To be or not to be: Visible Men Academy students tackle Shakespeare

Have you ever wondered what the words of William Shakespeare would sound like coming out of the mouths of babes? The Visible Men Academy students answered your question on June 6 with their performance of “An Afternoon of Shakespeare.”

The charter school for at-risk K-5 boys partnered with the Key Chorale outreach program to hold its second annual end-of-year performance.

In May, singers from the Key Chorale worked with the boys over six sessions to teach them specific songs, movements and instruments to supplement the academy’s lack of a music program.

The mentors looked to the Visible Men Academy curriculum to line up their lessons with what the boys were already learning in class.

Kindergarten and first graders performed songs from around the world, second graders sang a silly ditty called “The Long Legged Sailor,” and the third graders performed spiritual songs from the Underground Railroad.

The fourth and fifth grade boys took to the stage to tackle the Bard in a new way.

Performing “Hamlet” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” as adapted by playwright Brendan Kelso, the VMA students delivered lines in a modern manner that turned the well known tragedy of “Hamlet” into a comedy that kept the audience laughing throughout the show.