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Mike Ricci's Production of
Romeo and Juliet 

Cast

Chorus	..	Araina Boyd, Bernadette Pospeck Suzanne Rian, Jen Sarkela Jeanine Stone, Heidi Werdier
JB/Romeo	..	Mike McLaughlin
Benny/Benvolio	..	Josh Zollar
Matt/Mercutio	..	Joe Galatz
Sammy/Samson Servant	..	Troy Geary
Don Carlos/Friar Laurence	..	Gary Eustice
Ty/Tybalt	..	Manny Alaniz
Greg/Paris	..	Marcus Tworoski-Wise
Hank/Servant	..	Tim Powell
Jewell/Juliet	..	Honey Oberg
Police Chief, Prince	..	Dan Hardy
Jewell's Mom/Lady Capulet	..	Susan Jones
Street Person, Nurse	..	Dorothy Simkins
Jewell's Dad/Lord Capulet	..	Timothy O'Reilly
JB's Dad/Lord Montague	..	Jerry Wozniak
JB's Mom/Lady Montague	..	Lorry Shuey
Kenny/Friar John	..	Chris Ryan
Street Person/Apothecary	..	Jack Zollar

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Crew

Stage Manager	. . .	Lisa Anderson
Technical Director	. . .	Michael Ricci
Asst. Technical Director, Lighting Director	. . .	Dan Dolinar
Set Design/Decoration/Painting	. . .	Ellie Ricci
Lighting Design	. . .	Travis Richardson
Original Music/Performance	. . .	Alex Mauldin
Costume Design	. . .	Megan Short
Fight Director	. . .	Michael Anderson
Dance Choreography	. . .	Kelly Rintala
Sound Engineer	. . .	Trevor Tiburzi
Props	. . .	Gretchen Mayer, Amanda Avery
Set Construction	. . .	Dan Dolinar, Dale Dow, Jon Stone, Mike Ricci, Jeanine Stone, Andy Bianconi, Andy Kne, Melissa Tessman, Jake Martin, Bernadette Pospeck, Michael Ball
Shift Crew	. . .	Jon Stone, Flynn Adams, Dale Dow, Melissa Tessman Clay Poehling, Neil Brooks
Light Board Operator	. . .	Sarah Stone
Box Office	. . .	Barb Suech
Billboard Design/Artwork	. . .	Ellie Ricci
Publicity	. . .	Addy Vukich, Tiffany Manney, Steve St. Martin

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Director Notes

 

When we were in high school (and for those who still are), Romeo and Juliet was/is required reading. I remember reading it to myself, and initially thinking -- "why do we have to read this stuff?". It was not until years later that it finally dawned on on me how wonderful a piece of writing this really was. Of course, I also did not realize at the time that Shakespeare was not meant to be just read, but performed. It is in the performance of his plays that his true genius shines, and all of the passions that make human beings what they are can be seen and felt in all their glory. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare was at the height of his poetic powers, and in his two young lovers, he captures an idealistic love that spanned the centuries, speaking to us as poignantly today as it did 400 years ago. I had always wondered what it would be like to be alive in the poetry. What a deligth it was, then, to see the film "Shakespeare in Love". Even though it was a flight of fancy, it gave audiences a possible glimpse into the creative spark, the passion and inspiration behind the words.

In working on this production, I decided to write and adaptaion which would embrace some of my own thoughts on the play, using Shakespeare's imagery and symbolism as a catalyst to move in another direction. His use of dreams, premonitions, the stars and the supernatural are all apparent in the text. So it was that I came up with this current version. What I have done is bookend Shakespeare's text with an original opening and closing, hopefully bringing and immediacy and sense of mystery to the telling of the original story. As I see it, we are surrounded by things we cannot understand, and have no control over. The familiar saying "due to circumstance beyond our control" would certainly pertain to these two lovers, given the feud between their families. Yet we should not dismiss their own impetuous behavior for some of what befalls them. While it may be fate which moves them towards their tragic end, they certainly had a hand in it, suggesting perhaps, that it did not have to be that way.

And finally, our dreams hold the key to much of what happens in our lives. We may be guided by them, ignore them, or simply embrace them and live them fully, making them real. In living their dream, Romeo and Juliet found their reality. Perhaps that is where we go when we dream -- to that other reality where everything is possible.

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Play Photos

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