On April 25th, 2025, Paul D. Schreiber High School held its 34th annual Shakespeare Day. In collaboration with 12 student coordinators, Donna Valenti, Shakespeare Day Coordinator/English Teacher, put up performances from period 1 to period 8, consisting of songs, skits, videos, scenes and music with the help and participation of students and staff across grade levels and disciplines. These performances were inspired by the works of William Shakespeare. The FACS Department, spearheaded by Ms. Block and Ms. Rizzo, graciously provided High Tea and delicious treats for all performers, as well as the stage crew; also an incremental part of the day's success.
The day was mostly inspired by the play Macbeth, beginning with a scene from the play performed by Schreiber's high school administrators. Throughout the day, Ms. Gokturk's sophomores entertained the audience with various videos taking the form of parodies of the play, which is taught by Schreiber's English teachers to the sophomore class. Mrs. Schulman's Theatre Arts Class provided a variety of scenes from a variety of Shakespeare's plays in the form of entertainment and a contest, with the scene from Hamlet taking first prize! In the middle of the day, Tessa Rudegaier received a book in recognition for her passion and enthusiasm for the Bard, and in honor of the late John Broza who originated Shakespeare Day 34 years ago. At the end of the day, the winners of the mask (Emily Bonavitacola) and sonnet (Joia Zahner) contests were announced.
Throughout the day, the student coordinators featured their creative projects, or interpretations, of Shakespeare's work. Isabel Epstein's Golden Globe Awards were well received. A musical performance by a sophomore student band, featuring Vivian Muller, Jessie Solomon and Jade Zirpolo, called Macband entertained the audience with Leah Dong and Julian Kimball on vocals. Liesha Sewani's Tik-Toks were a timely and huge hit! Lawson Campbell and Clayton Zickerman generated 3 videos, including one that incorporated the story of Macbeth into the song, "Viva La Vida," by Coldplay. Aurora Mata provided a trifecta of treats: a skit, a song and a video. Aubrey Kollar orchestrated an abbreviated version of Romeo and Juliet through the lyrics to the songs: Paralyzer, Cleopatra and Say Something. Julia Corra generated a monologue given by Macbeth into multiple languages, as well as an AI depiction of Shakespeare. Sadie Poulson provided audience participation with a Kahoot: "Guess That Shakespeare Play.! Ben Gordon and Max Siskin paid tribute to retiring Schreiber teachers with original sonnets.
Other staff members paid tribute to the Bard with their performances: Mr. Beach, Mr. Block, Mr. Corbo, Ms. Foster-Holzer, Mr. Helfner, Ms. Johnson, Mr. Lorge, Mr. Medico, Mr. Reynolds, and Ms. Vaserstein. We appreciate their participation, as well as the support of Ms. Baglio, Ms. Friedman, Mr. Prindle, along with the assistance of Dave Albury and the custodial staff.
Shakespeare Day was a successful culmination of creativity and collaboration, which enriched the Schreiber community, while bringing attention to many existing talents within the building.
