Portland Public Schools

Alliance students (from top left) Angelina Flores, Skyler Oglivie and Ky’ree Kahey are in the cast of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." (Photos by Rebecca Rothery)

Alliance students (from top left) Angelina Flores, Skyler Oglivie and Ky’ree Kahey are in the cast of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." (Photos by Rebecca Rothery)

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Long rehearsals. Lots of characters. Lines in Old English. Alliance at Meek students are taking on the Bard in their latest production, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

“Last year was our first year with a theater department,” said Rebecca Rothery, theater teacher at Alliance at Meek. “Most students in this production have never been in a play, much less Shakespeare.”

The alternative high school has 275 students, about 130 on the Meek campus. Most face a number of issues, including homelessness, anxiety and learning challenges. 

“It’s really gratifying to watch my students grow as they learn to perform the play. When they deliver lines in Old English with confidence and understanding, it’s really rewarding for both them and me,” Rothery said.

Since Alliance’s theater department is new, the costumes were donated by George Fox University and other PPS high schools. Other PPS theater departments donated set pieces for the production.

The theater department is putting on two shows, March 21 and 22, at 7 p.m.  Dinner will be served before the shows, with food donated by New Seasons.

“This is a true labor of love and a community effort,” Rothery said.

-Pamela Jordan