Shakespeare class plans trip to Chicago

An annual trip to Chicago has opened new opportunities for Shakespeare students to expand their knowledge outside the classroom. The trip will be March 18-20, and for just under $300, students will get the chance to learn more about Shakespeare and his plays. English teachers Jonathan Byrne and Geoffrey Young will chaperone the trip.

The main purpose is for students to see Othello, a Shakespearean play they read in class, at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Students will also see a more comedic play set in 1879 called The Explorer’s Club.

Senior Ingrid Carabulea is eager to see a different interpretation of the play she read in class.

“I’m excited to see Othello because we saw the film, but we’ve never seen it live so I’m excited to see it live,” she said. “I think it may help us get a different interpretation of it (and) learn how other people may decide to direct the play from Shakespeare’s writing of the scrips.”

Senior Matthew Hilu is looking forward to the trip because of his love for Chicago and the class. He hopes a different interpretation of the plays will help him understand Shakespeare more.

“I just love the city of Chicago, there’s so much to do there,” Hilu said. “The first reason I wanted to go on the trip was because I really enjoy the class. I enjoyed Shakespeare, I enjoyed reading the plays (and) Mr. Byrne is one of my favorite teachers in the school.”

In addition to the two performances, the group will also visit the Art Institute of Chicago, Lincoln Park Zoo and Newberry Library, which houses Shakespeare’s first quarto material.

After Byrne began teaching the class, he tweaked the trip to his liking by adding an architectural tour of Chicago to give students a unique view of the city.

Byrne hopes the trip will give students a dramatic point of view of Shakespeare and that it will further their understanding of the performing arts.

“Students will get the chance to see one director’s view of how the play could be produced, but I think it will also open their appreciation to the study of drama,” Byrne said.

Young believes that being exposed to a city full of culture will help the students grasp a new perspective that will last years outside of the class.

“It’s an excellent cultural experience. Previous students who took the course and went on the trip still remember it and talk about it. Some of them were students in the class over ten years ago,” he said.  “When they come back to North to visit, they still want to talk about the trip like it was yesterday.”

Byrne hopes this trip will provide the students with a cultural and literary experience and a foundation for their future studies of live theatre and drama.

“I think just studying Shakespeare and theatre in general is a worthwhile pursuit,” he said. “It helps students grow both academically in their English skills, but also culturally, and so I think that’s important in teaching the whole student.”

Carabulea believes today’s fast-paced lifestyle hinders our understanding of culture.  

“I think many of us, myself included, lack knowledge of culture, especially considering this rushed life,” Carabulea said. “As Chicago is a city thriving in culture, spending time there for a few days will expose us to more of the diversity and history that surrounds us and hopefully offer some new sights and experiences for us to grow upon.”

Senior Andrew Nurmi originally took the class knowing little about Shakespeare. But he believes he has taken a lot from the class and hopes that the trip will further his knowledge.

“I learned a lot of really cool things in the class. I learned that Shakespeare is a really cool author. Going into the class, I thought that Shakespeare was just old fashioned and boring, but I learned really cool things about his writing, and he’s really fascinating,” he said. “It’s probably something I’ll be really interested in for the rest of my life.”

Carabulea feels that her attendance will furthermore help her understand the significance of Shakespeare’s works.

“We’ve read about it in class how it’s so universal, how everyone reads it still and you see references to it everywhere,” she said. “And so I think seeing it live will maybe help solidify that.”