DAPHNE, Ala. — First-graders at Bayside Academy recently performed a play titled “The Life and Times of William Shakespeare” for their classmates, families and friends.

The play tells a story of Sir Lawrence O’Liverspots, a “world-renowned” Shakespearean actor/director, played by Bayside senior Sidney Jackson, who has been asked to direct a play at Bayside. O’Liverspots becomes irate when he discovers that his actors are all children from Bayside. The children, however, surprise him with their knowledge and talent, citing specific events in Shakespeare’s life and performing scenes from “Hamlet,” “Julius Caesar” and “Romeo and Juliet.”

Students wore costumes representative of the Elizabethan age and Shakespearean era that were constructed by Bayside parents. Fabric for the costumes was donated by Don and Kathy Richey, owners of RichTex fabrics in Daphne.

First-grade teachers Linda Lott, Tootsie Bryant and Sue Kirby directed the play, and music teacher Beth Horn coordinated the musical performances.