A Digital Production Spring 2021 By William Shakespeare | Directed by Sophie Franco All original material copyright © 2021 Seattle Shakespeare Company CONTENT Touring Spring 2019. Photo by John Ulman Welcome Letter..........................................................................1 Plot and Characters...................................................................2 Educator Resource Guide Resource Educator ROMEO Y JULIETA Y ROMEO Articles Biography: William Shakespeare.........................................................3 Theater Audiences: Then and Now.....................................................4 At a Glance Modern Shakespeare Adaptations......................................................5 Reflection & Discussion Questions...........................................6 Placing the Production...............................................................8 Activities Cross the Line: Quotes.........................................................................9 Compliments and Insults...................................................................10 Cross the Line: Themes......................................................................11 Diary/Blog...........................................................................................11 The Art of Tableaux............................................................................12 Shakebook.....................................................................................13-14 All original material copyright © 2021 Seattle Shakespeare Company WELCOME Dear Educators, Here in 2021, we dearly wish we could be loading Today, much has changed in how we tour our sets and costumes and actors into our van to bring Shakespearean plays, but some essential things live performances to your schools, but are prevented remain the same. We travel from town to town by this pandemic. We are reminded, however, that across the state of Washington, battling long drives, this is certainly not the first time touring theatre has traffic, and snow in the mountain passes to get there had to adapt to a plague. safely (thankfully, there are fewer roving bands of thieves). And when we cannot perform as usual, Shakespeare himself was born in a plague year we adapt, finding inspiration from the time and and in 1593, when he was just getting his start new ways to express the story. We do our best to as a dramatist, plague broke out again! London’s continue reaching and delighting our audiences. authorities declared “we think it fit that all manner of concourse and public meeting of the people at plays, Thank you for bringing this digital Seattle bear-baitings, bowlings and other like assemblies Shakespeare Company touring show to your school. for sports be forbidden.” Sound familiar? In order to We are thrilled to continue in the tradition of the survive and avoid the rapid spread of disease in the touring actor troupe, bringing theater to many densely populated city, acting companies took to schools and communities. We hope that you and touring the country. your students enjoy the show! It was during this enforced break that Shakespeare is thought to have truly come into his own as Best, an ‘original poet,’ capable of mingling old plots with new characters all held together by vibrant language. When the theaters reopened, not only was Shakespeare known for his brilliant long poems, he had a stunning new love story ready for the stage: Michelle Burce Romeo and Juliet. Education Director 206-733-8228 ext. 251 or [email protected] Touring Sponsors Fales Foundation All original material copyright © 2021 Seattle Shakespeare Company 1 Romeo y Julieta PLOT & CHARACTERS *Please note that this description uses the traditional gender Unaware that Juliet has already married Romeo, the of Shakespeare’s characters, however we invite you to Capulets plan for her to marry Paris. Juliet goes to Friar question those gender assignments and their expression. Lawrence for help. He gives her a sleeping potion that will make her appear dead for two days and tells her to take it The play opens with a brawl between the two feuding the night before her wedding to Paris. The Friar says he will families of Verona, the Capulets and the Montagues. The send a message to Romeo letting him know of the plan so Prince breaks up the fight and threatens death for anyone that he can find her in the tomb and they will be reunited “who disturbs our streets.” when she awakes. A great celebration is being planned by the However, Romeo hears about Juliet’s death Capulets to which everyone in the town is not through the Friar’s messenger, but from invited except the Montagues. The primary his servant. In grief, Romeo returns to the city reason for the party is to introduce their determined to be with Juliet in her death. He young daughter, Juliet, to an influential young goes to the apothecary and buys poison, then lord in the town, Paris, in the hopes that they goes to Juliet’s tomb. There, he finds Paris who will marry. Romeo, Benvolio, and Mercutio, challenges him to a duel. Romeo kills Paris, then three Montagues, decide to attend this party takes the poison and kills himself. Juliet awakens in disguise so that Romeo will get his mind too late to stop him, and sees her love dead off of Rosaline, an unattainable girl who he is in love with. beside her. Using Romeo’s dagger, she takes her own life. From the moment Romeo sees Juliet from across the Father Lawrence arrives at the scene too late to prevent the room, he is enchanted by her and forgets all about tragedy. Rosaline. He talks with her and she becomes as entranced The two families find Romeo and Juliet dead together in by him as he is by her, and Juliet forgets all about Paris. the tomb and realize that they should put their feud behind Juliet’s cousin Tybalt notices that Romeo and his kinsmen them. are trespassing at the party, but heeds the warning of the Characters prince and does not start a ght. Romeo sneaks back into Romeo, child of Lord and Lady Montague the garden, where he hears Juliet talking to herself about the danger of loving an enemy. He appears and speaks to Abraham, a servant of the Montagues Juliet. They exchange vows of love, and plan to marry in Mercutio, related to Prince Escalus and a close friend to secret the next day. Romeo Romeo begs Friar Lawrence to marry him and Juliet. Benvolio, Romeo’s cousin and friend Father Lawrence agrees, hoping that the marriage might Friar Lawrence, a Franciscan friar and close friend to end the feud between the families and bring peace to the Romeo town. The two lovers are married and go their separate Lady Capulet, the head of the house of Capulet, she is ways, planning to meet again in the secret of the night. Juliet’s mother and enemy of the Montagues That afternoonTybalt attempts to pick a fight with Romeo. Sampson, servant of the Capulets Romeo refuses,knowing that he has married Tybalt’s cousin Juliet. Mercutio takes up his sword to return Tybalt’s insult. Gregory, servant of the Capulets As Romeo tries to break up the fight, he restrains Mercutio. Juliet, child of Lord and Lady Capulet Tybalt takes advantage of this and stabs Mercutio, who is killed. Romeo, enraged at the death of his friend, kills Tybalt Nurse, Juliet’s nurse and is banished by the prince. Peter, servant to the nurse and Juliet The Nurse tells Juliet that Romeo has been sentenced to Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin banishment for killing Tybalt. Juliet is sad that her kinsman has been killed, but sadder that Romeo is banished. Romeo Paris, a relative of Prince Escalus and Lady Capulet’s choice of husband for Juliet and Juliet have only one night together after they are married before Romeo must leave the city or be killed. Their Prince Escalus, the prince of Verona, he is related to parting causes both of them much sadness and they both Mercutio and Paris would rather kill themselves than be apart. La Bruja, a witness to the ongoing feud and our guide through the story All original material copyright © 2021 Seattle Shakespeare Company 2 About William Shakespeare ARTICLES William Shakespeare, widely regarded as the greatest In 1592, theatre records show that William Shakespeare’s dramatist in the English language, was born in the month plays started being performed in London. William joined of April of 1564 to John Shakespeare, a city councilman an acting company called Lord Chamberlain’s Men. and glovemaker, and Mary Arden. He was the eldest son in This company, co-owned by William and several other a family of eight. actors, became a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I and of her successor, James I. Records from the period show Not much is known about William’s childhood or that William acted in his own plays, usually as minor education. The local school in Stratford would have characters, as well as in other productions. William provided him with a foundation in classical Latin authors, Shakespeare’s earliest plays were largely comedies and as was standard in Elizabethan curriculum. In 1582, histories. In 1596, William’s son, Hamnet, died of an at eighteen years old, William was married to Anne unknown illness. Hathaway. The marriage was apparently a hasty one, as Anne gave birth to a daughter, Susanna, six months later. In 1599, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men had gained enough Two years later the couple had twins, a son Hamnet and success to fund the construction of their own theater a daughter Judith. After the birth of the twins, records of venue, the Globe Theatre. As Shakespeare’s career grew, William cease for