To rebuild an interest in Shakespeare, a team of eight U-High students will collaborate with other Chicago-area schools to recite parts of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in the Chicago Shakespeare Slam. 

The slam will be virtual again this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, so the slam has been adapted to fit the new environment.

Given the circumstances of the virtual format, this year the slam is not a competition and more a group of students coming together to celebrate the works of Shakespeare, according to the Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s website.

Each school team will be assigned a scene from the play and then use their creativity to adapt it to better fit the modern era.

The scenes will then be recorded and the videos will be compiled into a short film set to be released in January.

English teacher Katharine McJimsey leads the U-High slam team. 

“It’s not traditional theater in the sort of traditional sense that there is a director,” Ms. McJimsey said. “It’s more this group collaboration.”