A&E
Preview: Love's Labour's Lost to be presented in the Kennedy Amphitheater this weekend
By Edgar Otero '20
September 1, 2016
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This upcoming weekend, students can prepare to immerse themselves in the classic, comedic tale of young love that is Love’s Labour’s Lost. The timeless play is brought to the Hill by Bare Naked Theatre, a student-run program established by the Hamilton College Theatre Department in an effort to provide students and faculty who adore theatre with the opportunity to produce and present diverse, exclusive productions to the entire Hamilton community year-round.
The Shakespearean play sees four young noblemen, led by the King of Navarre, who make a pact amongst themselves to commit to three years of study in isolation from women. However, the unexpected arrival of the Princess of France and her lovely girlfriends seem to catch the lads off guard in the midst of their oath to each other, which makes it safe to assume that complications will undoubtedly arise between this conflict of interests for the men.
Chris Williams ’17, stage manager of the production, has worked closely with directors Rylee Carrillo-Waggoner ’19 and Ryan Cassidy ’17, who also stars as King Ferdinand, to organize everything that goes into the performance. Williams describes the directors and cast as “wonderfully talented individuals” who radiate “passion and enthusiasm” for their art. He has had the chance to witness the growth of all the actors who have embraced their characters throughout the process, and he is excited to share the comedy with the campus in a matter of days.
In the span of a mere three weeks, the cast of Love’s Labour’s Lost “delved into the complexities” of their characters with “grace and creativity,” according to Bridget Lavin ’18, playing the Princess of France, who firmly believes in the vision set forth by Cassidy and Carrillo-Waggoner, the directors.
Collin Purcell ’17, playing Lord Berowne, affirms that the cast is a highly talented, cohesive unit, and he is confident about the play’s undoubted positive outcome. “It’s a weird show,” jokes Purcell, especially since it was written for Shakespeare’s time, but he assures that the audience can expect “a lot of energy and loudness, but a beautiful night and a beautiful show.”
Carrillo-Waggoner shared a bit of her vision for the show: “I had a very feminist angle because I’m a raging feminist. I really thought a lot about power dynamics—much of the play takes place during a deer hunt, and I really wanted to post the question, ‘Who is hunting whom?’ In the beginning, you think it’s the men, but by the end, you realize the women have out-witted what seems to be the wittiest men in town.” She adds, “We also focused on the passage of time. As a senior, Ryan was thinking a lot about immortality and the steps one takes towards being remembered.” She’s excited to share the production with audiences, and to garner their takeaways from the performance.
The play also stars Emily Aviles ’19, Alex Black ’19, Graham Burton ’19, Sarah Hoover ’18, Stephanie Kall ’19, Andy Letai ’19, Jack Martin ’19, Hannah McLean ’19, Teddy Sullivan ’19, David Rayudu ’19, Matt Reinemann ’17, Taylor Wallace ’19, Meghan Wilkinson ’19 and Sarah Zeiberg ’18.
This is only the second performance set in the amphitheater of the Kennedy Center for Theatre and Studio Arts; Love’s Labour’s Lost is bound to be a show that the entire campus will be buzzing about for weeks to come.