Shakespeare High
- Synopsis
- Documentary telling the story of a group of teenagers in Southern California who find a place to belong within their high-school drama programme and are determined to succeed in the 90th Annual DTASC (Drama Teachers Association of Southern California) Shakespeare Competition. The film features their stories of how the arts enriches their lives amidst personal troubles, including poverty, violence, gangs, drugs, absentee parents, as well as the troubles and hardships of adolescence. The association chose three Shakespeare plays A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Othello and Macbeth to be performed by drama students from around 50 schools. The competing students could either condense a play into a scene that lasted no longer than eight minutes or perform a single five-minute scene. No props, sets and costumes were allowed, except for four chairs. The students had considerable artistic license to modify a play, as long as they didn’t change its meaning. Among the famous alumni of the almost 100 year-old programme are Kevin Spacey, Val Kilmer, Mare Winningham and Richard Dreyfuss, all featured in the film.
- Language
- English
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Film
- Technical information
- Colour / Sound
- Year of release
- 2012
- Duration
- 81 mins
Credits
- Director
- Alex Rotaru
- Producer
- Alex Rotaru
- Cinematographer
- Brian O’Connell
- Music
- Drew Kilcoin
- Contributor
- Kevin Spacey; Mare Winningham; Richard Dreyfuss; Val Kilmer
Additional Details
- Production type
- Documentary/Educational/News
- Subjects
- Drama; Education
- Keywords
- drama therapy; Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); School productions
Notes
- Notes
- Available Region 1 only (3/2013).
Online Availability
- Online URL
- http://shakespearehigh.org
Production Company
Online Retailer
- Name
amazon.com
- Web
- http://www.amazon.com External site opens in new window
How to cite this record
Shakespeare, "Shakespeare High". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/shakespeare/search/index.php/title/av73951 (Accessed 26 Nov 2024)