At the end of this month, the public is invited to laugh along with a production of Love’s Labour’s Lost, performed by members of Holy Family Homeschoolers’s high school drama club.
Holy Family Homeschoolers is a support group for Catholic homeschooling families throughout the Diocese of Madison.
One of William Shakespeare’s early comedies, the play is suitable for families with children of all ages and is sure not to disappoint.
‘Ordering one’s affections’
Director Renee Nelson has led the homeschool drama club for six years and following last year’s excellent performance of Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors, this year’s production follows suit in both playwright and genre.
At its heart, Nelson said, Love’s Labour’s Lost explores “this intriguing idea about ordering one’s affections properly,” as it follows a group of noblemen and their pursuit of truth.
“The men start out profoundly giving themselves to study and a sort of secular monastic lifestyle,” Nelson explained, but “then the girls come”.
Comedy ensues as the men try to stay true to their commitment, with “a hopeful ending,” Nelson described.
The cast
This year’s play has a larger cast than last year, with 23 actors and a few alumni working behind the scenes.
About the cast, Nelson said, “Every year, I’m surprised.
“Each year when we end a play, I think, ‘I don’t know if I can do it again. It was such a good cast,’ [but] then, they surprise me.”
This year’s cast members “throw themselves into it and bring a cohesiveness that I’m excited about,” Nelson said.
Claire Chodorowski, one of the cast members, plays the princess of France.
A senior, Chodorowski is grateful for Nelson, who “makes everything so fun” and the homeschool drama club which “has been a blessing” in her life.
Most of all, though, Chodorowski enjoys performing “Shakespeare from the Catholic perspective” with Nelson and her peers.
She said, “A lot of people are going to take Shakespeare and take any little thing they can and go south with it.
“In our productions, we don’t do that,” Chodorowski explained, adding that, especially in Shakespeare’s comedies, “We can see his symbolisms and the things he said and say, ‘Okay, I don’t think he meant it this way, to go south. We think he meant it to lead us to something higher’”.
Another senior, Jack Ryan, was cast as King Ferdinand of Navarre.
This is Ryan’s fourth year performing with the homeschool drama club, and he said that he’s “glad to have been part of this group”.
“Back when I started, I was very excited to just be a part of the drama,” Ryan recalled, explaining that his first role was small with only a few lines.
Now, Ryan has been cast as a lead twice.
“It is kind of hard, obviously, all the Shakespearean English, but when you finally understand it and you understand all the jokes he’s writing, it’s really fun,” Ryan said.
“I’m very glad that Mrs. Nelson has been guiding us through . . . I don’t think anyone else in this homeschool group would be able to put on a play with the amount of detail that she does,” Ryan said.
Seeing the show
Love’s Labour’s Lost premieres at the Mount Horeb High School auditorium, located at 305 S. 8th St., Mount Horeb, on Friday, April 25, at 7 p.m.
Showings continue the next day, Saturday, April 26, at 2 and 7 p.m.
Tickets are $7 and may be purchased at the door or by visiting cur8.com/26354/project/128573.