Written by Ruth Newstok

Last quarter, the 10th grade students at Crosstown High had some special guests – The Tennessee Shakespeare Company. After spending the quarter studying Romeo and Juliet, the class was excited to see a professional style production of the classic tragedy. 

The production is part of a program the TSC facilitates; the company sends artists to the school to discuss the play, its background, and some of the themes behind it (such as family disputes and self-harm). In 2020, TSC connected with almost 3,000 students through this program. Students who have participated in the program have spoken on how they “have a better understanding of the story,” and that there are “resources to get help if I ever have thoughts of self-harm.” Many also expressed how relevant Romeo and Juliet was in current time. Teachers who have worked with TSC also corroborate how helpful this program was at getting students who tend to act out to really get in depth into this play.

At the end of the semester the Company comes in for the final performance. It lasts about an hour and a half, to keep students engaged. The play includes comic fight scenes and relevant jokes, and Crosstown High students seemed to enjoy it, laughing regularly and exiting the play smiling. Overall, the program seemed to be a big success. Tennessee Shakespeare Company is doing great things in Memphis Schools and I hope they inspire the start of other programs around the country so more kids can have exposure to Skakespeare’s great plays in their spoken form.

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