The Call Is Places 2017 2018 SEASON Romeo and Juliet September 9 October 28, 2017 Watch on the Rhine September 30 November 5, 2017 A Christmas Carol November 14 December 30, 2017 Blithe Spirit November 25, 2017 January 14, 2018 Indecent February 17 March 24, 2018 Familiar March 10 April 14, 2018 Welcome from Artistic Director Joseph Haj Dear Friends, Welcome to the Guthrie s 2017 2018 Season! We are thrilled to share this year s exceptional lineup of plays with you, and proud of the creative teams we have assembled for these shows. Our hope is that the work on our stages this season, from the mainstages to Level Nine and the Dowling Studio, will entertain, resonate and get us talking to each other. There can be no more auspicious way to start it all off than with one of William Shakespeare s most famous texts, a play with themes and characters so well known to us: Romeo and Juliet. While it is surely one of the greatest love stories ever told, our production is organized around Shakespeare s stunningly compressed timeline. The entire story, the entire scope of events, all occur in less than a week. The play is written in the rhythms of a teenager s mind. There are so many times that, if only someone could slow it down and think through things for a minute, a better decision could be made. And while we can certainly point to the teenage mind s lack of perspective as one tragic spark in R & J, the blame for what goes awry also lies at the feet of the adult characters, who, though they try their best, utterly fail the young people of the play. Guess Who s Coming to Dinner April 7 May 27, 2018 An Enemy of the People April 28 June 3, 2018 West Side Story June 16 August 26, 2018 The Legend of Georgia McBride July 14 August 26, 2018 Visit guthrietheater.org for additional productions and play descriptions. I am immensely grateful to the astounding R & J creative team for their collaboration. I am also profoundly grateful to the Guthrie staff, as well as the Guthrie s donors whose hard work and generosity are making it possible for 7,000 Minneapolis and St. Paul high school students to attend this show at no cost to them or their schools. The Guthrie s education and community outreach programs continue to expand in exciting ways, and we feel lucky to be partnering with so many students, teachers and community innovators. We hope you enjoy the show! Yours, PHOTO: JOSEPH HAJ (HEIDI BOHNENKAMP) 1 \ GUTHRIE THEATER
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Sponsored by Cast in order of appearance The Guthrie Theater s production is part of Shakespeare in American Communities, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. The Guthrie gratefully recognizes the W. Duncan and Nivin MacMillan Foundation as Platinum Producers, Marilyn Carlson Nelson as Producer, and David & Pat Drew as Associate Producers of Romeo and Juliet. Setting Various locations in Verona, Italy. Briefly in Mantua. Run Time Approximately 2 hours, 30 minutes with one intermission People of Verona Jason Paul Andrews, Fernanda Badeo, Jared M. Beebe, Gabrielle Dominique, Michael Hertenstein, Kiko Laureano, Molly McGuire, Connor O Brien, Cameron Reeves, Missy Watson PRINCE OF VERONA POTPAN, servant to the Capulets GREGORY, servant to the Capulets BALTHASAR, servant to Romeo TYBALT, nephew to Lady Capulet BENVOLIO, cousin to Romeo LORD CAPULET LADY CAPULET LADY MONTAGUE ROMEO MONTAGUE PARIS, suitor to Juliet NURSE JULIET CAPULET MERCUTIO, friend to Romeo FRIAR LAWRENCE FRIAR JOHN APOTHECARY PARIS PAGE Bill McCallum* Corey Farrell Damian Leverett Jason Rojas* Stan Demidoff* Lamar Jefferson* Andrew Weems* Shá Cage* Charity Jones* Ryan-James Hatanaka* John Catron* Candace Barrett Birk* Kate Eastman* Kelsey Didion* James A. Williams* Damian Leverett Stan Demidoff* Corey Farrell *Member of Actors Equity Association Student in the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater B.F.A. Actor Training Program 2 \ GUTHRIE THEATER
Understudies Sam Bardwell* (Balthasar/Paris), John Catron* (Mercutio), Bob Davis* (Prince of Verona/Friar Lawrence), Corey Farrell (Benvolio/Apothecary), Austin Fisher (Potpan/Paris Page), Cathleen Fuller* (Nurse), Bill McCallum* (Lord Capulet), Ashley Rose Montondo* (Juliet), Michelle O Neill* (Lady Capulet/ Lady Montague), Daniel Piering (Gregory/ Friar John), Jason Rojas*(Tybalt/ Romeo Montague) Understudies never substitute for performers unless announced prior to the performance. Acknowledgments The Guthrie extends a very special thanks to Tony Vierling for his contribution to this production. The Guthrie s rush line is made possible with support from Target. Delta Air Lines is the Official Airline of the Guthrie Theater. Creative Team DIRECTOR CHOREOGRAPHER SCENIC DESIGNER COSTUME DESIGNER LIGHTING DESIGNER SOUND DESIGNER COMPOSER DRAMATURG VOCAL COACH FIGHT DIRECTOR STAGE MANAGER ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR CASTING CONSULTANT DESIGN ASSISTANTS DANCE CAPTAIN FIGHT CAPTAIN Joseph Haj Linda Talcott Lee Anna Louizos Jennifer Moeller Josh Epstein Vincent Olivieri Victor Zupanc Carla Steen Jill Walmsley Zager Kara Wooten Justin Hossle* Katie Hawkinson* Daisuke Kawachi McCorkle Casting, Ltd. Polly Bilski (costumes) Ryan Connealy (lighting) Reid Rejsa (sound associate) Kelsey Didion* Bill McCallum* INTERN Gina Musto (literary) Romeo and Juliet set model by Scenic Designer Anna Louizos 3 \ GUTHRIE THEATER
THE PLAYWRIGHT William Shakespeare was born in 1564 to John and Mary Arden Shakespeare and raised in Stratfordupon-Avon, Warwickshire, in England s West Country. Much of the information about him comes from official documents such as wills, legal documents and court records. There are also contemporary references to him and his writing. In all, while much of the biographical information is sketchy and incomplete, for a person of his class, as the son of a town alderman, quite a lot of information is available. Young Shakespeare would have attended the Stratford grammar school, where he would have learned to read and write not only English, but also a lot of Latin and some Greek. In 1582, at age 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, and the couple would have three children, Susanna in 1583 and twins Hamnet and Judith in 1585. After an eight-year gap where Shakespeare s activity is not known, he appeared in London by 1592 and quickly began to make a name for himself as a prolific playwright. He stayed in London for about 20 years, becoming increasingly successful in his work as an actor, writer and shareholder in his acting company. Retirement took him back to Stratford to lead the life of a country gentleman. His son Hamnet died at age 11, but both daughters were married, Susanna to Dr. John Hall, and Judith to Thomas Quiney. Shakespeare died in Stratford on what is thought to be his birthday, April 23, in 1616. He is buried in the parish church, where his grave can be seen to this day. His known body of work includes at least 37 plays, 100 long poems and 154 sonnets. 4 \ GUTHRIE THEATER
PLAY FEATURE Backstory: Romeo and Juliet (Warning: Spoilers Ahead!) Romeo and Juliet may be the greatest, most well-known love story ever told and the Prince pretty much gives away the ending at the top of the show but we understand that even Shakespeare s most popular works can sometimes be tricky to follow. So, for your convenience, Guthrie dramaturg extraordinaire Carla Steen offers the following plot synopsis. We promise she won t be offended if you choose not to read it and instead skip right to the next section where we highlight some intriguing aspects of our production. Romeo and Juliet is set in Verona, where the rival houses of Capulet and Montague have a longstanding feud that leads to fights in the streets. Following the latest brawl, the Prince decrees a penalty of death for whoever next breaks the peace. Romeo, a Montague pining in unrequited love for Rosaline, jumps at the chance to crash a party at the Capulet house when he learns Rosaline is to be there. At the party, Romeo sees Juliet, the daughter of Capulet, and it is love at first sight for both of them. Later that night, he climbs the orchard wall to talk with Juliet beneath the balcony outside her bedchamber. With the help of Juliet s Nurse and Romeo s friend and confessor Friar Lawrence, and hoping to mend the families division, the two secretly marry the following day, but their happiness does not last long. Juliet s hotheaded cousin Tybalt challenges Romeo to a duel, and when Romeo refuses to fight his new kinsman, Romeo s friend Mercutio faces Tybalt and is killed. Shocked into anger and revenge, Romeo kills Tybalt, for which he is banished from the city after spending only a single night with his new bride. Apparently divided forever, the two young people take desperate action to overcome the forces that keep them apart, but mistimed communication leads to an unfortunate and deadly end. Thanks, Carla! Romeo and Juliet, like all of Shakespeare s plays, lives in the public domain, which means the script isn t under copyright, which means theater artists are free to edit and set the play however and wherever they desire (Romeo and Juliet in Space? Google it. It happened.) Here s a look at some of the creative team s choices for the Guthrie s R & J, all of which, thankfully, take place right here on Earth. THE CASTING OF MERCUTIO Traditionally, the pivotal role of Romeo s good friend is cast as a guy. In our production, the super-talented Kelsey Didion plays Mercutio, and pronouns have been changed to reflect that choice. Why? Guthrie Associate Producer Lauren Keating sums it up succinctly: Kelsey was the best actor who auditioned for the role. Carla adds: Mercutio is often considered one of Shakespeare s best creations. So you want someone who can do him/her justice. And with Kelsey in the role, it sets up a really interesting contrast between Mercutio as a young woman about town and Juliet as a young woman about town very different perspectives of femininity. THE SET AND COSTUMES Director Joseph Haj wants the play to move swiftly, reinforcing that the entire story takes place in less than a week. Having the set rotate on a turntable helps drive the action forward. The clock tower is also a key set piece symbolizing the swiftness of time, and it marks out the center of Verona, the public gathering place. Costume designer Jennifer Moeller dresses the cast in contemporary garb that creates visual tension between the traditional set (representing the older generation) and the young people who are living their lives against this backdrop of history and familial baggage. PHOTO: ROMEO AND JULIET COSTUME SKETCHES BY JENNIFER MOELLER 5 \ GUTHRIE THEATER
PLAY FEATURE Interview with Joseph Haj, director Could you describe the world where our production of Romeo and Juliet takes place? Typically, a director and design team will choose to narrowly marry the different design elements (costumes, set, lights, sound, etc.) into the same time period or a very similar aesthetic. However, with our production we wanted to focus on the young characters who are trapped in this ancient, civil strife and who are also trapped in their parents world and, like young people everywhere, all they want is to be out of or change that world. So we decided on a set akin to many villages and towns in Italy today, which are so many centuries old with ancient architecture, and to juxtapose that with the costumes, which are much more modern. How do those themes play out on stage? There isn t a play of Shakespeare s that s as much written for young people as this play is. There is an impulsiveness to the rhythms that mirrors the impulsiveness of the teenage mind. I directed Romeo and Juliet several times as a young person, and I only saw the story through the young people s eyes. Now, as a grown person, I look at R & J and I recognize how badly the adults in the play fail these kids. The parents on both sides, the nurse, the Friar, all working from best intentions, fail these young people entirely. This has led me to relate the themes of the play to a mature generation that s out of sync with their kids. Even though it s billed as a tragedy, more than half of the play operates as a romantic comedy. When it tips into tragedy, both Romeo and Juliet become more and more isolated from the adults. Especially in Juliet s case, her parents threaten to disown her, her nurse acquiesces and advises Juliet to wed Paris, leaving absent everyone who can offer maturity in the way of perspective counsel. Does this mirror the parent/ teenager dynamic you know from being a parent of a teenager yourself? As a parent of a teenager I can relate to the challenge of the adults in the play. I think these parents love their kids, but they just don t know them, a sentiment echoed by many parents today. But there comes a point as our children move into adolescence when the list of problems you can solve for them grows shorter and shorter. We watch them withdraw in a good way, and you hopefully help them establish their independence. However, it is challenging because they also have secret worlds that you are no longer invited to participate in. So I think a lot of those themes course through the play. How does the rivalry between the two families, the Capulets and the Montagues, come across in our production? At the very top of the play, the Prologue tells us that there s an ancient, civil brawl that these two families participate in. Our production extends that brawl to the whole town, which has chosen sides. And we are led to believe that this hatred goes back generations. So it s entirely possible that the people involved in this civil strife don t actually remember or know the source of it, which is an idea re-enforced by Shakespeare since he chooses not to mention what the cause was. It just exists. So you have these inherited, passed down, deeply installed hatreds that come through family traditions and are hard to break. And in the midst of that turmoil, these two kids, each from the opposite side, fall in love with one another. We hope, together as an audience, that they can somehow bridge this divide. We love them and we care about them and we want them to be together forever. But can their love survive the great chasm between their families? That s ultimately the question. PHOTO: KERI PICKETT 6 \ GUTHRIE THEATER