The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all the lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.
JRR Tolkein, The Lord of the Rings
What would you say if everyone you ever loved and lost came back for just one day? Where would you go? What would you do?
The Winter’s Tale is a tale of loss and redemption. Historically a "winter’s tale" was something told by the fireside to entertain and keep the dark shadows of winter at bay. Shakespeare titled his play “THE Winter’s Tale,” presumably, to make known this was the last winter’s tale anyone would ever need. His play has everything one wants in a story and would become the only tale needed for a dark and stormy night. He was right.
Among many things, this play shows the duality of humanity set amid the two extremes of our seasons: winter and summer. Shakespeare starts us in Sicilia in winter, juxtaposing the harsh elements with the joy of the court. We then find ourselves in summertime Bohemia, a time of joy and rebirth. A pastoral place filled with whimsy and laughter where anything can happen. There is music, dancing, flirting, and cozenry all the things we hold near and dear. It is in this place that realizations begin to take place and our characters realize that pursuing their passions, their loves, their longings is what makes life worth living.
The Winter’s Tale comes at the end of Shakespeare’s career. He will pen one more masterpiece, The Tempest, before retiring to Stratford-Upon-Avon. We can see the brilliance and complex nature of his poetry in these final plays. He has learned much during his life as an artist. And, as we sit in this theater in 2024, there is still so much we can learn from his poetry. How to forgive, how to live life to the fullest, how to love completely, and how to keep faith no matter “destiny say no.” As an audience, we can find a piece of ourselves in every character on this stage. I invite you to lean into this story. Listen to these words and the emotional storytelling behind them. Come with us, and experience a world where actions may have consequences, but ultimately dreams do come true.
One of my greatest joys of being the director of Theatre Arts here at Syosset High School is seeing the wonderful changes that occur in students from their first tentative steps in the halls as ninth grade students to the confident strides they make across the stage as graduating seniors. It always strikes me how much I have been blessed by fate to have had these young people as my charges even if it is for only a brief time in their lives.
Through the years, we’ve had alumni of many of our numerous past Shakespearean productions (twenty-five and counting) go on to make a career as classical actors in venues across the world. This is due in part because fate (or coincidence?) brought them to us in order that the words of the bard could strike a chord within them which rung true and they had the chance to begin playing those chords upon this very stage. It was my dream twenty-seven years ago that we could continue to bring Shakespeare to the SHS stage year after year. Today the joy these actors take in their accomplishment of their work has been my reward and I can’t wait to see what the next generation brings to this stage and the world at large – and to see where fate (or coincidence?) takes them. To help them (even if only for a little) on their journey has been the fulfillment of my dream.
Enjoy our tale and thank you so very much for the honor of working with your students and of your presence this evening.
