On Friday, September 27, the Amador Advance Composition and World Literature classes took a field trip to the Calshakes performance of Shakespeare’s Macbeth in Orinda. The classes took this opportunity to observe the play, based on a book they will be reading later in the semester. 

The classes took about an hour-long Bart ride to get there, and when they arrived, it was raining heavily. Despite the bad weather and the fact that it was an outdoor production, the classes had a great time watching and enjoying the play. 

“The rain actually made the overall experience even better. The staff also gave us these trash bags that doubled as ponchos, so it definitely wasn’t an issue,” said Taylor Torres (‘20).  

In addition to watching the play, students had the chance to compete in a game called “Calshakes in 30 seconds”, in which they would read a short script from the play in 30 seconds or under. The school to get the least amount of time wins. Unfortunately, Amador Valley lost by a landslide. 

“I played one of the witches for this game and honestly, it was kind of exhilarating and it was a great warm-up for the play,” said Lauren Walthour (‘20). 

After the play, students had an opportunity to talk with the cast members in a question and answer seminar. This benefited many students because it was the time allotted to clear up any confusion during the play. 

“The question and answer part of the field trip was probably one of my favorites because it helped clarify any questions I had about the play. Because it’s Shakespeare and all of the actors and actresses played multiple roles, it was hard to follow,” said Sanjith Rajesh (‘20). 

The Advanced Composition and World Literature students had a great opportunity to expand their knowledge in this Shakespeare based play, and hopefully, next year’s seniors get the opportunity to do the same.