Many kid actors to stage "The Tempest"

William Shakespeare's classic play, "The Tempest," has a plot with lots of twists and turns. But, getting ready for the April staging of the play by St. Louis area kids might be more complicated.

Drama students from 10 different school groups are all working separately on staging different scenes from the play. Then, on Friday and Saturday, April 1-2, the separate casts come together to perform a combined version of the play on one stage.

Sarah Toland

Thirteen-year-old Sarah Toland is student director of the two scenes that Carr-Lane VPA Middle School has in the play. She's helping drama teachers Troy Schneider and Allen Moore rehearse their cast for separate scenes from Act 3 and Act 4.

Sarah is a 7th grader at Carr Lane. One of her jobs as student director is to learn the lines of all Carr-Lane actors so she can prompt actors if any forget lines on performance night.

But, she's just one of the student directors at work. Each school group has its own director for its own rehearsals, costumes and stage sets.

Carr-Lane's cast added some additional complexity. For instance, the role of hero-villain Prospero will be played by a different actor in the school's two scenes.

Shannon Durphy and Amanda Stanfill

Twelve-year-old Shannon Durphy plays the duke-turned-wizard Prospero in one scene. Then, 11-year-old Jade Shamsmolkara will take that part in Carr-Lane's next scene.

Other school groups, besides Carr-Lane, taking part in staging "The Tempest" are:

Crossroads School, Central VPA High School, McCluer High School, Clayton High School, U-City High School, Harris-Stowe State College, Hazelwood East High School, Lafayette High School and the St. Louis Home School Network.

Public performances of the Shakespeare play will be in the Performing Arts Building on the campus of Harris-Stowe State College. There's a 7:30 p.m. performance on Friday, April 1, and then 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. performances on Saturday, April 2.

The staging of the play is a part of the educational outreach of the Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis. For information about both the adult Shakespeare Festival and the Metro Youth Shakespeare play, visit www.sfstl.com.

At Carr-Lane, the "Tempest" cast has been rehearsing after school twice a week since the middle of February. About 15 kids will be in the cast during the school's two scenes.

Jade Shamsmolkara and Camron Ross

Twelve-year-old Camron Ross plays the part of Ferdinand. He's one of the people lost at sea when magician Prospero causes King Alonso's ship to sink. The king and his party were on their way back to Naples, Italy.

Prospero stirs up a big storm-The Tempest-that sinks the ship. The king's party washes up on the island where Prospero lives in exile with his daughter, Miranda.

Ferdinand and Miranda provide the romantic interest when they fall in love.

But, King Alonso and Prospero are bitter enemies. It seems that Alonso helped another nobleman get rid of Prospero so the other could be named Duke of Milan.

See! I told you the plot was complicated.

But, in the end, everything turns out well. Enemies become friends and all return to Italy.

At Carr-Lane, 12-year-old Amanda Stanfill has been named student stage manager. She's helping keep track of costumes and helping with the actors' makeup.

Toland, Durphy, Stanfill, Ross and Shamsmolkara all hope to make careers in the entertainment business when they grow up.

Toland wants to be an actor in films. Durphy and Shamsmolkara want to be actors in musicals. Stanfill also wants to be a dramatic actress and "be in movies someday."

Ross said he would like to be an actor. He wants to be an "action comedian."

All the Carr-Lane kids have had previous acting experience. Toland acted last year at Carr-Lane in a "movement performance." The play was titled "Carnival of the Animals." There were no spoken lines.

Sarah said the kids used movements and expressions as "our versions of what wildlife would be like if they were human," she said. "I was a donkey and used facial expressions to show that I was like a kid passing gossip along at school," she said.

Durphy said one of her favorite parts was when she and another girl performed the famous "Who's on First" sports dialogue by old-time comedians Abbott and Costello.

"My grandfather had a tape of the radio skit and I listened to it. That's a lot of lines to memorize," she said.

Stanfill said she started acting in kindergarten. "I'll be in over 10 plays," she said.

Ross said he's performed in Black History plays at the Black Rep Theater. Shamsmolkara said, in 4th grade, she played the Indian Sacagawea in a Lewis & Clark play.

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