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By KAY TIPPETT |Community Columnist

Every American who attends public school has attempted to read a Shakespearean play in English class. It is a rite of passage. We all attempt it, and often we don’t understand what we read. As a theatre teacher, I have totally embraced the truth about that. Shakespeare is meant to be watched and not read. Of course, in order for a play to be watched, someone has to read it and act it out. Well, you are in luck! The Chilton County High School Theatre Arts Guild is doing just that.

For the past seven or eight weeks, students have worked on mastering Elizabethan language, stage combat and intimate scenes that require a lot of training. The amount of learning that has occurred is immeasurable, and they have acquired a much deeper understanding of the play than they would have ever attained sitting at a desk. Costuming and props have been quite entertaining, and I am certain the delivery people have questions about all the swords that have been delivered to various locations in the county over the past few weeks. Let me add that these are all unsharpened stage swords, and many of them are plastic. Every fight scene and every intimate detail of the play is choreographed, so no surprises or injuries occur. This past summer I spent some time at the Texas Shakespeare Festival in Kilgore, and I learned a good bit about intimacy training and fight choreography. I would have never attempted a play such as this without that insight.

CCHS theatre students, along with students from Jemison, Thorsby and Verbena High School, will be presenting “Romeo and Juliet” for a very limited time.

We are dedicating this play to Libby Warren, a CCHS alum who left this world unexpectedly. Libby was a light and a joy in our group, and we want to honor her memory by performing. This time of year is very busy, and coordinating students from four high schools has been a real challenge. We actually have two different casts, which allows more students the opportunity to shine onstage. Please support these students as they branch out and explore the arts. For details about the different casts, check out the Chilton County High School Theatre Arts Guild Facebook page. Come out and see how Chilton County students interpret the Bard. Tickets are $5 at the door for each performance.

Shows will be May 14, at 7 p.m. (B Cast), May 16 at 6 p.m. (B Cast) and May 17 at 6 p.m. (A Cast).