The Honors Freshman English classes are rehearsing for their upcoming Romeo & Juliet LARP which will occur on January 25. For some classes, this tradition is being revived after 3 years of not happening.
Students first read scenes from Romeo & Juliet which they are then tasked with LARPing out. A LARP is a live-action role play, so students interpret the character they are given (if they choose to be a character) as compared to acting out what a character does in a script. “[LARPing] is less about memorizing lines or acting according to what someone else says, but instead, it’s about doing what that character would intuitively do, which I think is an important distinction to make”, Freshman English teacher Ms. Lutar says. Not all students have to act, however, and they can take on a role as a director, stage manager, costume designer, or playwright.
Stage manager Alexandria Flynn says, “My role as a stage manager is definitely different from acting. I work behind the scenes to help the actors be the best that they can be. I also help carry out what [our director] wants.” As fun as acting can be, it isn’t always for everyone. Alexandria was able to best help her class through working behind the scenes to help the actors. Despite the many positives of holding a LARP, the Honors Freshman English class faced many challenges.
Oftentimes, not having enough resources delayed the progress of the LARP. For example, if the costume designers needed a material they did not have, they would either need to work around it, or not make any progress during their class time. Time management was also a challenge. Putting on a LARP comes with many small and diverse tasks, it leaves little time for rehearsing. “Getting everybody on task was definitely a big struggle. People needed time to work on the script or playbill or rehearse lines, and getting everyone on the same page when there were so many different things to do was definitely really challenging,” says Alexandria.
Regardless of the challenges each class faces, they are all very satisfied with how everything is coming together. Ms. Lutar says, “I think what’s most interesting is watching the students go from nervous and overwhelmed to getting really involved and ultimately being really proud of what they’ve produced. The whole process is really neat.” Ms. Lutar makes the claim that the process of creating a LARP is really rewarding, and this year’s freshmen agree. “I’m really proud of how far everyone has come. We started off being really quiet and almost shy with each other and now, everyone works well with each other and everyone is a lot closer with each other.” Creating a LARP comes with its many challenges, but the end product and time spent together is well worth it.
The Freshman English classes experienced the many highs and lows of putting on a LARP, and now, they will soon carry out a LARP that they are quite satisfied with. The Romeo & Juliet LARP will happen on January 25, and the Freshman English cohort hopes that all who are invited come down and enjoy their hard work.
