Shakespeare coming to Cathlamet next week

Next week, the Seattle Shakespeare Company will visit Wahkiakum High School for the third year in a row.

The company holds workshops for students on the first day of their two day visit. This year they will be teaching Elizabethan dance and stage fighting. On the second day they will perform an abridged version of a Shakespeare play. The first year they performed Macbeth, the second year it was The Tempest. This year, they are performing Romeo and Juliet.

“After the past two years of plays, many students are eagerly anticipating this year’s production,” English teacher Audrey Petterson said, “especially since it’s the one that most read their freshman year.”

The performance is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Wednesday in the high school gym. According to Petterson, the public is welcome. Admission is free, though contributions to the WHS Arts Fund is always welcome.

“It’s gratifying to provide a professional Shakespeare performance to our students,” Petterson said. “There are advantages to rural living, but local exposure to professional arts isn’t one of them. Shakespeare wrote not for staid English teachers, but to delight viewers of all ages and backgrounds."