Two star-crossed lovers will perform under the stars this week.
The Penn State School of Theatre will present an adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet today, Wednesday and Thursday on the Hintz Family Alumni Center lawn.
The performance is free to the public, and no tickets are required. Those from Penn State Commonwealth Campuses who can't attend can watch a live video feed online at live.ist.psu.edu.
Dan Carter, director of the School of Theatre, had several reasons for holding the performances outside rather than in the Playhouse Theatre, an unusual move.
For one, the school's largest stage is undergoing renovations. But he also wanted to put on a "site-specific production," as some plays can have a certain resonance with their settings -- a legal play performed in a courthouse or a religious play in a church, for instance.
Following this example, he said he thinks Romeo and Juliet works better outside in front of the façade of a large building.
"We thought Hintz Alumni Center was just perfect -- we've got a balcony for Juliet, we've got a porch-type area, and we'll do it in October before the weather gets too cold," he said.
The play is directed by Matt Toronto, an associate professor of theatre. Toronto had to dramatically shorten the play from about five hours to about two hours, but he didn't change any vital parts.
"In Shakespeare's version, there's a lot of extra stuff in it, which is a lot of fun, actually," he said. "Some of it I miss a little, but the main thing that I've done is cut the script down so that we're telling what I consider to be the most essential parts of the story."
Gilbert Bailey, who will play Romeo, said that while they have made some significant cuts to the story, all five acts will still be performed.
Bailey (senior-musical theatre) wasn't even going to audition for Romeo and Juliet, but after being convinced into giving it a try, he ended up with the lead role of Romeo. Juliet will be played by Leah Mueller.
Carter said the play is free to the public because of help from different campus departments and groups. The Department of English, University Park Allocation Committee (UPAC), the Institute of Arts and Humanities, the College of Communications, the Department of Film-Video, the College of Arts and Architecture and the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) are all collaborating with the School of Theatre to produce the play.
Carter said the Department of Film-Video will direct the video shoot for the live Web broadcast, and IST provided an Internet link for Penn State students at any Commonwealth Campus. The webcast will also be integrated into future Penn State Shakespeare classes.
Several students will work on the video production side, recording and making live edits. Three cameras will record the performances from different angles.
Toronto said the play will depend on good weather, but a light rain won't scare them away.
"If it doesn't scare our audience away, we're going to do our best to keep the show going -- the key factor is safety," he said.
