Secondary school students laud ‘Twelfth Night’ theatrical performance

Secondary school students from Regions Three, Four, Seven, Ten, and Georgetown were provided with the opportunity to experience the enchanting performance of William Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ which encompasses love, drama, comedy and tragedy. 

This novel endeavour seeks to stimulate a more profound admiration for literary works and enhance student involvement in anticipation of the upcoming English Literature examination for the Caribbean Secondary Examinations Certificate (CSEC) scheduled for May.

The performance was hosted at the National Cultural Centre from April 12 to 17, free of cost.

On Wednesday, the Department of Public Information (DPI) caught up with several students who expressed their admiration for the play, as it exceeded their expectations.

A student of St Ignatius Secondary School, Phyllis Euscibo emphasised that it was worth travelling from Region Nine to see the actual play.

“It was very exciting and the enthusiasm was there. In the end, it was very enjoyable and intriguing… It is going to be very beneficial since we witnessed the actual play instead of reading the books,” Euscibo said.

Student of Bishop’s High School, David Hackettexpressedthat the play was beyond amazing and a good exposure to Shakespeare’s works of art.

Hackett said, “I would like to thank them for showing how you can put all of the elements of drama into one and portray into a lovely show like how Shakespeare did his type of shows.”

Now that he has been exposed to the play, he added, “I think I will be able to write CSEC right now looking at this play.”

Another student of Bishops’ High School, Shekinah Yorrick highlighted that the play has helped to broaden her imagination and everything she would have grasped from the book.

“I think that is one way that would help the students who are writing CSEC…The play was good. One of my favourite characters was Malvolio especially when he was expressing his love for the girl. And he was also very comedic,” she said.

Student of West Demerara Secondary, Janae Lovell explained that the literature was well scripted as the characters brought the play to life.

While expressing her deep love for literature, she noted, “I find it very interesting that it is love triangle meets tragedy, comedy, and romance. It is really fun to read it. I would come back to watch it again if there is another chance.”

Another student of Tagore Memorial Secondary School, Ezekiel Hernandes who also enjoyed the performance said that he finds it difficult at times to read these types of books to understand the concepts.

He stressed, “I find movies better than books. I don’t like to read so much. I prefer to watch something. I find myself more versed in the play rather than the book. So, I find it very enjoyable.”

Student of President’s College, Jasmine Braithwaite expressed, “The play was very enlightening and humorous. The actors did great and the costumes were great. They portrayed the play in a way that it wouldn’t be boring.”

Meanwhile, a student of Queen’s College, Akeelah Harding enjoyed the way the actors embodied the characters especially the characters of Malvolio and Maria.

“It was truly beautiful to see,” Harding added.

Other literary works from the CSEC syllabus will be included in future theatrical productions as part of an endeavour to expand it.