A Modern “Romeo and Juliet” Opens On Stage

Straw Hat Theatre will open with a one-weekend-only production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet on Thursday, June 29. Performances will also be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 30, July 1 and 2. All performances begin at 8:00 p.m. Straw Hat Theatre is located at the Ashtabula Arts Center, 2928 West 13th Street in Ashtabula.

One of Shakespeare’s most well know stories, nearly everyone has heard the tale of the two young lovers whose feuding families lead to the greatest of tragedies. Director Joshua Theilan spent over two months editing the script to give this Romeo and Juliet a contemporary twist. Instead of the classic era in which Shakespeare wrote, audiences will see a reinvention of the past through modern eyes. This new version of Romeo and Juliet still contains all the elements of love, violence, betrayal, and death. But with a modern-day setting and brilliant dramatic interpretations, Shakespeare's tragic masterpiece has been reinvented, making the theme both understandable and exciting to a 21st century audience.

Adapting this classic for a modern audience makes for a new understanding of the script and brings the feud between the Montagues and the Caputlets to a new level. The attractive, intense, head-over-heels couple remain at the center of the story convincing us that they do share a love worth dying for. Compelling scenes of tenderness combined with dramatic fights capture the passion, anger and romance of Shakespeare's original.

“The show is still Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare,” says Theilan. “The fights are broken up by a SWAT team. The friar is a new age crystal hippie. The apothecary is a drug pusher at a rave....But the show remains faithful to the beloved classic and the same themes and morals are prevalent in our version as in others before it. Overall, I hope, our version is a tad more accessible to our audience. Young and old should enjoy the changes and recognize the similarities with classic productions of the show.”

Included in the cast are Lee Emrich as “Juliet,” Fred Robsel as “Capulet,” Pat Betteley as “Lady Capulet,” Sarah Saddler as “Tybalt,” Bev Schuman as “The Nurse,” Nick Meloro as “Romeo,” Bill Baker as “Montague,” Ellen Kolman as “Lady Montague,” Andrew Kosch as “Paris,” Adam Shimko as “Mercutio,” Tom Jessup as “Prince,” Mark Pendleton as “Friar Laurence,” Ruthie Bell as “Friar Jen,” Nick Cusano as “Apothecary,” Brett Kolman as “Balthasar,” Ray Pertz as “Sampson,” Zack Witta as “Gregory,” Eric Brand as “Abraham,” Ruthie Bell, Katrina Hamilton as the “Montague Ladies,” Nick Cusano, Caitlin Hill, Jennifer Giangola, Nicole Giangola, Sara Ruane, Alex VanAllen as the “SWAT Team Members” Sara Ruane as “Capulet's Servant,” Caitlin Hill as “Lady Capulet's Servant,” Ruthie Bell, Katrina Hamilton, Caitlin Hill, Sara Ruane, Alex VanAllen as the “Dancing Girls,” Jennifer Giangola as “Servant Girl #1,” Nicole Giangola as “Servant Girl #2,” Eric Brand, Katrina Hamilton, Caitlin Hill, Ray Perts, Sara Ruane, Zach Witta as the “Rave Dancers,” and Alex VanAllen as “Paris's Page.”

Tickets can be purchased by calling the Arts Center at (440) 964-3396. Ticket prices are $12 for patron seating, $10 adults, $9 seniors and $8 students and children. Tickets can also be purchased at the door if seating remains available.