To mask or not to mask? That is the question. UMD’s Fine Arts Department puts on an outstanding outside performance of Shakespeare’s “Henry V”

This weekend, I had the chance to see the Fine Arts department at UMD perform the play “Henry V” in Ordean Court and it was an experience like no other.

First and foremost, let’s address the elephant in the room: Because of COVID-19 destroying everyone’s plans, “Henry V” was performed outside, while the whole cast, crew and audience wore masks. This was certainly nothing even close to your typical Shakespeare in the park event. 

The performance of “Henry V” lasted approximately 90 minutes, with no intermission. Photo by Bailey Misura

Performing a Shakespearean play is hard enough, with the old English, the preposterous outfits and the complexity of his characters. So, when I heard that the entire cast would be wearing masks, I had a very icky feeling in my gut. 

That feeling must have been bad dining hall food because everything about this play was absolutely breathtaking. 

Directed by Tom Isbell, the performance truly brought Shakespeare’s words and characters to life. Playing a character is more than reciting lines and running around; it is channeling that character. Normally this means using facial expressions to bring life into your character. But, with masks, there was not much of a face to express for the actors, which led to some concern. I soon found out, however, that for this cast, that was no problem. 

Both nights I attended the play, I was able to sit in the front row and every time a character had dialogue, I could see the fire in their eyes making up for the lost expressions being covered up by the mask. 

I am not even kidding. The character of Henry V, played by Jake Nelson, portrayed the youthful king in the best way possible, using only his blueish grey eyes. I have never seen something quite like it before and I am left absolutely speechless. 

Once again, because of COVID-19, there were a few more modifications that needed to be made. The best by far was Henry V and Katherine’s kiss: Both actors, Nelson and Camryn Buelow, looked into the eyes of each other and removed their masks. Then, after a few very passionate seconds, put them back on.

Somehow, I think that this was way cooler than an actual kiss because the drama of it lingered through the whole park, creating something even more powerful than any kiss could. 

Even though it was a cloudy day, the cast of “Henry V” persisted and gave a lively performance. Photo by Bailey Misura

As a freshman at UMD, this play helped me forget the homesickness and the stress I have been feeling due to how beautiful of a production it was. Everyone who was a part of it should be extremely proud and everyone who has gotten the chance to see it should feel extremely lucky. 

“Henry V” will also be performed this upcoming week, Oct. 1-3 in Ordean Court on UMD campus. Tickets for “Henry V” are sold out, but be sure to keep an eye on the Fine Arts ticket website for upcoming events.

*Editor’s Note: A correction was made to this story on Oct. 1, 2020. It originally said that “Henry V” will be performed Oct. 3-5; it will be performed Oct. 1-3.