Niwot Elementary students make much ado about beards, swords and masks

Niwot Elementary School presented Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing on Friday, May 10, at Collyer Park in Longmont. The St. Vrain Valley School District celebrated the return of its Shakespeare in the Park Festival, with fifth-grade students from the gifted and talented programs at eight elementary schools participating.

Niwot students first learned about Shakespeare's life and read shortened versions of sixteen plays. Much Ado About Nothing won a class poll, and during their reading class students worked out the blocking, created basic sets, and decided which props they would need to perform the play.

Students said they were drawn to the humor of the Much Ado About Nothing, and they liked working together to practice and perform the play.

Šimon Koudelka, who played Borachio, one of the villains in the play, said he "enjoyed being evil and creating mischief." Kai Viswanath, who played the malaprop-prone Dogberry, also commented that it was fun to play a character "who is nothing like the real me." Palmer Rosado and Isa Kidd, narrators who helped explain the action of the play, shared how much they enjoyed practicing with classmates and telling the story.

The class performed a dress rehearsal for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades at Niwot Elementary on Tuesday, May 7, and on Friday, May 10, headed to the park to first watch A Midsummer Night's Dream, performed by Highlands Elementary School, before performing for those students, families and lucky passersby.

Students worked on lines at home and with classmates, and the class members supported each other well on stage. "I'm so proud of their initiative, and how they pulled together," said Audrey Lenger, the NES gifted and talented teacher. "They did a fantastic job and deserve to be proud of themselves."