THURSDAY, MAY 29, 2025
SHAKESPEARE SHOWCASE
AS YOU LIKE IT –“ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE” MONOLOGUE
Jaques - Eli Greene
MACBETH – ACT I, SCENE I
The Weird Sisters - Dafna Curiel, Micah Steinberg-Wolfe, & Gavriella Weisberg
Macbeth - Isaac Bargar
Banquo - Nathan Sokol
MACBETH – ACT V, SCENE I
Lady Macbeth - Itai Langer
Doctor - Nadav Cutler
Gentlewoman - Serena Parag
MACBETH – “SOUND AND FURY” MONOLOGUE
Macbeth - Uri David
HAMLET – “TO BE OR NOT TO BE” MONOLOGUE
Hamlet - Isaac Bargar
SONNET #65
Dafna Curiel, Micah Steinberg-Wolfe, & Gavriella Weisberg
SONNET #29
Uri David & Zach Feldman
SONNET #18
Eli Greene & Nathan Sokol
BOTTOM – A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM –“BOTTOM’S DREAM” MONOLOGUE
Serena Parag
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM – ACT III, SCENE II
Hermia - Erelle Uri
Helena - Aviva Russcol
Lysander - Guy Div Cohen
Demetrius - Daniel Weiss Sadan
Puck - Zach Feldman
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
Shakespeare is often referred to as the greatest playwright who ever lived. His plays have been performed in more countries, in more languages and by more actors than any other playwright. And yet witnessing his words performed in the language he wrote them in, English, still brings a special charge to any audience lucky enough to experience them. There is no singular playwright who gives greater understanding and insight into the triumph and tragedy, hilarity and vulgarity of the human condition through the gift of the spoken English word.
Today you will witness this gift through a selection of scenes from Shakespeare’s oeuvre. Whether through some of the darkest of Shakespeare’s tragedies (Macbeth, Hamlet), his most side splitting of comedies (Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It), or his most effecting poetry (Sonnets), we invite you to lean into the love of language that the students at JCDS used to dive headlong into this extraordinary rehearsal process. Over the last few months, I have been honored to work with students who are so deeply engaged, curious, and brave in working on the bard’s text and I am thrilled for them to share their unique takes on these timeless characters with you.
We hope you enjoy the 6th Grade Shakespeare Showcase!
— Jesse Garlick, 6th Grade Shakespeare Director JCDS Class
of 2006
A FEW NOTES ABOUT THE SCENES…
AS YOU LIKE IT – ACT II, SCENE VII – “ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE”
( JACQUES )
In this play, the Forest of Arden is where many characters find refuge, shelter, and love. Duke Senior is currently living there because he was exiled by his power-hungry brother, Duke Frederick. He was joined by many nobles who remained loyal to him. Jacques is one of the nobles who followed Duke Senior to the Forest of Arden when he was exiled. He is a very melancholy person, if not by nature then by aspiring to be. In this monologue, taking place at a dinner, he muses on the cycle of life and how it is divided into acts, with everyone playing their roles.
MACBETH – ACT I, SCENE I (THE WEIRD SISTERS, MACBETH, BANQUO)
Three Witches appear, each sharing their devilish exploits and accomplishments, while also signaling they will soon meet with Scottish general Macbeth. Macbeth arrives, with his best friend and lieutenant Banquo in tow, and is set upon by the three witches, who prophesy that Macbeth will soon rise to become king. However, the witches also foretell that Banquo’s children will be kings, confusing Macbeth and Banquo before leaving them to discuss what they have just seen. Banquo and Macbeth confer on the merits of the witches prophecy with Macbeth choosing patience before leaving with Banquo.
MACBETH – ACT V, SCENE I (LADY MACBETH, DOCTOR, GENTLEWOMAN)
Lady Macbeth was one of the driving forces behind her husband’s murder of the old king, Duncan, and his ascension to the throne. However, she could not predict how much her husband’s ambition and bloodlust would grow, and has gone insane from guilt and regret, particularly about the slaying of their friend Banquo at Macbeth’s command. Try as she might, she can’t seem to free her mind (and hands) of the blood that she has helped spill.
MACBETH – ACT V, SCENE V – “SOUND AND FURY” ( MACBETH )
Macbeth has found himself at a point where he is at war with former friends and fellow soldiers who are pursuing him to avenge Duncan’s murder and crown Duncan’s son Malcolm as the rightful King of Scotland. At the same time, Lady Macbeth’s guilt has driven her to insanity and destroyed her mental and physical health, and she succumbs to her madness. Macbeth, now at a point where he has lost everything, reflects on where his life has ended up and seems to accept his fate. By the end of the play, Macbeth will be defeated and beheaded by the soldier Macduff, and Malcolm will take the crown as the rightful King of Scotland.
HAMLET – ACT III, SCENE I – “TO BE OR NOT TO BE” (HAMLET, OPHELIA)
The play centers on Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, who is distraught with grief due to his father’s murder at the hand of his uncle. In this well known monologue, Hamlet contemplates suicide.
A QUICK NOTE ON THE SONNETS
Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets in his lifetime (that we know of).
Almost all of these in some way speak to Shakespeare’s thoughts on love. Whether they be about love’s ability to immortalize someone (Sonnet 18), how love can sometimes serve as a balm in moments of sadness (Sonnet 29), or the power of love for the written word and how it can transcend time itself, Shakespeare’s sonnets are still spoken today as ways of sharing our most deeply felt emotions.
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM – ACT IV, SCENE I –“BOTTOM’S DREAM” (BOTTOM)
Bottom, the leader and main actor of the theater troupe known as “The Rude Mechanicals,” awakens from their slumber in the Forest of Arden. The previous evening, they had a spell put upon them by the mischievous Puck that transformed their face into that of a donkey’s,
scaring away their troupe before they came face to face with the queen of the fairies, Titania. After much partying with their fairy pals all night, Bottom was left alone and now wakes from their “dream,” having transformed back into a human. The “brilliant” actor that they are, they concoct a plan to perform a monologue about their vision before the king and queen of Athens, who they are performing for that evening.
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM – ACT III, SCENE II (PUCK, HERMIA, HELENA, LYSANDER, DEMETRIUS)
Hermia and Lysander have run off to the forest to elope. Demetrius, who wants to marry Hermia, has run after them, and Helena, Hermia’s best friend who is in love with Demetrius, has run after him (after telling him where Hermia was going and betraying her trust). Oberon, King of the Fairies, observes Demetrius cruelly rejecting Helena and orders Puck to cast a love spell on Demetrius so that he will love Helena in return, but Puck accidentally casts the spell on Lysander, who begins to pursue a very confused Helena. At this point in the play, Lysander and Demetrius both love Helena, Helena loves Demetrius and is furious with Lysander for what she sees as mocking her, and Hermia has been abandoned by Lysander in the forest and has absolutely no idea what is happening, but she doesn’t like it at all.
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM – CLOSING MONOLOGUE (PUCK)
After everything that has happened in the play, Puck leaves the audience with the idea that if this all seemed too wild or fantastical for them, they can imagine that the events they just witnessed were just a dream. Puck wishes them thanks, and promises that their applause will send them back into their normal lives.
THE CAST
ISAAC BARGAR AS MACBETH (SCENE) & HAMLET
Isaac is so excited to play Macbeth and Hamlet in the 6th Grade Shakespeare Showcase! He hasn’t been in any other plays, but he was on stage crew for The Jewish Journeys Play Project. He was also on stage crew for Temple Isaiah’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. When not in costume, he loves to play frisbee or play a game with anybody who will play with him. Isaac would especially like to thank Josh, Jesse, and Avi. They all helped him with tips for memorizing his lines and more tips about how to act. Isaac would also like to give a huge thank you to William Shakespeare for writing all of these plays because we wouldn’t have any of these plays without him! And his biggest thanks to his parents, his sister, and especially his dog, Honey, for letting him practice in front of them.
DAFNA CURIEL AS FIRST WITCH
Dafna is very excited to play First Witch in Macbeth and to have the opportunity to perform one of Shakespeare’s sonnets. Her free time is mostly taken up by dance classes but she makes sure that she still has time for her two best friends, Gemie and Garbanzotree. She would like to thank Micah and Gavriella, the best scene partners that you could ask for. They helped her memorize all of her lines and without them she would never have memorized all her lines in time. She would also like to thank Ma’ayan (Mayonnaise) for helping her with her lines.
NADAV CUTLER AS DOCTOR
Nadav is excited to act as Lady Macbeth’s Doctor in this year’s Shakespeare Showcase. Nadav likes to play sports like soccer. He does this a lot. He also likes to hang out with friends. Nadav was doubtful of Shakespeare at first and thought it was going to be boring, but was wrong and it was actually pretty interesting. Thank you to Jesse for helping him memorize his lines.
URI DAVID AS MACBETH (MONOLOGUE)
Uri is excited to perform as Macbeth for the next 56 years. He wanted to thank his mom for being with him through the whole process, from the first memorized line to when the whole play was complete. This is his millionth time acting and so he is very, very, very not confident. He thinks that he has better things to do than to stay here till 6. Also this is his birthday. Happy Birthday to me. Happy Birthday to me. Happy Birthday to Uri. Happy birthday to meeeeeeee.
GUY DIV COHEN AS LYSANDER
Guy was told he is playing Lysander. Guy is also very excited to get punched because he loves falling on purpose. Guy’s also happy to be stage fighting. Guy wants to thank his siblings but especially his brother Noam for keeping him on his toes and being a true role model. I WUV YOU MY WIDDLE BWUDER.
ZACHARY FELDMAN AS PUCK
Zachary is very excited to be playing Puck in the 6th Grade Shakespeare Showcase. He has never acted before!
ELI GREENE AS JACQUES
Eli is so excited to play Jacques in our Shakespeare Showcase. Even though poetry can be boring, he is reciting it with friend Nathan (and that makes it better). He thanks his sister Addie Greene, who was sorta supportive through this process. He is happy to be a jester and recite something about the world. He has awesome costumes and if you don’t cheer him on at the end then he will be really mad and hate you forever. He is not joking.
ITAI LANGER AS LADY MACBETH
Itai is a kindergarten student (or, perhaps, the size of one) at JCDS and is super excited to play a crazy person who can’t think straight in the Shakespeare showcase. Itai has many hobbies including reading instruction manuals, constantly asking annoying questions, begging for answers which actually got them the nickname Mr. Why Why in preschool (which later updated to Professor Why Why), and playing dinosaurs not done aka DnD, which for some reason is actually abbreviated D&D because it allows them to rob banks. They would love to thank a specific sibling of theirs for constantly annoying them and another specific sibling for being amazing.
SERENA PARAG AS GENTLEWOMAN & BOTTOM
Serena is so excited to perform in this year’s Shakespeare Showcase! She is performing in a really grim scene and a then comedic scene. She is nervous, but excited for her first acting performance! In her free time, when she is not procrastinating cleaning her room, she makes drawings and art of just random things that inspire her. She also does a whole lot of extra curricular activities. Whether it’s punching someone in Kung Fu, descending down a rock wall, finding x in math, or doing homework, Serena loves keeping herself busy with interesting activities and lessons. She wants to thank her parents and teachers for supporting her in this play and listening to her speak Shakespearean for a month. Enjoy the show!
AVIVA RUSSCOL AS HELENA
Aviva is so excited to play Helena this year in the Shakespeare Showcase. She is an 11 year-old girl who loves reading, singing, dancing, watching TV, and going to Starbucks in her free time. She has been in multiple plays and musicals at camp throughout the years. She would like to thank her parents and friends for helping her memorize her lines and learn her blocking. She would also like to thank Avi, Josh, and Jesse for giving her tips and for directing and producing this play for us.
NATHAN SOKOL AS BANQUO
Nathan is so excited to play some random roles in the Shakespeare Showcase this year. Despite not having to shake a spear, he at least gets to play Banquo in Macbeth, and attempt Sonnet 18 with his friend Eli. Nathan thinks his part as Banquo is beneficial to the Shakespeare play on May 29th due to his amazing acting. (Especially the part where he stands still for like two whole minutes and says nothing.) He hopes he does really well in both parts of the play. Nathan loves to play games like basketball or board games. Please cheer him on because it is a nice thing to do… and if you don’t, he will single you out in the crowd to make you come on stage and perform his part. Nathan wants to thank his dog Odie for being cute.
MICAH STEINBERG-WOLFE AS THIRD WITCH
Micah is very excited to play the Third Witch (the best witch, by far) in this year’s 6th Grade Shakespeare Showcase. Although she has performed in a few small plays and performances, she is still relatively new to theatre. In her free time, Micah enjoys figure skating, traveling, reading, watching Gilmore Girls, and spending time with friends and family. She would like to thank her scene partners, Dafna and Gavriella, for being productive and fun to work with. She would also like to thank Zoe Gechter for helping with memorizing lines.
ERELLE URI AS HERMIA
Erelle is very excited to play Hermia from A Midsummer Night’s Dream in this year’s Shakespeare Showcase. In her free time, Erelle likes to dance, play the guitar, and, most importantly, watch Gilmore Girls. Erelle would like to thank her friends (Micah, Gavriella, Dafna, and Aviva) for helping her memorize her lines, and her family for being there for her, as well as her scene partners for making the scene happen. A special thank you to Jesse Garlick, Josh Mocle, and Avi Minder for making her a better actor.
GAVRIELLA WEISBERG AS SECOND WITCH
Gavriella is very excited to play the Second Witch (the best witch, obviously) and perform Sonnet #65 in this year’s Shakespeare Showcase. Gavriella loves theater and performing but is still relatively new to it. She has performed in a few small plays, but this one is her favorite by far. When not on stage for theater, you can find her dancing, usually ballet. She also loves rock climbing, figure skating, reading, and hanging out with her friends and family. She would like to thank her scene partners, Dafna and Micah, for being the best scene partners she could ever wish for. She would also like to thank her sisters for not complaining too much when she wouldn’t tell them a thing about her part in Shakespeare.
DANIEL WEISS SADAN AS DEMITRIUS
This is Daniel’s first theater performance! His favorite thing about Shakespeare is the stage fighting because it is fun. He wants to thank his Mom for printing his script when he was in Israel.
JCDS CLASS OF 2027
SHAKESPEARE SHOWCASE
Directed by Jesse Garlick
Produced by Avi Minder + Joshua Mocle
Program Cover Art by: Aviva, Dafna, Erelle, Gavriella, Micah, & Serena
Special Thanks to Jo-Ann Figueroa, Joanne Baker, Meg Lederman, Shari Levitz, Robert Neumann, Aryeh Levitz, & each and every 6th Grade Parent!
