Acting out

Shakespeare comes to Sykesville

Thursday, Aug. 3, 2006

Click here to enlarge this photo Bill Ryan⁄the gazette Paula Grapes of Sykesville, Catherine Shoup of Hampstead, Mike Riddle of Sykesville, Nathan Beck of Eldersburg, Carol DeLisle of Eldersburg and Suzanne Kalwa of Sykesville, part of the Distracted Globe Players, rehearse “Much Ado About Nothing“ at Century High School on Monday.

Delise, an English teacher at Century High School in Eldersburg, decided that if he built the stage, the actors, crew members, audience and other details would come later.

He began hammering away in April after receiving the OK from Century’s principal and enlisting the help of staff members Jim Langrall, a business teacher, and Shen Hemerea, a guidance counselor.

Rather than compete for auditorium time, which is in high demand for extracurricular activities and clubs, Delise said he wanted to provide an alternative space for those driven by drama and Shakespeare.

The finished product is an outdoor wood stage complete with a ramp, steps and curtain entrance and exit openings which sits on school grounds.

Delise said Century’s landscape class also contributed to the project by planting trees and shrubbery around the stage.

The outdoor theater is now home to the Distracted Globe Players (named after a line from Hamlet), an adult acting company sponsored by The Shakespeare Factory.

The nonprofit organization, founded by Delise, is comprised of teachers, students and community members dedicated to bringing Shakespeare to life through school and community performances.

The adult acting troupe was formed in early June, and Delise is forming a children’s acting troupe.

This year’s production is comprised of 15 members – a group of recent high school and college graduates and parents ranging in age from 17-50. Members of the production practice three days a week for 12 weeks and perform one weekend during the summer.

The opportunity has set the stage for adults in the area to display their acting ability in a Shakespeare play.

This summer’s play, ‘‘Much Ado About Nothing,” Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, will debut at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

‘‘Hopefully this will provide theatrical culture for the community,” Delise said.

The show is co-directed by Andrea Irons and Celia Croft, Century seniors and best friends who share a common love of theatre.

Andrea, 17, learned of the new adult group through her involvement in The Rude Mechanicals Troupe, the high school’s theater acting group.

However, the Sykesville resident said her passion for theater stems from a family member. ‘‘My uncle inspired me,” she said. ‘‘He was the actor in my family, and he used to always take me to plays he was in.”

She said that she jumped at the opportunity to direct an adult acting group.

Celia, 17, of Sykesville, also a member of Rude Mechanicals, said the opportunity to co-direct was one she never expected. The timing was fitting, she said, because she plans to pursue acting or directing in the future.

‘‘You don’t get chances like this in high school often,” Celia said. ‘‘I definitely wanted to be a part of it.”

Executive Director Suzanne Kalwa, a recent graduate of University of Maryland Baltimore County, will be taking over the adult group next year.

Kalwa, 22, was a former student of Delise’s at Liberty High School. The two reconnected when she returned to Eldersburg following college graduation this spring.

Kalwa, who recently received a degree in literature with a Shakespeare concentration, said she has decided to keep acting ‘‘a hobby rather than a money maker,” adding there’s nothing like being on stage.

Performing outdoors can prove challenging but the experience is unlike any other, Kalwa said. She credits Delise’s unique vision in creating the outdoor theatre.

‘‘The stage is Mr. Delise’s baby; he had this built specifically for this purpose and it wouldn’t have happened without him.”

Kalwa said she feels the group will bring added elements of culture to the community.

‘‘Eldersburg is a small town, there’s not a whole lot that goes on and you often have to make your own fun,” she said. ‘‘This is a hodge podge of people but we really work well together and put on a good show.”

For Catherine Shoup, of Hampstead, the group was a chance to relive her days on stage. A 41-year-old mother, Shoup, who plays the part of Ursula, Balthasar and a watch in the play, said the group has allowed her to find the actress in her all over again.