Romeo Loved Juliet

Last night, I saw my second performance of the Great River Shakespeare Festival: Romeo and Juliet. As much as I enjoyed Twelfth Night last week, I think I liked Romeo and Juliet even more. I'm not sure exactly why that was. I am considering (almost definitely) directing Twelfth Night for our school's fall play this year, and while watching it last week, I was probably more than usual looking for ideas on staging and interpretation. (Although often when I attend plays, I think about how I would have done things differently.) Romeo and Juliet is so well known, I've read it many times, and taught it when I had ninth graders at Wabasha-Kellogg. GRSF did a great job of presenting this play. There were a couple points where I thought things were a bit too static. But I was very impressed by the quick method of switching scenes. And the actors all seemed to really embody their roles.

I was also fortunate to bring some students to a pre-performance program. We got to listen to the technical director, head lighting tech, and fight choreographer discuss their work. Most interestingly, we got to watch the "fight call," during which the actors rehearsed each of their fight scenes. Particularly interesting was the long, drawn-out fight between Mercutio and Tybalt (and later Tybalt and Romeo). The actor playing Tybalt very much impressed with his strong, athletic moves. After this, we also had a short session where the director talked with us about his experiences, which I found very fascinating. I applaud the GRSF for this program, and hope it continues into the future. I know I'll try and bring some students again next year.