Carousel Theatre’s Teen Shakespeare Program: A Modern Day Macbeth

While many teens are spending their summer hanging out with their friends at the beach or working at a fast food restaurant, there’s a group of teens spending their summer honing their acting skills as part of Carousel Theatre’s Teen Shakespeare Program.

In its 19th year and a six-week program, the Teen Shakespeare Program puts the teen actors through a demanding four-week rehearsal schedule that lasts from 10am-4pm each day, giving participants the same sort of vibe as a professional acting company. “It gives [the actors] more of a feel of what it would be like, should they go into acting,” says Lindsay Powell, the marketing and audience services coordinator. And two of these students getting a real taste of professional acting are Veronique and Anais West, twin grade 12 students attending Kitsilano Secondary in Vancouver.

Both girls have performed at the Carousel Theatre before and are back for another season, where this year they will be part of the cast tackling Macbeth with a modern twist. Aside from seeing the value of the program and how it gives teens a chance to be on stage and develop acting skills Veronique also views this tough program as more than just work. “Acting is something I have a lot of fun doing,” mentions Veronique, who plays the role of the Third Witch in the production. The two sisters have seen great improvement in their acting as a result of the program. “I’ve developed a lot acting-wise,” comments Anais, who plays the role of Banquo, after being asked how her life has changed since joining the Teen Shakespeare Program.

And perhaps a big reason for the growth that the teen actors go through each year is because of the spin the Shakespeare Program is putting on their production of Macbeth. In the words of both Anais and Veronique, “this is not your average Shakespeare.” With gothic style costumes and make-up, the version of Macbeth Carousel Theatre goers will experience in August will have a modern twist.

So once Macbeth finishes its two-week run in August and this year’s edition of the Teen Shakespeare Program comes to an end what will be up for Veronique and Anais in the future? Both agreed that being part of the cast for Macbeth helped them find out more about the world of theatre, but Anais and Veronique are also passionate about writing and are interested in pursuing a writing career in the future. “I definitely want to keep acting as a hobby,” added Anais, “but I’d also love to write plays.”

After interviewing Veronique and Anais, it’s clear that the Teen Shakespeare Program is a unique and amazing opportunity for teens to grow as actors, get a taste of what life as a real professional actor is like and have an opportunity to share their passion for acting with other teens and the public. This year’s cast will be performing Macbeth from July 31st – August 15th, Monday to Saturday. To be part of a Granville Island summer tradition and to see Veronique, Anais and the rest of the cast in action, I recommend checking out the FREE performances of Macbeth at the Carousel Theatre. For more details on show times and the program visit www.carouseltheatre.ca.