Wurtele Thrust Stage / Sept 9 – Oct 28, 2017 Romeo and Juliet by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE directed by JOSEPH HAJ PLAY GUIDE Inside THE PLAY Synopsis, Setting and Characters • 3 Production History for Romeo and Juliet • 4, 5 Responses to Romeo and Juliet • 6 THE PLAYWRIGHT About the Playwright • 7 A Legacy that continues to inspire • 8 Shakespeare’s Plays • 9 BUILDING THE PRODUCTION From the Director: Joseph Haj • 10 From the Sound Designer: Vincent Olivieri • 11 From the Scenic Designer: Anna Louizos • 12 From the Lighting Designer: Josh Epstein • 13 From the Composer: Victor Zupanc • 14 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Activities Guide • 15, 16 For Further Reading and Understanding • 17 Play guides are made possible by Guthrie Theater Play Guide Copyright 2017 DRAMATURG Carla Steen GRAPHIC DESIGNER Akemi Graves CONTRIBUTORS Jason Brown and Carla Steen Guthrie Theater, 818 South 2nd Street, Minneapolis, MN 55415 All rights reserved. With the exception of classroom use by teachers and individual personal use, no part of this Play Guide ADMINISTRATION 612.225.6000 may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic BOX OFFICE 612.377.2224 or 1.877.44.STAGE TOLL-FREE or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission in guthrietheater.org • Joseph Haj, artistic director writing from the publishers. Some materials published herein are written especially for our Guide. Others are reprinted by permission of their publishers. The Guthrie Theater, founded in 1963, is an American center for theater performance, The Guthrie Theater receives support from the National production, education and professional training. By presenting both classical literature and Endowment for the Arts. This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota State Arts Board, through an appropriation new work from diverse cultures, the Guthrie illuminates the common humanity connecting by the Minnesota State Legislature. The Minnesota State Arts Board received additional funds to support this activity from Minnesota to the peoples of the world. the National Endowment for the Arts. 2 \ GUTHRIE THEATER THE PLAY Setting The Guthrie production sets the play in contemporary Verona, Italy, with a one scene in Mantua, about 25 miles away. Characters Prince of Verona Paris, his kinsman and a suitor to Juliet Paris’ page Lord Capulet Lady Capulet Juliet Capulet, their daughter Nurse, to Juliet Tybalt, nephew to Lady Capulet Potpan, servant to the Kate Eastman and Ryan-James Hatanaka (Photo by Jenny Graham) Capulets Gregory, servant to the Capulets Synopsis Lady Montague Romeo Montague, her son Benvolio, cousin to Romeo Romeo and Juliet is set in Verona, Italy, where the rival houses of Capulet Mercutio, friend to Romeo and and Montague have a longstanding feud that erupts with a new fight in kinsman to the prince the streets. Following this latest brawl, the Prince decrees a penalty of Balthasar, servant to Romeo death for whoever next breaks the peace. Romeo, a Montague pining in Friar Lawrence, of the unrequited love for Rosaline, wasn’t part of the brawl but jumps at the Franciscan order chance to crash a party at the Capulet house when he learns Rosaline Friar John, of the Franciscan is to be there. He, his friend Mercutio and cousin Benvolio arrive at the order Capulets in masks, but Tybalt, a hot-headed Capulet, recognizes Romeo’s Apothecary, in Mantua voice and vows revenge for Romeo arriving uninvited. Romeo sees Juliet, the daughter of Capulet, and they fall in love immediately. Later that night, he climbs the orchard wall to talk with Juliet from beneath the balcony outside her bedchamber. With the help of Juliet’s Nurse and Romeo’s friend and confessor Friar Lawrence, and hoping to mend the families’ division, the two secretly marry the following day, but their happiness does not last long. Tybalt challenges Romeo to a duel, and when Romeo refuses to fight his new kinsman, Mercutio faces Tybalt and is killed. In anger and revenge Romeo kills Tybalt, for which he is banished from the city. He spends a single night with his new bride and leaves for Mantua the next morning. Apparently divided forever, the two young people take desperate action to overcome the forces that keep them apart, but mistimed communication leads to an unfortunate and deadly end. GUTHRIE THEATER \ 3 THE PLAY Production History for Romeo and Juliet Compiled by Gina Musto, Literary Intern Romeo and Juliet was first The first performance of which we In October 1679 the Duke’s performed between 1595 and 1598 have an official record occurred in Company produced Thomas at the Curtain, the theater where 1660 by the Duke’s Company and Otway’s Caius Marius, an Shakespeare’s company performed a revival took place on March 1, adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, before the Globe opened in 1599. 1662. Famed diary-keeper Samuel giving the play a Roman republican Richard Burbage created the role Pepys was unimpressed with this setting with Restoration political of Romeo and Robert Goffe, who production, writing “it is the play overtones. Though critics did not played most of Shakespeare’s of itself the worst that I ever heard have kind things to say about the leading ladies, played Juliet. Given in my life, and the worst acted production, it held the stage for the size of the company and that ever I saw these people do.” over 60 years. number of roles, there was likely (Though it’s possible Pepys saw an a lot of doubling. The production adaptation of the play by James In 1744, Shakespeare’s play, with would have used contemporary Howard which featured a Mrs. many intrusions from Otway’s clothing of the time, as was the Saunderson as Juliet, probably the version, was revived and adapted norm in Shakespeare’s productions. first woman to play the role.) by Theophilus Cibber at the Little Haymarket. David Garrick undertook a revival at Drury Lane in 1748 and prepared an acting version which, with minor changes, held the stage for the rest of the century. It received more than 450 performances by 1800 and between 1750 and 1800 was the most popular of Shakespeare’s plays. Slightly modified by J.P. Kemble around 1803, Garrick’s version continued to be performed until the middle of the 19th century. In 1845, the play was performed using Shakespeare’s text (albeit heavily cut) at the Haymarket Theatre. Susan Cushman played Juliet opposite her sister, Charlotte, as Romeo. While the Garrick-Kemble script continued to be used in minor/ amateur productions, major revivals (Edwin Booth’s in 1868, Henry Irving’s in 1882, Mary Anderson’s in Ryan-James Hatanaka, Kelsey Didion, Lamar Jefferson and Jason Rojas (Photo by Jenny Graham) 4 \ GUTHRIE THEATER Shá Cage, Kate Eastman and Candace Barrett Birk (Photo by Jenny Graham) 1884 and Maude Adams’ in 1899) approach to staging Shakespeare. Interest in making the young lovers did not use the script, though Mary more socially recognizable has Anderson’s did retain a funeral Modifications to the text continued, become a common intent, from procession Garrick had written in. including a 1919 production with a production with Juliet played Ellen Terry as the Nurse in which all in a modern American secondary Toward the end of the 19th century, of Act 3, Scene 2 (Juliet learning school uniform to Michael Boyd’s changes in the presentation about Romeo’s banishment) was RSC production in 2000 where of the play were implemented. cut and the play ended with Juliet’s Mercutio was also a suitor for Previously, productions were suicide. Romeo’s affection, haunting the done in contemporary dress (such relationship even in death. as Romeo appearing in a waist- Peter Brook’s 1947 Stratford coat, knee breeches and a three- production omitted all of Act Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 film William cornered cocked hat in the mid- 4, Scene 1 (Juliet’s visit to Friar Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet 18th century), but from the latter Lawrence) apparently to avoid follows closely to the plot and part of the 19th century, an interest a scene change and ended with language of the original play while in setting and costuming the play Juliet’s death and a short comment staging the story in a modern, for 12th century Verona took hold, from the Chorus, borrowed from seaside dystopia of Verona and a need for “historical accuracy” the Prince’s lines. Beach. The setting borrows from could be found in productions other Shakespeare plays to name into the first decade of the 20th In 1960, Franco Zeffirelli directed establishments “Merchant of century, particularly under Henry a production of Romeo and Juliet Verona” Loan Company and a Irving and Herbert Beerbohm Tree. at the Old Vic which, through “Mistress Quickly” massage parlor. his later film version in 1968, With densely packed cultural William Poel, who wished to return has greatly influenced the way locales, young Claire Danes and to Elizabethan costuming in his people generally perceive how Leonardo DiCaprio in the title roles, productions, and Harley Granville- the play should be staged and and a racially and ethnically diverse Barker, who used some of Poel’s acted. Zeffirelli cut the text to cast in a setting that could be in ideas and restored Shakespeare’s accommodate a more cinematic Florida or Southern California, this texts as far as possible, were the focus on large action scenes and film is visually rich, complex and leading innovators of what has spectacle. indicative of America and post- become known as the modern modern culture. GUTHRIE THEATER \ 5 THE PLAY Responses to Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare showed the best of passion, and the excitement of Shakespeare wrote A Midsummer his skill in his Mercutio, and he the stinking crowds, the feuds, the Night’s Dream in the same years said himself, that he was forced intrigues.