PLAY GUIDE About ATC 1 Introduction to the Play 2 Synopsis 2 Meet the Characters 3 Meet the Playwright 4 Behind the Scenes 5 Structure and Language 6 R&J: Before and After Shakespeare 10 Through the Literary Lens 11 Cultural Context: 1960s Italy 13 A Timeless Tale 16 Glossary 17 Discussion Questions and Activities 19 Romeo and Juliet Play Guide written and compiled by Katherine Monberg, ATC Literary Associate, with assistance from April Jackson, Learning & Education Manager; Bryanna Patrick and Luke Young, Learning & Education Associates; Natasha Smith, Artistic and Playwriting Intern; Kalan Benbow and Skye Westberg, Literary Interns SUPPORT FOR ATC’S EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY: APS Rosemont Copper Arizona Commission on the Arts Stonewall Foundation Bank of America Foundation Target Blue Cross Blue Shield Arizona The Boeing Company City Of Glendale The Donald Pitt Family Foundation Community Foundation for Southern Arizona The Johnson Family Foundation, Inc Cox Charities The Lovell Foundation Downtown Tucson Partnership The Marshall Foundation Enterprise Holdings Foundation The Maurice and Meta Gross Foundation Ford Motor Company Fund The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Foundation The Stocker Foundation JPMorgan Chase The William L and Ruth T Pendleton Memorial Fund John and Helen Murphy Foundation Tucson Medical Center National Endowment for the Arts Tucson Pima Arts Council Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture Wells Fargo PICOR Charitable Foundation ABOUT ATC Arizona Theatre Company is a professional, not-for-profit theatre company This means all of our artists, administrators and production staff are paid professionals, and the income we receive from ticket sales and contributions goes right back into our budget to create our work, rather than to any particular person as a profit Each season, ATC employs hundreds of actors, directors and designers from all over the country to create the work you see on stage In addition, ATC currently employs about 100 staff members in our production shops and administrative offices in Tucson and Phoenix during our season Among these people are carpenters, painters, marketing professionals, fundraisers, stage directors, sound and light board operators, tailors, costume designers, box office agents, stage crew — the list is endless — representing an amazing range of talents and skills We are also supported by a Board of Trustees, a group of business and community leaders who volunteer their time and expertise to assist the theatre in financial and legal matters, advise in marketing and fundraising, and help represent the theatre in our community Roughly 150,000 people attend our shows every year, and several thousand of those people support us with charitable contributions in addition to purchasing their tickets Businesses large and small, private foundations and the city and state governments also support our work financially All of this is in support of our vision and mission: OUR VISION IS TO TOUCH LIVES THROUGH THE POWER OF THEATRE. Our mission is to create professional theatre that continually strives to reach new levels of artistic excellence and that resonates locally, in the state of Arizona and throughout the nation In order to fulfill our mission, the theatre produces a broad repertoire ranging from classics to new works, engages artists of the highest caliber, and is committed to assuring access to the broadest spectrum of citizens The Temple of Music and Art, the home of ATC shows in downtown Tucson The Herberger Theater Center, ATC’s performance venue in downtown Phoenix 1 INTRODUCTION TO THE PLAY Romeo and Juliet By William Shakespeare Directed by Kirsten Brandt ATC’s first-ever production of Shakespeare’s poetic masterpiece Jealousy Prejudice Betrayal And the chance that true love could actually conquer all Romeo and Juliet comes to vibrant life through the inventive talents of award-winning director Kirsten Brandt and designer David Lee Cuthbert, whose state-of-the-art scenery, lighting and projections bring new life to the warring world of the Capulets and Montagues Set in 1960s Italy, it is Romeo and Juliet as you’ve never seen before! Richard Baird, Paul David Story and Kyle Sorrell in ATC’s Romeo and Juliet. Photo by Tim Fuller Actor Paul David Story, Actor Chelsea Kurtz, Actor Leslie Law, Actor Richard Baird, Actor Kathryn Tkel, Actor Kyle Sorrell, Actor Kevin Black, who plays Romeo in who plays Juliet in who plays Nurse / who plays Mercutio / who plays Benvolio who plays Tybalt / Paris who plays Capulet / ATC’s production of ATC’s production of Prince in ATC’s Montague / Friar Laurence in ATC’s production in ATC’s production Friar John in ATC’s Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet. production of in ATC’s production of of Romeo and Juliet. of Romeo and Juliet. production of Romeo Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet. and Juliet. SYNOPSIS One of Shakespeare’s most enduring masterpieces, Romeo and Juliet begins on the streets of Verona, Italy, where the Montagues and Capulets come to blows over a continuing family feud Interrupted by the Prince of Verona, the ruler initiates a decree of non-violence, violation of which is punishable by death Meanwhile, Romeo mourns his unrequited love for the beautiful Rosaline, as Paris seeks Juliet’s promise of marriage; Juliet agrees to contemplate Paris’s proposal amidst the revelry of an impending feast Romeo and his fellow Montagues receive word of the Capulet celebration; hoping to see his beloved Rosaline there, Romeo and his friends attend the festivities in disguise At the party, Romeo and Juliet see one another from afar, and are struck with a profound adoration Still unknown to one another, they meet, share a kiss, and part ways Upon discovery of their identities, and the realization that their love defies their feuding families, Romeo and Juliet enlist Friar Laurence to marry them in secret After the exchange of their clandestine wedding vows, Juliet’s cousin Tybalt happens upon Romeo and challenges him to a duel, still furious that Romeo dared to attend the Capulet feast Romeo pleads for peace and is denied; in the ensuing fight, Romeo’s friend and the cousin of the Prince, Mercutio, is slain at Tybalt’s hand Mad with grief, Romeo kills Tybalt in revenge Banished from Verona for his crimes, Romeo is forced to flee before the dawn Meanwhile, ignorant of Juliet’s marriage to Romeo, Juliet’s father has settled her engagement to Paris, and plans have begun for their immediate union To avoid her impending marriage to Paris, Friar Laurence provides Juliet with a potion that will make her appear to be dead; before a messenger can reach Romeo with the truth, the news of Juliet’s death makes its way to Romeo’s ear He returns to her side, in the Capulet tomb, to take his own life in grief Upon waking from her potion-induced slumber, Juliet discovers Romeo’s still-warm body and takes from him a dagger, which she plunges into her own breast — finally united with Romeo in death, as they could not be in life 2 MEET THE CHARACTERS Actor Vivia Font, Actor Heather Lee Actor Sterling Boyns, Actor Hunter V. Hnat, Actor Paul Michael Actor Silvia Vannoy, Actor Brenna Welsh, who plays Lady Capulet / Harper, who plays who plays Constable / who plays Sampson / Thomson, who plays who plays Gregory / who plays Paris’ Page / Apothecary in ATC’s Lady Montague in Petruchio / Ensemble Ensemble in ATC’s Peter /Abraham / Ensemble Musician / Ensemble Ensemble in ATC’s production of Romeo ATC’s production in ATC’s production production of in ATC’s production of in ATC’s production production of Romeo and Juliet. of Romeo and Juliet. of Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet. of Romeo and Juliet. and Juliet. THE MONTAGUES Montague: Lord Montague, head of the Montague household and father to Romeo Lady Montague: Wife to Lord Montague and mother to Romeo Romeo: Only son of Lord and Lady Montague Benvolio: Nephew to Montague, and friend of Romeo Abraham: Servant of the Montague household Balthasar: Servant to Romeo, in the Montague household THE CAPULETS Capulet: Lord Capulet, head of the Capulet household and father to Juliet Lady Capulet: Lady of the Capulet house, mother to Juliet Tybalt: Nephew to Lady Capulet and cousin to Juliet Juliet: Daughter of Lord and Lady Capulet, approaching marriageable age Nurse: High servant, confidant, and former wet nurse to Juliet Sampson: Servant of the Capulet household Gregory: Servant of the Capulet household Peter: Servant to Juliet’s nurse, of the Capulet household PEOPLE OF ITALY Mercutio: Friend of Romeo, and kinsman to the Prince Prince Escalus: Ruler of Verona Paris: A young nobleman, kinsman to the prince, who seeks Juliet’s hand in marriage Friar Laurence: Franciscan Friar, serving the community in which the Capulets and Montagues live and feud Friar John: A Franciscan Friar, and colleague of Friar Laurence Apothecary: An impoverished apothecary (pharmacist) residing in Mantua 3 MEET THE PLAYWRIGHT For all the fame and celebration that surround the name of William Shakespeare, much of his personal history remains mysterious There are just two primary sources for information on the Bard: his works, and various legal and church documents that have survived from Elizabethan times Naturally, there are many gaps in this body of infor- mation, which tells us little about Shakespeare the man William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, allegedly on April 23, 1564 Church records from Holy Trinity Church indicate that he was baptized there on April 26, 1564 Young William was born of John Shakespeare, a glover and leather merchant, and Mary Arden, a landed local heiress William, according to the church register, was the third of eight children in the Shakespeare household — three of whom died in child- hood John Shakespeare had a remarkable run of success as a merchant, alderman, and high bailiff of Stratford, during William’s early childhood His fortunes declined, however, in the late 1570s Portrait of William Shakespeare known as the There is great conjecture about Shakespeare’s childhood years, especially regarding Chandos Portrait after its previous owner, James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos.