More than 400 years after his death, the work of legendary English playwright and poet William Shakespeare lives on in the hearts and minds of countless others.
This was made all the more evident at St James Preparatory School in Jeppestown at their annual Shakespeare Day on March 30.
Renowned South African actress Dorothy Ann Gould graced the school event, along with the theatre troupe Johannesburg Awakening Minds (JAM), comprising homeless men which she founded in 2012.
About 86 of the school’s learners from Grades 000 to Seven each put on their Elizabethan-period costumes and took to the stage in turns to perform prose lines from some of Shakespeare’s most famous plays.
Gould, who has had her fill from the cup of wisdom dating back to her days as a young actress, said theatre acting is an art that has to be treated with the respect that it deserves and should be undertaken only by those who have ‘cleansed minds’.
“As actors we must remember that we need to be cleansed and attentive and have a concentration of the mind as nature cannot be mimicked by an absent-minded actor,” she said.
“May we learn to remember these important precepts each time we perform. I am eternally grateful that works such as Hamlet and The Tempest have guided me in my time on this earth.”
Taking Gould’s advice into account, Grade Seven learner Ashreya Singh said Shakespeare has been very dear to her from Grade 00.
“Shakespeare has been really special to me and I believe this feeling applies to my classmates and all the learners at St James,” she said.
Fellow Grade Seven learner Kriya Jasmath said she has also enjoyed the experience of performing at the annual event. She wasn’t shy to perform one of the playwright’s most famous sonnets, alongside her brother Shaniel, who graduated from the school in 2017.
“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date…” the two recited.
Proud parent Sharmila Jasmath said her children’s exposure to the literature of Shakespeare has played an important part in their growth and development.
“They’ve grown so much and with each year they get better. Even though they may not understand while at an early age, they will at a later stage in life understand the lessons about life that come through in the plays they perform,” said Sharmila.
