“The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged” is a comedic and audience-interactive twist on some of Shakespeare’s classic epics. The play fits 37 works into a runtime of just 2 hours (including intermission).

From a cooking show parody of the tragedy of “Titus Andronicus,” to breaking “Othello” down in an epic rap, this show is a whirlwind of fun, laughter and fourth wall breaking. Audience interaction is a big part of the show. The actors jump off the stage to touch and talk to the audience which makes the show all the more engaging. At one point during the performance, selected audience members were even pulled from their seats onstage to help perform during the show’s rendition of “Hamlet”.

Amanda Radke, a junior at P-CEP, said, “My favorite part of the show would be the audience involvement. It made each show night a unique and exciting experience for the audience [sic.] as well as the cast.”

The cast spent two months working on this production everyday after school with Connor Rhodes directing and Shannon McNutt assistant directing. They all agreed that it was really fun to work on and they all grew close throughout the process.

Julianna Wendzel, a senior at P-CEP, commented about her participation in the show, “It was honestly an honor to be in the show. It was a lot of fun, I made so many new friends and I learned so much from my director and my peers. I even learned more about myself.”

Radke agreed, saying, “The cast was truly amazing. We were literally like a family and they made the show so much fun to be a part of.”

Wendzel mentions how playing a part in this performance helped her bloom as an actress and that she’d like to “Give a big thank you to everyone who did come out to watch [the play].” Wendzel goes on to say, “We do put a lot of effort into our shows and we work hard to please the community and our peers.”

Although the “Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged” is a wrap, you can still catch Park Players’ next two productions: “Check, Please!” and “Check, Please! Take 2” and a school version of “Les Miserables,” premiering in April.