Scenes and Speeches in Performance: The Comedies of William Shakespeare in Found Spaces

Authors

• Riley McConnell, Belmont UniversityFollow
• Nicolette A. Manrique, Belmont UniversityFollow
• Clay Jackson, Belmont UniversityFollow
• Xander Kline, Belmont UniversityFollow
• Ayden Sharp, Belmont UniversityFollow
• Grace Cuda, Belmont UniversityFollow

Publication Date

2026

Presentation Length

60 minutes

College

College of Music & Performing Arts

Department

Theatre and Dance, Department of

Student Level

Undergraduate

Faculty Mentor

Traci Ledford

Presentation Type

Performance

Summary

Scenes and speeches from a selection of William Shakespeare's comedies are explored through rehearsal and performance in found spaces, focusing on maximum theatrical impact to capture and keep the attention of passing pedestrians while utilizing only the most basic of theatrical conventions: the actor, the space, and the text.

Selections and excerpts in this session include:

1. Act I, Scene 5 from Twelfth Night (Riley McConnell, director)
2. Puck's soliloquy from Act III, Scene 2 of A Midsummer Night's Dream (Nicolette Manrique, director)
3. The Lovers in Act III, Scene 2 from A Midsummer Night's Dream (Clay Jackson, director)
4. Proteus' soliloquy from Act II, Scene 4 of Two Gentlemen of Verona (Xander Kline, director)
5. Act IV, Scene 4 from Two Gentlemen of Verona (Ayden Sharp, director)
6. Act II, Scene 1 from The Taming of the Shrew (Grace Cuda, director)

Recommended Citation

McConnell, Riley; Manrique, Nicolette A.; Jackson, Clay; Kline, Xander; Sharp, Ayden; and Cuda, Grace, "Scenes and Speeches in Performance: The Comedies of William Shakespeare in Found Spaces" (2026). SPARK Symposium Presentations. 682.
https://repository.belmont.edu/spark_presentations/682