Shakespeare Takes Over IA Cafeteria!
March 28, 2025 2025-11-21 22:44Shakespeare Takes Over IA Cafeteria!
By: Arianna Edwards
This semester, we freshmen at IA survived Romeo and Juliet—yes, the old-school drama about love, feuds, and very bad decisions. But just when we thought we were done, Shakespeare himself (okay, not really) showed up in our IA cafeteria! On March 18, the Atlanta Shakespeare Company brought their one-hour version of Romeo and Juliet right to us. Who needs a field trip when Verona comes to IA?
With only six actors playing tons of roles (including some hilarious gender swaps), the performance was fast, furious, and way more exciting than we expected. The play kicked off with the famous prologue:
Two households, both alike in dignity…
And BOOM—we were transported straight into the action! Servants trash-talked, swords clashed, and the Prince had to break up an epic IA cafeteria brawl (okay, it was technically Verona, but it felt real). Romeo was moping over Rosaline (who wasn’t into him), and next thing you know, he and Juliet were making all kinds of questionable life choices.
One of my favorite parts? We got to see a live sword fight practice, which was basically an action movie scene right in front of us. After the show, the actors answered our burning questions—like how they memorized all that Shakespearean English without their brains exploding.
—- If you missed it, too bad, because it was guuud! 😀
Huge thanks to Ms. Velazquez for making this happen! And shoutout to the IA administration for allowing this type of learning experience—it will stay in our IA hearts and minds forever (just like Juliet stayed in that tomb… too soon?). Hopefully, we can get the Atlanta Shakespeare Company back at IA for A Midsummer Night’s Dream next—because let’s be real, we could all use some comedy after all this tragedy.
