Acting troupe reinvents the classic tragedy with a ‘choose your own adventure’ appeal
Has daddy ever not approved of the boy you brought home for Sunday dinner? Or lady, we don’t judge.
Romeo and Juliet is the tragic love story of two star-crossed lovers, who are not meant to be. And a long time feud between two families puts the young couple in a sticky situation.
We’ve all heard this story, but JuiceBox Theatre is giving this classic a new twist.
“It is a pretty unique play – it’s Romeo and Juliet so that has obviously has been done for forever – but it is a choose your own ending so the audience has a choice,” said David Stewart, who plays Tybalt.
Maybe high school Shakespeare would have been more interesting if Mercutio and Tybalt hadn’t died, but had gotten together instead? Or if Romeo had stayed helplessly in love with Rosaline instead of Juliet?
In this theatrical rendition of Romeo and Juliet: Choose Your Own Ending the audience participates in determining the fate of the characters.
Rosaline and Juliet played by Jessica Gurnsey and Amy Rempel.
Photo by Emily Thwaites
“It is so incorporative of the audience, it’s unique,” said Stewart. “At key parts in the play, for example, when Romeo, Mercutio, Benvolio and Tybalt, are about to fight Romeo, Romeo will always ask the audience what to do and they raise their hand or yell or something like that.”
Starring Brandon Cairns as Romeo and Jessica Gurnsey as Juliet, this production promises to be an excellent sample of what these young actors are capable of.
Stewart is just one of these young actors, and just one of the many actors who are also students at Mount Royal University.
“I’ve technically been acting since I was little. I’ve been acting my whole life, I’ve always wanted to act,” Stewart said, who majors in History.
This production will take place April 2-4th at the John Dutton Theatre, located inside the Calgary public library downtown at 616 Macleod Trail SE.
There are two shows on Thursday (6 p.m. and 8 p.m.), one on Friday (7:30 p.m.) and two Saturday (6 p.m. and 8 p.m.).
Tickets are $10 each.
Please note: there will be some mild language in this production.
khuitema@cjournal.ca & hdeeves@cjournal.ca
To contact the editors responsible for this story; Garrett Harvey at gharvey@cjournal.ca; Evan Manconi at emanconi@cjournal.ca