“O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?” Most, if not all, students have read this line from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. However, reading Shakespeare simply doesn’t compare to seeing it performed on stage.

Last Wednesday, English teachers Lindsay Knapp and Shawn Layton took students from their AP Literature and English IV classes to Drew University to see Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.

“This is the sixth time I have organized a trip for students,” Layton said. “It’s something I try to do every year, if possible. It is always great to take students to see Shakespeare onstage as it’s meant to be performed.”

The comedy, directed by Bonnie J. Monte, told a lively story of how Sir John Falstaff tries to woo two women, Mistress Ford and Mistress Page, while three other men, Doctor Cauis, Abraham Slender, and Fenton, all try to win the heart of Mistress Page’s daughter Anne.

“I thought they play was very good and well acted,” Layton said. “The feedback from students was generally positive.”

Familiar to Shakespeare, both Layton’s and Knapp’s AP classes read Shakespeare’s Hamlet prior to seeing the play. In addition, Layton’s classes have recently begun reading Henry IV, Part 1 which also features Falstaff.

“Generally in class, we read tragedies and histories, so it is interesting for students to see the same character [Falstaff] in a different type of play–in this case, a comedy,” Layton said.

It is generally believed that Queen Elizabeth loved the character of Falstaff so much that she personally asked Shakespeare to write a comedy in which Falstaff appeared as a romantic lead.

Funny and entertaining, the play was enjoyed by all who attended. It featured impressive scenery, and a group of talented actors. Among student’s favorites were Kristie Dale Sanders who played Mistress Quickly, and Jon Barker who played Doctor Caius.

At the end of the show, students got the exciting opportunity to hear from the cast, as well as the Artistic Associate and Casting Director at the theatre, Stephen Brown-Friedtalk, who answered some questions from the audience.

Overall, students and teachers can all agree that the field trip was a major success—so much so that another field trip to see Shakespeare onstage is currently in the works. Hopefully in 2016, Layton and Knapp will be able to take students to New York to see Henry V.