Equipped with cow print pants and a Southern accent, Zoe Nevins spent Saturday and Sunday morning running around the Reitz Union North Lawn. The scene, more than just a Western outburst, was a homage to one of the world’s most renowned playwrights — William Shakespeare.
The 20-year-old UF media production, management and technology junior is also the vice president of Shakespeare in the Park, which held its Fall Selected Scenes showcase this weekend. The cast put on two 11:30 a.m. performances over the two days, each running about 45 minutes.
This semester, the showcase theme — media inspired by Shakespeare — was a celebration of Shakespeare in popular culture. The performance featured notable scenes from adaptations of Shakespeare works alongside corresponding scenes from the original plays, for a total of 10 scenes.
Nevins took on the role of King Lear from Shakespeare’s tragedy of the same name, as well as John Lear, the royal’s stand-in from the 2002 made-for-television Western drama “King of Texas.” To tie the two works together, Nevins and her fellow actors depicted both versions of a scene where King Lear divides his kingdom into three.
Other iconic scene sets included Romeo and Juliet’s first meeting, paired with the same moment in “Gnomeo and Juliet”; Hamlet seeing his father as ghost, paired with the scene from “The Lion King” where Simba sees the ghost of Mufasa reflected in the water; and a monologue from “10 Things I Hate About You” paired with the corresponding scene from “The Taming of the Shrew.”
The performance — which featured a nontraditional combination of genres, eras and source material — was larger than life, Nevins said. She’s been involved with Shakespeare in the Park since her freshman year and said she finds the club a great way to embrace her lifelong love of theatre and acting without taking up too much time.
“The club is extremely approachable, and that’s something we make a point of,” Nevins said. “Regardless of the amount of experience you have, there’s something for you to do.”
When Davis Elordi, a 21-year old UF English and history junior, joined the club freshman year, he had no experience in acting. Now, as president of Shakespeare in the Park, he gets to act in and direct scenes from some of his favorite Shakespeare plays. This weekend, he played the nurse in “Romeo and Juliet,” Horatio in “Hamlet” and Rafiki in “The Lion King.”
Elordi said he hoped the side-by-side comparison of original scenes to their modern counterparts made it easier for audiences to understand the source material.
“It’s a really great way to introduce people to Shakespeare in a way that’s less overwhelming than being launched into a full classic, elevated Shakespeare play,” he said.
The showcase was also the first in-person Shakespeare in the Park performance since its 2020 Spring Selected Scenes showcase. Since then, the club has held all shows over Zoom, including two showcases and last year’s mainstage production — “Julius Caesar” set in a fraternity.
The shift back to in person after an entire school year of virtual performances included its own set of challenges. With no scripts propped just outside of frame, actors needed to be completely off book for this weekend’s showcase. There was also a greater emphasis on blocking and costumes.
Still, finally getting to perform outside again was a blast, Elordi said. Last year, he said, rehearsals and meetings could add an extra five or more hours on Zoom to student’s schedules — something that became exhausting, even when participating in an activity they all enjoyed.
In-person performances also changed what elements Elrodi needed to focus on as a director. On Zoom, he said, actors had to ensure their facial expressions matched their dialogue, as the camera exposed these discrepancies far more intimately than a live show would have. But being back on the Reitz Union North Lawn, there’s more room for experimentation.
The opportunity to run freely across the grass and shout Shakespearean insults made the experience far more entertaining, Elordi said.
“I’ve enjoyed being able to run around and pretend to be a baboon as Rafiki and attempt a bad accent before realizing that it was a terrible idea,” he said, “It’s been a lot of fun to experiment and be outside with these people who I trust a lot at this point.”
Next semester will also see the return of in-person mainstage productions, which are full-length stage productions with a twist. This Spring, Shakespeare in the Park will put on a performance of “ A Midsummer Night’s Dream” — but with pirates. Auditions will be held early next semester.
Contact Veronica Nocera at vnocera@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @vernocera.
Veronica Nocera is a third-year journalism major, history minor and The Avenue editor. She spent two semesters reporting arts and culture for The Alligator and also writes for Rowdy Magazine. When she’s not writing, she’s probably reading, journaling or taping random pictures to her wall. Also, she’ll probably be wearing yellow.
