Pictured left, Mark Anthony, portrayed by Joseph Webb stands above the slain Julius Caesar, played by Gabe Gilioli, in the Schmitz Park School production June 14 in West Seattle. Gilioli's father was born in Bologna, Italy. CLICK ON PHOTO FOR SLIDESHOW.
CLICK ON PHOTO FOR SLIDESHOW
Craig Parsley's 5th grade class at Schmitz Park Elementary School pulled off an hour production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar to the delight of a packed auditorium. David and Marilyn Mears offered their professional coaching and direction to make the play a success. David adapted the play for the kids.
This was the ninth annual Shakespeare production for kids attending class 14 at Schmitz. There were 32 cast members listed on the program.
The West Seattle Herald caught up with Gabe Gilioli who portrayed Caesar after the play concluded. His younger sister, Virginia, played a role, and his father, Sandro, who attended the play, was born near Bologna, Italy. We were curious how Gabe managed to "play dead" so effectively while lying so long on the stage after the famous stabbing scene.
"It was really stressful because I was afraid I was going to move and someone would notice me and it would just be all over, said Gabe. "My eyes did open. I tried to stay as still as I could. It was really hard."
"I think that the kids have really put their reading skills to a very authentic purpose here and we've seen kids soar through this," said Schmitz Principal Gerrit Kischner.
