Shakespeare High

Gr 9 Up—The Drama Teachers Association of Southern California (DTASC) sponsors a Shakespeare Festival every year in which teams from a variety of high schools compete for top honors—not altogether different from other forms of athletic and non-athletic competitions across the country. And there's certainly no less "drama" here than in many of these other scenarios. The producers of this non-stop documentary include actor Kevin Spacey—a past participant in the festival—who encourages the performers to see this contest as a wonderful opportunity for varied types of growth, both personal and in the world of dramatics. However, the bulk of the program focuses on the divergent backgrounds of the individual competitors as well as the culture of the opposing schools. Several students come from challenging backgrounds—gangs, drugs, single parent, etc.—and see drama as a respite from those situations. Many viewers will identify with these individuals and enjoy going behind-the-scenes of the competition. The only performance segments are brief clips of the various schools' performances. A few curse words are unnecessarily used and the coach of one team is hardly a model of graciousness in defeat; but, these are real world moments and potential purchasers should preview the film in light of their local standards. The lack of a chapter selection option limits the usefulness of this well-intentioned but somewhat disorganized presentation. Perhaps the film's greatest virtue is the manner in which Shakespeare's works are brought into a contemporary setting with modern interpretation.—Dwain Thomas, formerly Lake Park High School, Roselle, IL