HS Students on Shakespeare's 450th Birthday

“But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks?” The hallways of Clear Springs High School were recently filled with the sounds of one of William Shakespeare’s most famous scenes. 

To honor Shakespeare’s 450th birthday, pre-AP English I students took part in a choral reading of the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet. Using a staircase as their balcony, Juliets gathered to call down to their Romeos. Cameras rolled as 120 students uttered the famous words. 

This nation-wide challenge was organized by the Folger Shakespeare Library, who asked schools and theaters to stage a flash mob of the beloved balcony scene. Groups from across the country obliged and submitted videos of their performances, which were then included on the Folger Shakespeare Library’s blog. 

“The students had an opportunity to view the other submissions and see how important and relevant Shakespeare still is in our culture,” said Jenna Zucha of Clear Springs High School’s English Department. “We are definitely planning to do something like this again and I will continue to challenge my students to step-up to Shakespeare.”

Clear Springs High School
League City, Texas

Reference: O Chargers, Chargers! Wherefore Art Thou Chargers?

Stephen F. Austin High School
Houston, Texas

Westland Hialeah Senior High School

Hialeah, Florida

There is no record of William Shakespeare's birth, but the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon shows that he was baptized on April 26th 1564.  From this, scholars set his birthdate on April 23rd.  So it was that high school students gave it a delightful go with the balcony scene from `Romeo & Juliet, at the wonderful behest of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC.

With more preparation on how to enact the text, memorizing it in the preparation, and more direction in the filmmaking and editing, and this idea has a load of possibility.