Carroll Theater
Shakespeare is getting a new spin at Carroll Theater’s debut production for the fall season. Carroll Theater’s juniors and seniors are kicking off the fall theater schedule with a stage adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” a classic tale of forbidden love between two star-crossed lovers. However, Carroll Theater’s production is a little different from Shakespeare’s original telling. Instead of the young man Romeo courting the beautiful Juliet, this adaptation tells the story of the female Romea falling in love with Julian.
“’Romeo and Juliet' is such a widely known production with so many different iterations,” junior Davis Hayes says, who portrays Capulet in the production. “Last spring, the department took a trip to London and while we were there, we saw a gender-bent production of ‘The Taming of the Shrew.’ We were really inspired to do a gender-bent Shakespeare show of our own.”
The new take on “Romea and Julian” allows the students to break gender stereotypes and incorporate more modern elements in the 16th-century production. Senior Emma Close, who portrays Romea, says although Shakespeare is challenging, putting their own spin on it has made the production much more fun.
“I think the fact that we’ve gender-bent the show gives me personally an opportunity to play a role that I traditionally would not get to play otherwise,” Emma says. “It allows for a new interpretation of the language, giving me opportunities to make new acting choices. I’ve had so much fun with this show, and I think it might be one of my favorites that I’ve been in.”
“Romea and Julian” showtimes are at 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 19 and Friday, September 20 and 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 21 at the Black Box Theater at Carroll Senior High School. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $10.