This year the Drama Department had a much larger turn-out than previous fall plays with almost 40 students nervously murmuring their monologues under their breath before the audition. “I was so nervous,” said Freshman Ned Meeker, who snagged the role of Capulet, “and when I got off the stage my hands were shaking.” Seniors Zach Mahler and Amy Stockhaus will be playing the roles of Romeo and Juliet, respectively. Everyone who auditioned will be included in the production, whether it be acting a role or working with the set; all grades are represented.
Just as an athlete trains before a tryout, BSM students had to prepare well in advance of their audition for the fall production of Romeo and Juliet on September 4. “I took several cuttings from the play, both male and female, and people had to memorize the piece and then perform it,” said director Mrs. Maura Brew, “and in callbacks, I asked them to read dialogue with other people.”
The BSM production of the classic Shakespearean play will be anything but ordinary and, no, they won’t be wearing tights. “We are setting it in the present day,” said Mrs. Brew, “and we’re using people from the BSM community for everything we do. We’ve commissioned [BSM senior] Evan Bakker and his band to write the Romeo and Juliet theme, which they’ll perform onstage.” The Drama Department is also bringing in a fight coordinator for “the impassioned and hopefully very raw fight scenes,” said Mrs. Brew. While many of the new twists will be kept under wraps until the opening on October 30, Mrs. Brew assures that the production is “very contemporary.”
The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is a seemingly ambitious choice for high school students to perform, but the only challenge Mrs. Brew foresees is timing. “We only have six weeks and the parts are difficult to learn, but it’s a very exhilarating challenge and the cast has so much talent. I was so excited, I started planning and blocking the scenes back in May,” said Mrs. Brew, “I’m so stoked.”
