Rolling laughter, energetic actors and humorous twists on beloved classic plays were brought to us by the Mt. SAC theater department during their production of “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] [Again],” which ran from Feb. 10-12 in the Studio Theater in building 2. While many of us were at home getting some much-needed rest over winter break, seven actors, directed by Maria Lingbanan, were hard at work preparing to take on the challenge of summarizing all of Shakespeare’s plays within the span of 100 minutes.

The members of the production had a mere 6 weeks to rehearse before the performance dates. Lingbanan, who is also a theater professor at Mt. SAC, described the endeavor of taking on a production of this nature, expanding upon what it was like to navigate all of the elements that made this show unique. Since the show was extremely interactive and called for audience participation, the actors had to be ready to respond by exercising their improvisation skills.

“When they had to speak with people from the crowd, that’s where they really had to be on fire, so I would have to prep the actors,” Lingbanan said “I would play that in rehearsals and be a different person.”

Luis Montanez, a 21-year old theater major, who was an actor in the show, shared his experience preparing for the fast-paced and movement-based essence of the production.

“I remember the first day of rehearsals we were going through little exercises and stuff and we were like … oh this is legit,” Montanez said. “We are going to have to be moving around, throwing ourselves on the floor, and doing costume changes in fifteen seconds.”

Montanez went on to discuss what it was like to collaborate with his fellow castmates in the process of navigating a show with so many different opportunities for actor-driven improvisation, as well as challenging transitional moments between scenes. He explained how wonderful it was to have a supportive cast, especially considering the interdependent and ensemble style of the show.

“It really did feel so reassuring having such an amazing cast—kind of like a trust fall almost,” Montanez said. “I never once felt that they did not have my back.”

The show is comedic and overall lighthearted; however, Lingbanan explained that she took the opportunity to utilize the initial moments of the show to paint a picture for the audience and set up the world she envisioned.

“You see these agents coming in with flashlights and then the actors sneakily coming out to comedic music and making sure the coast is clear, to set up this premise of ‘Oh they’re not supposed to be here,” Lingbanan said. “We’re living in a world where we’re not allowed to have theater.”

The play follows these artists as they share their knowledge of Shakespeare and continue to practice their craft, despite the threat of being discovered in a society that does not welcome free speech and artistic expression.

“I wanted to incorporate some social justice issues,” Lingbanan said. “This is not a far-reaching concept in our world right now.”