By Dominic Rapposelli
Business and Distribution Manager
On Friday, Nov. 17 and Saturday, Nov. 18, the Washington College Theatre Department held their final senior capstone production of the semester: a lesbian adaptation of William Shakespere’s Romeo and Juliet.
The production was directed by senior Skye Hass and held in Tawes Theater at the Daniel Z. Gibson Center for the Arts. The show aimed to portray a queer experience and express representation in a positive manner.
“It made me emotional actually. I was so touched by the queer love story and the talent of the actors,” junior Ziggy Angelos said.
Hass also boasted the show’s inclusion of both lesbians and sword fights, and believes that their production has lived up to the promise.
The cast of the show consisted of actors from three grade levels, each with varying experiences with acting including junior Farren Hauer, who played Romeo in the production alongside sophomore Ella Koslowski, who played Juliet.
The cast also included junior Evan Merk as Mercutio and the Prince, sophomore Jai Basu as Benvolio and Friar Lawrence, sophomore Faith Poulton as the Nurse, junior James Fordi as Lord Capulet, sophomore Zoe Brookbank as Tybalt, freshman Jasmine Schaeffer as Paris, Elm Student Life Editor junior Faith Jarrell, freshman Juliana Santiago Batista as Gregory and others, freshman Kaitlyn Mankevich as Abram and Balthasar, and junior Sam Steptoe as Sampson and others.
The creative team for the production included senior Leah Thivierge as stage manager, freshman Jessica Kelso as assistant stage manager and choreographer, guest artist and WC alumni Lanning Tyrrel ‘23 as the scenic designer, sophomore Isabel Bindewald as the sound designer, junior Parker Thornton as the lighting designer, guest artist and former international student Lucy Jolliff as the dramaturg, Elm Opinion Editor senior Sophie Foster as hair and makeup, sophomore Jenna Harper as the props supervisor, guest artist and part-time professor Sierra Young as the fight and intimacy choreographer, and juniors Kimi Adolfsen and Ryan Morrow as the co-costume designers.
Both cast and crew recalled rehearsals fondly, especially Hauer, who took part in several of the show’s sword fights.
“My favorite part was definitely the sword fighting because we had an outside trainer come in and she taught us how to do the stage choreography with the swords. Also just getting to do the really emotional scenes was fun because then you can actually express your character and even be a little silly,” Hauer said.
Hass’ production sold out both nights of their run, a testament to the campus-wide anticipation for the production.
“I’m ecstatic, like genuinely ecstatic. I thought we could possibly sell out the shows because of the sheer amount of excitement that people were saying to me. People on campus were like ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t wait to see your show, I’m gonna come see it,’” Hass said.
Overall, the show was a great experience for those involved, including Hauer, who was acting in their first production for the Department of Theatre and Dance.
“I’m so happy that I did it. It was really great and I might even do another production,” Hauer said.
The next senior capstone for the department will be a musical adaptation of “Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief,” a lighting SCE by Matt Brader in the spring, followed by Sam Devlin’s playwriting SCE “The Author of Memories.”
Photo courtesy of Paul Gillespie
Photo Caption: The entire cast of “Romeo and Juliet,” including director Skye Hass, poses for a picture.