Tennessee Shakespeare Company Presents ROMEO AND JULIET in Free Shakespeare Shout-Out Series

Tennessee Shakespeare Company launches its fourth annual Free Shakespeare Shout-Out Series on October 11 outdoors at Shelby Farms Park with the country's first modern pandemic production of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, sponsored by Evans/Petree, P.C. and Campbell Clinic.

All performances are 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 and performs outdoors nine times throughout the Memphis area at eight event venues and non-traditional spaces through October 24.

The venues include Beale Street Landing, Collierville Town Square, Overton Square, Germantown Library, Singleton Community Center in Bartlett, International Harvester's Managerial Park in Lakeland, and Wiseacre Brewery on Broad Avenue.

Each host venue is partnering with TSC to ensure all Shelby County health criteria are being met. Seating in each venue 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 via ground markings and staff personnel 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).

Free Shout-Out Shakespeare Series Performance Schedule:

Sunday, October 11 at 4:00 pm: Shelby Farms Park event amphitheatre

Tuesday, October 13 at 7:00 pm: Beale Street Landing

Wednesday, October 14 at 7:00 pm: Collierville Town Square

Thursday, October 15 at 7:00 pm: Overton Square's Chimes Square Amphitheatre

Saturday, October 17 at 10:00 am: Germantown Library

Wednesday, October 21 at 7:00 pm: Singleton Community Center in Bartlett

Thursday, October 22 at 7:00 pm: Overton Square's Chimes Square Amphitheatre

Friday, October 23 at 7:00 pm: International Harvester's Managerial Park in Lakeland

October 24 at 2:00 pm: Wiseacre Brewery (Broad Avenue location)

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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