“Twins both alike” – Zada and Zuri Eshun

2014 Young Company Members, Zuri and Zada Eshun

(L-R) Zuri Eshun and Zada Eshun

When we found out we would be acting together this summer, we were both very shocked, excited, and slightly confused.  This was not Comedy of Errors or Twelfth Night, and pondering our potential relationship in the same show was as stressful as the auditioning process. However, when we received word that we would be playing mother and daughter (Mistress Page and Anne Page), those stresses were calmed and aside from thoughts of the Film “Chinatown,” we were  content with finally being able to take the stage together.

This excitement  is rooted in the simple fact that we have never acted together. Ever. We have never even seen each other in a play. Why? We each spent our undergraduate careers on opposite sides of the country. Boston and South Bend are not exactly neighboring cities and this distance played a large role in separating us during the time we actually decided to take on acting. What’s amazing about NDSF is that they approached us when were deciding whether to spend another two to three years apart for grad school. The joy felt from being cast together somehow overflowed into that decision, and we decided to spend the next two years, together, at the East 15 Acting School of London.
If anything, we would like to thank NDSF for allowing us to learn and act together this summer. We are going from never acting together to being in two shows with each other, and we wouldn’t have been able to do that without their help and encouragement. So look out for us this summer, and if you can’t tell the difference, don’t get too upset, nobody really can!

Announcing the 15th Anniversary Season of the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival!

This 15th season is also the 150th anniversary of the first Shakespeare play ever performed at the University and the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth. We look forward commemorating this momentous convergence of events with the following:

 ShakeScenesJuly 19 & 20, 2014

Young Company | The Merry Wives of WindsorJuly & August, 2014

 Professional Company | Henry IVAugust 19–31, 2014

 Actors From The London Stage | Much Ado About NothingSeptember 17–19, 2014

Explore the power and imagination of Shakespeare’s works, and celebrate a century and a half of the playwright’s influence here at Notre Dame. Join us for the 15th anniversary season of the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival.

2014 Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival Season

2014 Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival Season