Shakespeare's plays live at Oak Park High School
By Sally Carpenter sallyc@theacorn.com

BATTLE OF THE SEXES- Katherina (Catherine Combs) shows Petruchio (Jordan Stidham) who's the boss as Bianca (Jennifer Fondiler) watches in Oak Park High School's production of William Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew" slated for Nov. 15 to 17.

Drama teacher Allan Hunt tries to make the plays of William Shakespeare fun for his students at Oak Park High School.

"I'm always happy to see how kids come to love" Shakespeare, said Hunt, who directs the school's annual fall Shakespeare production. He said students sometimes "come wary" to the show, but when it's over they ask, "when is the next one?"

Hunt feels Shakespeare remains an important part of the culture, as his lines are still frequently quoted. After Hunt announces each fall's Shakespeare selection, the school's English teachers use the play in their curriculum.

Hunt's method of making the bard more bearable for young minds is through "concept productions," as he calls them. He leaves the original text intact- no paraphrasing into modern English- but he places the settings in a more accessible time period. Modern settings help when audiences "zone out" and can't keep up with the characters, Hunt says.

That's why the upcoming production of "The Taming of the Shrew" is staged not in the traditional tights and caps of 16th century Italy, but in the style of the American Wild West with country drawls, cowboys and saloon girls.

Hunt's previous shows include "Julius Caesar, " which had 1930s New York gangland mob bosses in suits; "Much Ado About Nothing" with flappers from the Roaring '20s; "The Merry Wives of Windsor" set in 1960s London with Falstaff as an aging hippy, and "The Comedy of Errors" set in a 1910 American circus.

Surprisingly, the student actors don't have a problem memorizing the quaint dialogue. Although Elizabethan English is not familiar to modern teens, Hunt said Shakespeare's highly visual language is easy to remember.

Jordon Stidham, a junior, plays the male lead, Petruchio. He's acted in every OPHS show since his freshman year. He says what he enjoys most about acting is that it's "just fun to dress up and play pretend and people pay to see it."

Katherina, the female lead role, is double cast with Cathy Combs and Sarah Baron, both seniors. Baron said the show is easy to perform, even with the stilted language, lots of physical interaction, especially with Petruchio, which she describes as "very hard but fun."

Combs is a veteran Shakespearean actress not only with the high school, but also through the Kingsmen Players and Santa Susana Repertory Company. She and Stidham worked together in "Hamlet" and "A Midsummer's Night Dream."

"The (Elizabethan) language is usually what turns people off," Combs said. "Really, it's the most enjoyable part when you embrace it." Hunt's more contemporary settings make the plays "not as intimidating, and easy for actors. It's very easy to say the lines with an accent."

Hunt said the school's productions are becoming popular not just with the students' families and friends but with the general public. Audience members often see a show and return to see more plays and bring others along.

Hunt began his "concept productions" with the Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival held each summer at California Lutheran University. These successful open-air shows led Hunt to his present teaching position.

OPHS officials saw the festival and wanted Hunt to bring his magic to the high school. He was invited to teach one class and direct a musical at OPHS as a guest artist in 2000. The arrangement worked well, and Hunt stayed on. Now a full-time, credentialed teacher, he directs four student shows a year.

Although Hunt has a long list of TV acting credits, including "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea," "The Donna Reed Show" and "Perry Mason," and has directed plays for many years, he's content as an educator. He said he uses "all of my experience of acting and theater" in teaching and describes his position as a "wonderful turn of events for me."

"I've come to love teaching," Hunt said. The theater is "my lifeblood" and "to be able to pass this on is really a gift."

Show times for "Shrew" are 7 p.m. Thurs. through Sat., Nov. 15 to 17, with a 2 p.m. matinee Nov. 17 at the OPHS Pavilion, 899 N. Kanan Road.

Tickets are $10 for adults. Student and senior tickets are $7 for evening shows and $5 for the matinee. For information, call the school at (818) 735-3300.