Taking a different approach to teaching Shakespeare, Mrs. Samantha Yoder’s English 12 classes are performing the play, Twelfth Night. All scenes will be performed by students during class and at the end of each scene, clips of the movie will be played in order to fully understand the text.

“I like that instead of just reading the play, we’re actually performing it,” senior Tehreem Ahmed said. “I think performing the plays makes it more memorable which makes it more likely for the story stick.”

Each student will be required to play a different person in each scene, with everyone acting at least twice. Students are wearing props and name tags to establish their character.

“Shakespeare’s plays were meant to be performed, seen and heard, not just read,” Yoder said. “Performing gives us the opportunity to experience Shakespeare as much as we can. This play is so zany, fun and funny, it’s kinda like what happens in the world when it turns upside down and goes topsy turvy.”

Students are graded based on their performance, 10 points are earned for an enthusiastic portrayal and eight points are earned if they just read their lines from the text.

“WhenI played Feste the clown I had to wear a very colorful shirt as one of the props for this character, which made me look silly,” senior Cameron Hernandez said. “I like how I was a clown because I was one of the more funny characters.”