a really good job making it funny, and I guess, shortening it so that it was appropriate. I think it was a really good length and [a] great way to see some professional art,” Stuzin said.

Students shared Stuzin’s sentiment. “Experiencing the play through the medium for which it was meant builds a deeper understanding of the playwright's message,” sophomore Justin Sword said. “It would be great if our school were to hold more performances like these.”