BRATTLEBORO — New England Youth Theatre presents Shakespeare's most enduring love tragedy, Romeo & Juliet, directed by Peter Gould, Oct. 12 to 21.
This production will be powerful, emotional, physical, and faithful to the text, as the actors and audience grapple with issues that still tear at our hearts: youthful love and passion, communication between teens and parents, violence, revenge, and suicide; and how suddenly – brutally – fate can barge in and ruin all our best-laid plans.
Romeo & Juliet is the story of two wealthy households – the Montagues and the Capulets – who are at war with each other. Friar Lawrence tries to bring peace to the city by secretly marrying Romeo, a Montague, to Juliet, a Capulet.
However, this plan for peace hinges on two very young teens on a roller coaster of hormones. When, hours after the marriage, Romeo kills Juliet's cousin, the lovers' impetuous adolescent emotions threaten any plans for peace.
What will be needed to bury the strife in the streets of Verona?
In playing a time-honored story where two young, star-crossed lovers take their lives, our actors are digging deep to understand suicide. According to the VT Department of Health, suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people in Vermont who are between the ages of 10 and 24.
On Friday, Oct. 19, after their performance, NEYT students will lead a talk with the audience about the play, youth suicide, and conflict transformation. The cast will be joined by Gould and Ron Boslun, the suicide prevention representative from The Compass School.
Gould is known statewide for his Get Thee to the Funnery programs. This past summer they received a $10,000 grant from the Vermont Community Foundation to bring this program to students living into low-income housing developments across central and northern Vermont. Gov. Peter Shumlin issued a proclamation commending the community outreach work that Get Thee to the Funnery is accomplishing in those communities.
A contingent of Gould's students from Barre put on a truncated version of Romeo & Juliet this summer. Gould has arranged for this summer's Get Thee to the Funnery staff to accompany those students on the train from Montpelier to Brattleboro to see the show on Saturday, Oct. 13.
“It'll be great for them to see this story that they're all really familiar with, done on the big stage, with lights, costumes, the works,” said Gould.
Romeo & Juliet will be performed on Oct. 12 to 21 at 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
Tickets for these performances are $9 for students, $11 for seniors, and $13 for adults. Tickets may be purchased in advance at www.neyt.org, at the NEYT Box Office in person, or by phone at 802-246-6398, from noon to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays.