Description
Produced by: Melodie S. Rivers
Director: Thanis Samantha Barrios
Writers/Interactive Designers: Ann Fraistat and Shawn Fraistat
Cast:
Ariella Fiore as Nurse, Lady Montague, Lady, Friar John (1st 2 weekends)
Kirsten Hansen as Rosaline, Friar
Kalond Irlanda as Romeo
Natalie Kahn as Nurse, Lady Montague, Lady, Friar John (Final weekend)
Garret Kinstler as Tybalt, Paris, Prince
Damian Luciano as Mercutio
Mirai as Juliet
Melodie S. Rivers as Lady Capulet
Javon Willis as Benvolio
Platform: Morgan-Wixon Theatre
Summary:
Audiences will experience Shakespeare’s beloved tale of star-crossed lovers, but not the one everyone
read in high school! What if Romeo had stayed helplessly in love with Rosaline instead of Juliet? Or if Mercutio and Tybalt hadn’t died…but had gotten together instead? In this Shakespearean take on the “Choose Your Own Adventure” model, the audiences aren’t passive observers, but engage as active participants by voting throughout the performance to determine which course true love will take; ultimately deciding whether everybody lives or everybody dies. The nimble cast is at the ready with eight hilarious, poignant and wildly different possible endings that Fiona Zublin of The Washington Post called “Whip-smart and hilarious… A fantastic, unexpected comedic gem.”
Director Thanis Samantha Barrios excitedly proclaims, “There are 10 performances and 8 possible
endings, and only one way to get to the original. We guarantee you will want to attend more than once!” She goes on, “With these different options it is possible to stay close to Shakespeare’s beloved tale, or to veer off into a completely new direction that we are sure he would have loved. Ann and Shawn respect the text and as the story strays from the original one would hardly notice as they brilliantly intertwine Elizabethan-Shakespearean colloquialisms with our own, modern vernacular, all the while still in verse. In this retelling we ask ourselves just how much is up to fate, how much is influenced by those around us and when do we make our own choices. It’s a fun opportunity for the audience to ask what if? Will this love story end in tragedy, bliss or somewhere in between – you, the patrons, decide.”
Fight Choreography: Joel D. Castro
Stage Manager (Rehearsal): by Bouket Fingerhut-Grant
Stage Manager (Performance): by Rachael Maye Aronoff
Costume Design: Marlee Candell
Lighting Design: Aidan Mella
Sound Design: Hollister Starrett
Technical Director: William Willday
Dramaturg: Branda Lock & Melanie Anthony (Resident)
Read The Look Club’s review of Romeo & Juliet: Choose Your Own Ending here!
Tickets available here.
