The Upstart Crows to perform William Shakespeare’s ‘The Winter’s Tale’

The Upstart Crows, a Santa Fe-based youth theater troupe, will perform one of William Shakespeare’s most uncategorizable plays, “The Winter’s Tale,” which blends tragedy, comedy and romance. The show opens on Friday, Jan. 23, and runs through Feb. 1.

“It begins as a tragedy, as dark as ‘Othello.’ A king, driven to madness by jealousy, becomes responsible for the death of his son and what seems to be the death of his baby daughter and his wife,” Caryl Farkas, director, said. “That part of the play wraps up with the very famous stage direction, ‘Exit, pursued by a bear.’ The character who is to deliver the baby princess to her doom — leaving her on the shores of Bohemia to be prey to the wild creatures — is chased off the stage by a bear. And the very next thing that happens is a character named Clown enters — well, Shepherd, and then his son, the clown — and it turns into a comedy, just like that.”

The Crows’ production uses a large bear puppet, operated by three people.

Although all the actors in the troupe are between the ages of 10 and 18, Farkas said they perform at a higher level than some adult professional actors she has worked with, and audiences are often amazed at the quality of their performances.

“This is not that painful ballet recital that (parents) have to go to,” she said.

The cast spends weeks reading and analyzing the script to gain a deep understanding of the lines.

“They’re not just acting; they are responding to the text. We do a lot of text work,” Farkas said. “Then, during the rehearsal process, we do what we call specials, where we focus on the dynamic between two characters — or one character’s soliloquy — and we unpack that language, so the actors can find their characters through the text.”

Zinnia Kilpatric, 13, plays Queen Hermione. She said she loves interpreting Shakespeare.

“What I find so compelling about Shakespeare is actually the mystery in his language. He has left all kinds of little things in the text for us to examine and debate, and this really lets you connect to your character on a much deeper level,” Kilpatric said. “I can talk with the Crows for hours about the rhythm of a line and what it means.”

Her favorite of Hermione’s lines is, “Vain dew perchance shall dry your pities. But I have that honorable grief lodged here which burns worse than tears drown.”

“Throughout all of Hermione’s lines, the theme of honor is explored constantly. She talks about only wanting to be honorable, and I feel that this line is so heartbreaking, because it shows that honor is all she can commit. Leontes gets mad at her for this, but all she can be is honorable,” Kilpatric said. “She will not cry, she will not make a scene and she will choke down the tears and be honorable, like she has always been, even if it hurts more than … crying.”

As part of their character work, Kilpatric said she and the other actors make musical playlists.

“Sometimes we make playlists for characters that relate to the lines and the rhythms,” she said. “Through this process, the characters become so much more human.”

Joel Hoffman, who recently turned 14, plays Hermione’s husband, Leontes, the mad king.

“I have really enjoyed this role, because I enjoy looking at the lines and finding … all of the nuances upon nuances that Shakespeare wrote within them,” he said. “The biggest challenge with this role is that I memorize quickly and then find small errors, or paraphrases, within my lines. With 700-plus lines, it takes a long time to root them all out.”

Hoffman has been with the Upstart Crows since he was 11.

“Acting first caught my interest in early 2023, when I watched a production of ‘Twelfth Night’ by the Upstart Crows,” Hoffman said. “I came up to the director after the show to ask about how I could get involved. There are no auditions, so I went home and was signed up for the next production by the end of the week.”

Farkas said the troupe never holds auditions.

“At this theater, anybody can participate, as long as they’re willing to do the work,” she said, “and it is hard work.”

That work pays dividends, not only in the form of great productions, but also in the transformational effects it has on the lives of the students involved.

“I joined the Crows because I was having a hard time at school, and I decided I just needed to throw myself into something completely different — that being Shakespearean acting,” Kilpatric said.

Kilpatric said joining the Crows was one of the best things that ever happened to her.

“The Upstart Crows are some of my favorite people,” she said. “All of us contribute something unique to create a great production. No one is afraid to try new things, and we always support each other and communicate our ideas – for a scene in the play or the meaning of life.”

Their production of “The Winter’s Tale,” Kilpatric said, will leave audiences “in tears of sadness and joy.”

“I can testify that it is a truly magical experience to watch every single character come to life,” she said.