Tennessee Shakespeare Company Performs Modern Pandemic Production of ROMEO & JULIET

Tennessee Shakespeare Company has re-scheduled its free, outdoor performance of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet at Wiseacre Brewery for Saturday, November 14 at 2:00 pm. Wiseacre Brewery is located at 2783 Broad Avenue in Memphis.

Part of TSC's fourth annual Free Shakespeare Shout-Out Series, the production is the country's first modern pandemic version of Romeo and Juliet. The Shout-Out Series is generously sponsored by Evans/Petree, P.C. and Campbell Clinic.

The originally-scheduled performance, which was part of the Series' October tour throughout Shelby County, was previously cancelled due to rain.

The November 14 performance is free and open to the public while limited, socially-distanced seating is available. No tickets or reservations are required. First come/first seated.

Directed by Stephanie Shine, this 90-minute production runs without intermission. It previously performed for hundreds of patrons outdoors at Shelby Farms Park, Beale Street Landing, Collierville Town Square, Overton Square, Germantown Library, Singleton Community Center in Bartlett, International Harvester's Managerial Park in Lakeland.

Seating at Wiseacre Brewery is reduced from its maximum capacity. Face coverings must be worn. Patrons must answer basic health screening questions and provide contact information prior to theatre entry. Patrons will be required to restrict gatherings to no more than six people, and social distancing will be observed to help ensure health safety.

Romeo and Juliet features a diverse cast of nine actors led by TSC veterans Blake Currie (Romeo) and Lauren Gunn (Juliet). The company also includes Michael Khanlarian (Capulet), Carmen-maria Mandley (Nurse/Prince), John Ross Graham (Tybalt), Tristin Hicks (Mercutio/Montague), Jasmine Robertson (Sampson/Friar Lawrence), Simmery Branch (Lady Capulet), and Ural Grant (Benvolio/Paris).

The production is set in modern-day Memphis with Shakespeare's characters facing the constant challenge of protecting their health, and that of others, during a plague pandemic. Actors will wear multiple forms of face coverings and have protective gear and hand sanitizer on stage as part of Shakespeare's own pandemic landscape which he refers to in his text. How can his star-cross'd lovers overcome familial hatred, discrimination, social distancing, face masks, and a record-setting mortality rate to find healing for their community?

"Setting Romeo and Juliet in our current pandemic adds a barrier to human relationships that we are all experiencing here now," says Shine. "The need to protect each other and ourselves has come to the forefront, both for the actors and the characters they play. Life as we know it is now on stage, making this telling of this particular 400-year-old play as immediate as it was when Shakespeare wrote it. Falling in love has never been more dangerous."

In addition to director Stephanie Shine, the production team includes Jeremy Fisher (scenic design), Jen Gillette (costume design), Tyler J. Vernon (fight choreographer), and Alison Letsos (stage manager).

For more information, please call the TSC Box Office at (901) 759-0604 Monday-Friday from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.

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