Hamilton Drama Society presents Romeo & Juliet with a twist!
Kendall Syslack
Romeo and Juliet is a Shakespearean classic, known as a timeless romantic tragedy. This fall, the Hamilton Drama Society has decided to take on this story, with a new twist! This November, witness the story of Romeo & Juliet, set in a 1940s insane asylum.
The cast of characters ranges from freshmen to seniors, with returning directors, Sarah Plamann & Abby Bloomquist, and student director, senior, Ava Lally. The cast and crew have been working together since mid-September, meeting a few times a week. The complexity of the Shakespearean language has made memorizing the script a challenge for many of the cast members. Junior Cash Campbell, who plays Benvolio says, “Of course the script is hard, but Ms. Plamann wouldn’t assign us the play if she didn’t think we could handle it.”
The makeup and costume department, as well as the props and set design department, have taken on the challenge of a Shakespearean mental hospital. Campbell also said, “Our department has many talented members, and there is no doubt that our set won’t come to life, exactly as our directors envision it.”
The student director, Ava Lally, says, “Although I’ve read my fair share of Shakesperian literature throughout high school in Comm. Arts classes, it’s been such an insightful experience to bring the words to reality. And, with the setting of an insane asylum, our production presents a unique set of characteristics that have not only been interesting for me to assist in developing, but will be so interesting for our audiences to witness.”
However, many of the Communication Arts teachers have pondered the question, why is it set in an insane asylum? How will that work? Is it still the original script that is set in fair Verona? The director, Sarah Plamann, took the time to answer these questions.
She says, “I picked a turn-of-the-century insane asylum because I love doing Shakespeare in an unexpected setting. Abby and I felt that this would be a location not many would think of and would fit the characters while allowing the overarching themes to still be present.”
When discussing the characters, she stated, “When assigning what characters to be a patient or doctor, I tried to look at the characters’ personality traits, behaviors, and relationships with others, and I knew that Juliet would be a patient. The rest of the characters just developed from there.”
In regard to the nostalgic feel of the story, she says, “The show keeps the original script and storyline to keep the true essence of the play, we’re just changing the setting.”
The show dates are November 11 at 7 pm, November 12 at 7 pm, and November 13 at 2 pm, all in the Hamilton Fine Arts Center. You can purchase tickets on the Hamilton website, so come out to support your classmates in this modern take on a nostalgic classic!
