Shakespeare High

Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey served as producer for this documentary about an annual high school theater competition, which Spacey participated in, along with other thespians including Richard Dreyfus, Val Kilmer, and Mare Winningham. Since 1919, students have been performing scenes for the Drama Teachers Association of Southern California Shakespeare Festival and Competition. As drama teacher and vote tabulator Sue Freitag explains, "You can't have costumes, you can't have props, you can't have sets," but performers can sing, rap, and bring other interpretations into play. Director Alex Rotaru spent three months documenting the 90th anniversary production, from rehearsals to performances, contrasting participants from the prestigious Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, where theater classes are a major part of the curriculum, with entrants from the upstart PUC Charter School, who are lucky to have a bed to sleep in at night. Three of the other 51 schools include Notre Dame Academy for Girls, Hesperia, and Chatsworth (Spacey, Kilmer, and Winningham attended the latter). The personal issues, however, cut across class lines: one student is the son of ex-skinheads, while two brothers have been living with relatives since their father murdered their mother. As several speakers attest, the contest is more competition than festival, since everyone wants to win, and some hope to use the experience to springboard into acting careers. Still, it's also a way to engage kids who might otherwise be lost within the educational system. As one performer puts it, "I'm lucky to have theater. Otherwise, I would have nothing." Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)