Students Experience Live Theatre Again at Stratford

Recap and photos courtesy of Jessie Rudin '23
Last week, the Grade 11/12 Senior Drama class and Grade 12 English students travelled to Stratford Festival to watch a modernized version of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. After having lunch along the Avon river, we entered the circular theatre to see a coffin lying in the middle of the stage with an actor inside. While puzzling, it really set the tone for the play. Some of the characters wore modernized clothing like Air Jordans or carried cell phones, but they still managed to stick to the well-known Shakespearean text and deliver it effectively.
Hamlet was played by Amaka Umeh, who is the first black actor to play the title role at the Stratford Festival. They delivered a captivating performance that showed Hamlet’s mania in a new light that I had never seen before. We were included as an audience multiple times, and though Shakespeare can be exhausting to watch, especially for high school students who don't speak old English, it kept us engaged and involved. Overall, it was a great introduction back into live theatre, and I would recommend planning a visit to the Stratford Festival this season to anyone.
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Land Acknowledgment

CDS wishes to recognize and acknowledge the land on which the school operates. For thousands of years, these have been the traditional lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. We also recognize the traditional territory of the Huron-Wendat, Anishinaabe and the Haudenosaunee peoples who also shared this land.  CDS respects the relationship with these lands and recognizes that our connection can be strengthened by our continued relationship with all First Nations, by acknowledging our shared responsibility to respect and care for these lands and waters for future generations.

School Information

13415 Dufferin Street King, Ontario L7B 1K5 
(905) 833-1220 

communications@cds.on.ca
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Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.