The Public Theater's ROMEO Y JULIETA Starring Lupita Nyong'o, Juan Castano and More Announces Premiere Date

The Public Theater and WNYC Studios will debut the bilingual audio adaptation of Romeo y Julieta on Thursday, March 18. Featuring Lupita Nyong'o and Juan Castano as the star-crossed lovers, this world premiere production has been adapted by Saheem Ali and Ricardo Pérez González, based on the Spanish translation by Alfredo Michel Modenessi and directed by Saheem Ali.

Listen to the trailer below!

ROMEO Y JULIETA can be found wherever podcasts are available.

Audiences around the globe can also join an online opening night listening party, presented by The Greene Space at WNYC and WQXR, on Thursday, March 18 at 7:00 p.m. Lupita Nyong'o, Juan Castano and others will join WNYC's Rebeca Ibarra for an evening featuring an interactive Q & A and live music, presented in English and Spanish. Join before the listening party at 6:45 p.m. for a special cocktail demo and pre-show warm-up. Tune in free of charge at www.thegreenespace.org.

In addition, throughout the day on March 18, WQXR-WNYC's sister classical music station-will share works by Tchaikovsky, Rota, Prokofiev, and Berlioz that were inspired by the same timeless story on 105.9 FM in New York and online at www.wqxr.org.

This marks the second collaboration between The Public Theater and New York Public Radio on an audio theater production; the four-part radio play Free Shakespeare on the Radio: Richard II - also directed by Ali - launched on WNYC last summer to critical acclaim and is currently available as a podcast series.

Tony Plana (Chorus) joins the previously announced cast which includes Carlo Albán (Benvolio), Karina Arroyave (Apothecary), Erick Betancourt (Abram), Michael Braugher (Balthasar), Carlos Carrasco (Lord Montague), Juan Castano (Romeo), Ivonne Coll (Nurse), John J. Concado (Peter), Hiram Delgado (Tybalt), Guillermo Diaz (Gregory), Sarah Nina Hayon (Lady Montague), Kevin Herrera (Ensemble), Modesto Lacen (Prince Escalus/Capulet's Cousin), Florencia Lozano (Capulet), Irene Sofia Lucio (Mercutio), Keren Lugo (Sister Joan), Benjamin Luis McCracken (Paris's Page), Julio Monge (Friar Lawrence), Javier Muñoz (Paris), Lupita Nyong'o (Julieta), and David Zayas (Sampson).

Director Saheem Ali continues his audio exploration of William Shakespeare's canon with a new production of ROMEO Y JULIETA, collaborating with playwright Ricardo Pérez González on an adaptation of noted scholar Alfredo Michel Modenessi's Spanish translation. Actor Lupita Nyong'o plays Julieta, with Juan Castano as her Romeo, in this bilingual Spanish and English production that will bring one of history's most famed lovers to your homes and phones in a stunning new audio play.

ROMEO Y JULIETA features original music composed and performed by Michael Thurber, sound design by Bray Poor and Jessica Paz, and audio supervision by Bray Poor. Isaac Jones served as lead engineer; Beth Lake, Izumi Marie Rosas, and Chris Morocco were audio engineers; and Janelle Caso served as Production Stage Manager. WQXR's Elliott Forrest served as Creative Consultant to the project and WQXR's Max Fine served as Digital Producer. WNYC's Jami Floyd served as Consulting Producer.

The Public Theater strives to make its performances, digital content, and facilities accessible to all patrons and visitors. For additional information or if you have questions, need assistance, or an accommodation to access our digital content, please email accessibility@publictheater.org.