Kids Take a Bow to the Bard

The words of  William Shakespeare rang out at the in Larchmont on Saturday, as kids reenacted one of his most famous scenes from the “Scottish” play.

The event was one in the month-long celebration of the Bard known as the . The New Rochelle Council of the Arts organized the festival that includes events big and small in the area.

Francine Lucidon, the owner of the Voracious Reader, said that it is an important time for people to revisit the works of the famous playwright.

“Shakespeare is more relevant than ever. Things are happening of epic proportions, and it was his works that first began the chain of being, it was like an old world Twitter,” said Lucidon.

The Reader has been in business since 2007, serving as a hub for children to develop their love of reading.

“The store is about fun and excitement. We try to make them hungry for reading. We believe learning is fun and challenging,” said Lucidon.

Lucidon and Steve Andrews passed out instructions on how to speak in a Shakespearian way. 

Children could even cut out a picture of the playwright himself and use it as a mask while spouting lines from one of his works. Parents seemed thrilled, but the kids were even more excited than the adults.

It was 8-year-old Zoe that relished the chance to act in the day’s events. Zoe, who lives down the street from the store, was shopping when Lucidon told her about the event. Zoe volunteered to take part and managed to convince her friends to join her.

The three girls played in the famous prelude scene from Macbeth. Even though the scene was acted out, Lucidon and the parents made sure not to speak the play's name for fear of the dreaded “curse.”

Despite the infamous nature of the scene, the children delivered their lines with fever and poise much to the delight of their parents who proudly filmed with smiles on their faces.

Even after the scene the Shakespearian fun was not over. Lucidon and Andrews had cut out slips of paper with Shakespeare inspired insults.

“Thou is a mammy weather bitten bladder,” said 10-year-old Grace.

Lucidon only hoped that the children would inspire others to pick up the works of the bard and discover the world that Shakespeare helped shape so many centuries ago.

“I only want them to enjoy reading and doing these plays, lets see if we can get some of these future playwrights some attention,” said the owner laughing.