Laura and Samara spend their days as non-profit unicorns and fill every spare minute exploring the world of musical theatre as BFFs (that’s Broadway Friends Forever). Follow @bffs613 on Instagram and Facebook.
You don’t have to wait until summer for our favourite Shakespeare-in-the-park friends at a Company of Fools — they’re touring The Understudy for middle and high schools touring in early April, with three public performances.
What’s a theatre troupe to do when their lead actor goes missing? The show must go on! The Understudy takes us into the story of how three supporting actors get their chance to take on the lead roles — with a little help from the audience. The Fools perform some of Shakespeare’s most well-known scenes with lucky ‘understudies’ from the audience. Actors and audience, er, understudies, act out scenes from popular plays like Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet, King Lear and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Audience participation not your thing? This show is still for you! Understudies are selected on a volunteer basis, so if you would rather watch from the audience you can sit back, relax and enjoy. In the first public performance, four eager audience members got the chance to be a part of the show, and everybody got to enjoy.
The three Fools cast-members are Ananya Antony, Daniella Bell and Mitchell Cohen, who play a multitude of characters and bring each scene to life with drama, comedy and passion. They work effortlessly with the audience understudies incorporating them into the scene seamlessly and often hilariously. Special shoutout to Arielle Voght, Stage Manager, for the silent but impactful cameos.
Simple but effective staging, props and costumes transport you between each scene and help the volunteer understudies fit into the story. Things move forward at a steady pace — and when the audience is involved, you never know what can happen, making each performance its own unique experience.
We have always loved Fools productions, as they make Shakespeare approachable for all audiences. The Understudy created a fun and entertaining environment that had the audience laughing, clapping and participating — whether from the stage or from their seats.
You still have a chance to catch a public performance, or to reach out to the Fools and schedule a booking at your school.
A Company of Fools’ final public performance of The Understudy runs at Allsaints event space on April 12 at 2pm. Performances run one hour. Tickets are free, a suggested donation of $20 per ticket is welcome.
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