Genesius Guild's “Sounds & Sweet Airs" at Lincoln Park -- July 6 through 14.
Saturday, July 6, through Sunday, July 14
Lincoln Park, 1120 40th Street, Rock Island IL
In the classical-theatre organization's annual production dedicated to showcasing young talent, seven gifted high schoolers will present a workshop production of Genesius Guild's Sounds & Sweet Airs, the July 6 through 14 entertainment in Rock Island's Lincoln Park boasting songs, scenes, and soliloquies by the legendary William Shakespeare.
Widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist, Shakespeare is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and additional verses, some of famously uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
Born in 1564, Shakespeare was raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King James VI of Scotland to the English throne. At age 49, he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he passed away three years later.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories (including Genesius Guild's recent Julius Caesar) and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, Shakespeare also wrote tragicomedies such as The Winter's Tale and The Tempest, and occasionally collaborated with other playwrights.
Directing Sounds & Sweet Airs is frequent Lincoln Park director Jeff Coussens, Augustana College's Professor of Theatre Arts and Co-Chair whose previous ventures for Genesius Guild have included Shakespeare's The Tempest, As You Like It, and Much Ado About Nothing. During the rehearsal process, Coussens is also conducting workshops in verse analysis, with Michael Callahan conducting workshops, and additional members of the creative team include assistants Marc Nelson and Liz Sager, set designer Miranda Callahan, and set builders and painters Bryn and Matt Callahan. Composing the Sounds & Sweet Airs ensemble, meanwhile, is a septet of exceptional high-school performers: James Campbell; Gennaro DelPreore; Isabelle Estes; Lillian Estes; Christian Wellner; David Wellner; and Rory Wellner.
Genesius Guild's Sounds & Sweet Airs will be presented in Rock Island's Lincoln Park July 6 through 14, performances are on Saturdays and Sundays at 7 p.m., and admission is free, though donations are encouraged and appreciated. For more information, visit Genesius.org.
