Seattle University’s theatre department is gearing up for their fall quarter production: “Shakespeare: Bloody, Bawdy, Sexy and Bold!” The title alone promises a thrilling performance of some of William Shakespeare’s most famous and well-renowned works.

The name Shakespeare, needing no introduction, is one of the most well-known playwrights of all time. The theatre department’s production will condense some of Shakespeare’s work into a spectacle of drama, comedy and tragedy.

The show opens Dec. 4 and runs through the last week of the quarter, and is shaping up to be a highly anticipated showcase of students’ hard work. This modern, bold take on Shakespeare’s plays is sure to entertain audiences.

Auditions kicked off the second full week of October, and with the first performance coming up in a mere six weeks, rehearsals, costumes, lighting, sound and set design are in full swing. 

Each of the eight student directors picked a scene from various Shakespeare plays to be a part of the production. The scenes will come from Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, Richard III, Measure for Measure, Romeo and Juliet and two scenes from Twelfth Night.

The structure of connecting all these plays as one production effectively allows audiences to see and absorb more of Shakespeare’s themes in a shorter amount of time.

Jamie Lambey, a third-year theatre major and student director of a scene from Richard III (who is also helping with set design), noted that engaging with Shakespeare this way provides a unique experience.

“You’re going to get a variety of different motives and relationships between characters by just seeing or reading just one of the plays. I think it will be an interesting mix, and it will be cool to make your connections [as an audience member] between scenes from completely different shows and find the cohesiveness,” Lambey said.

The attempt to coordinate and plan the logistics of eight different scenes is no small feat. But this isn’t the first time a production like this has been put on at Seattle U.

Brennan Murphy, an assistant teaching professor in the performing arts and leadership department, remembers a previous six-scene production.

“With six directors doing six 10-minute plays, it was easier because we had one costume designer, lighting designer, and sound designer, and the costume designer was a professional. But the feeling was this was a fun night. And students seemed interested in doing Shakespeare so that’s what prompted it. Now, this [show] is all students. So the students have stepped up to take on these design roles,” Murphy said.

Everything in the show is student-led and run, which encourages a lot more creative liberty. Students can be involved with almost every aspect of the creative process. This provides opportunities to develop more well-rounded theater skills, as students can try their hand and be involved in the technical and design aspects of theater.

Jarrett Magdaleno, theatre major and student director for Romeo and Juliet (who also acts in a few of the scenes) finds the opportunity to participate in multiple areas of the production process exciting.

“We are getting to see actors who usually don’t get an opportunity to direct and work behind the scenes, and we get to see what their minds are like creatively too,” Magdaleno said. “People have done costuming and stuff, but for the most part, people are actors so it’s really interesting to give them an avenue for which they can show people just how creative they are beyond performance” 

Navy Williams, an actor in two scenes in the show and a second-year film and media major, shared this sentiment.

“There is some drama in the scenes that I’m in. It’s funny and interesting, so I’m just excited to perform that and show people a lot more than just confusing words on a page,” Williams said.

Come support these enthusiastic and hardworking students at one or more of the following shows between Dec. 4 and 7, starting at 7:30 p.m.