Howdy, y'all! I'm Alex, a queer and trans student from Tennessee. This year I'm involved with a lot: I'm serving as the Production Manager for the Dartmouth Rude Mechanicals, acting as Social Chair for Amarna, rushing Phi Tau, giving tours on campus, exploring the offerings of the Dartmouth Outing Club, joining Farm Club, getting more involved with the O-Farm and sustainability on campus, and generally enjoying my second year here at Dartmouth!
As a theater-kid-turned-English-major who already loved Shakespeare before taking this class, highlighting this as my favorite class of the term is a no-brainer. This class is completely accessible to anyone who is has never read Shakespeare while still being an engaging class for seasoned Shakespeare enthusiast. Class time is mostly devoted to discussion of the texts, and I feel like I came out of the class with a strengthened ability to analyze the themes present in Shakespeare's works as well as a better comprehension of the nuances of language used in the plays.
Before this class, my experience on the technical side of theater was severely limited. I've been acting onstage for a decade, and even though I knew that productions would be impossible without what goes on behind the scenes, actually learning how to DO what goes on behind the scenes was another experience entirely. THEA 40 is an incredibly fun and informative class, and I can confidently say I have a much more comprehensive understanding of what it takes to make a show come together. And next term, I'll have to opportunity to apply my new knowledge and skills as Production Manager for the Rude Mechanicals, Dartmouth's student-run Shakespeare company! I can't wait!
In this class we read stage plays through various lenses. These lenses comprised a general overview of the different readings of a play necessary in order to get it from script to stage: reading as actors, writers, directors, designers, dramaturgs, etc. I had an amazing time I feel my foundation of theater knowledge has been enhanced by what I learned in this class! I've been able to apply this knowledge as I continue to read and write plays in my spare time.
I took this class to fulfill one of my distributive requirements, but it ended up being my favorite class this term. I found the readings fascinating, the lectures engaging, and the group work super enjoyable (we were assigned to stream video games a couple hours per week!). Despite the large class size (100+ students) the lectures remained engaging and the professor made sure to hold weekly office hours to get to know as many of the students as possible; he even brought donuts sometimes! Overall, if this class were a video game, I’d hit replay as soon as the credits rolled.
This term the Dartmouth Rude Mechanicals (aka, Dartmouth's only student-run Shakespeare company of which I am both a proud member and have written severalotherposts about!) put on a production of Shakespeare's beloved tragedy, King Lear!
And boy, was this one a doozy – an amazing experience and incredible show, but a doozy nonetheless. If you're interested in learning more about how one of Dartmouth's student-run theater companies operates, read ahead!
Dartmouth Rude Mechanicals King Lear Poster
King Lear!
If you are unfamiliar with King Lear, have no fear
I'll provide a synopsis clear, for you to hear.
(Hey, I perform Shakespeare, I'm not trying to pretend I can write it.)
Anyway! King Lear is about an octogenarian monarch who has a tear in his bag of marbles. Before he loses all of them, he decides to split his kingdom into thirds and divide it amongst his three daughters. His favorite daughter, however, refuses to play a part in his little game, and runs away with her soon-to-be spouse, the King of France.
As his decline into madness worsens, his other two daughters eventually refuse to house him, leaving him to wander into a storm. Meanwhile, the politics of the realm have only gotten messier, and all of the characters, good and bad alike, are slowly picked off by either malevolent action or their own foolishness. Very few survive this play, and it's horribly entertaining to watch just how rapidly everything devolves.
It's a great read, but even better to see performed – in fact, if you're interested in watching our production, it's available here on youtube for your viewing pleasure.
Our King Lear gives an impassioned, angry monologue.
My Exp-LEAR-ience
As mentioned in my post about Coriolanus, our spring term show, I am the Production Manager for the Dartmouth Rude Mechanicals. This means that it is my job to coordinate and supervise all the technical elements of our shows – and Lear in particular was one of the most technically challenging shows that the Rude Mechanicals have ever put on.
I discussed my role in the previously linked post, but this show required more of me than last time. For example, I recruited folks outside of the company for technical positions in Lear like lighting designer (Yifei Liu '26), and our stage manager/sound designer (Lilla Bozek '27). Lilla, our stage manager, even joined our company officially at the end of the term!
Also, with the increased technical needs of the show, we scheduled and held bi-weekly production meetings: always attended by myself, our director Aleksa Sotirov '26, and our aforementioned SM Lilla Bozek '27; often adding our lighting designer Yifei Liu '26, our company manager Heather Damia '24, and our treasurer Nick Luikey '24. These meetings ensured that everything for the production was on schedule and running smoothly.
Finally, I was in charge of researching and purchasing a lot of props for the show (greatly aided by Lilla). We purchased an interesting array of items: a bluetooth speaker that looks like a 1920s transistor radio, a pair of handcuffs, prop guns, false mustaches, etc.
My final job was the simple task of problem-solving just about any issue that came up. The job involves a lot of thinking on one's feet and staying on one's toes. And now another problem has arisen: this post will be far too long in its original form, so I believe I will split it into two parts! Stay tuned to read more about King Lear!
Some of my rising senior friends from New York have been in contact with me since graduation, and I've compiled a list of FAQs that might help you better understand life at Dartmouth!
