Theater Masks | Graphic by Grace Merkle | The Wright State Guardian
Wright State University’s (WSU) junior acting class will perform a mystical and gender-bent rendition of Romeo and Juliet on Oct. 9 and Oct. 10 in the amphitheater.
Student-led production
The production of Romeo and Juliet is completely student-led by the junior acting class.
According to junior acting major and co-director Danielle Nissen, the inspiration for this performance came from a sophomore year movement class in which they performed the play’s famous balcony scene.
Within the acting department, students are able to put on shows in the Directing Lab. However, this production will take place outside in the amphitheater and is a class-wide project.
“The people in our program have a lot of experience doing stuff on our own… but I think this has taken a step beyond that,” Nissen said.
Shakespeare with a twist
This production of Shakespeare’s famous play will feature a female Romeo, played by Nissen, and an androgenous Juliet, played by junior acting major Chap Hollin. Several other characters are gender-bent as well.
In addition, this rendition of Romeo and Juliet will be a more magical and mystical performance than the original, according to Nissen. Most of the magic will come from Friar Lawrence’s character, played by junior acting major Zavi Osborne.
“When I think of Friar Lawrence in terms of this show, I think of Dr. Facilier from Princess and the Frog but a little bit better,” Osborne said.
Nissen and Osborne encourage students to come to the performance to see what other changes have been made to the classic love story.
“It’s not your grandma’s Romeo and Juliet,” Osborne said.
Passion for performing
For Nissen, performing is a way to share stories with other people and connect with them in a unique way. Nissen fell in love with performing at a young age when she went from writing stories to acting them out.
“When I was little I loved writing and storytelling and eventually that kind of morphed into getting up on my feet and making up those stories,” Nissen said.
A favorite part of performing for Osborne is the audience, which she hopes will be excited to see the play next weekend.
“I feel like if an audience isn’t really responsive, then we aren’t doing our job,” Osborne said.
The play will start at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 9, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 10.
