Two River Theater Concludes TWO RIVER RISING Online Benefit Reading Series 

Two River Theater concludes its online benefit reading series with Shakespeare's classic story of two young star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet. This modern verse translation by Hansol Jung will be live on Wed, Sept 30 with Act 1. Act 2, followed by a Q&A with the artists, will take place on Thurs, Oct 1 at 7PM EDT.

"To most theater lovers, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a dramatic palimpsest; resonant and complicated, it remains a core myth for many. Itself layered with borrowed stories and cultural appropriation, R&J beats with a universal heart of love and hate. The play still has much to teach us and I love the echoes and layers that Hansol has added to it," says Two River's Artistic Director John Dias.

Last year Two River Theater announced a partnership with Off-Broadway's NAATCO (National Asian American Theatre Company) and their Artistic Director Mia Katigbak (Two River's I Remember Mama).Two River is also working on an ambitious project to produce a festival built around Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. As part of that project, we plan to produce, in partnership with NAATCO, this modern verse translation of the Shakespeare classic by South Korean playwright, Hansol Jung (Wild Goose Dreams, Cardboard Piano). The translation was originally commissioned by Oregon Shakespeare Festival as part of "Play on! 36 playwrights translate Shakespeare."

The reading will feature: Tina Chilip (Much Ado About Nothing, Marvel's Jessica Jones), Joel de la Fuente(Comedy of Errors, The Man in the High Castle), Stephanie Hsu (Be More Chill, SpongeBob SquarePants),David Huynh (Mysterious Skin, Henry VI), Vanessa Kai (Henry VI, The Pain of my Belligerence), Mia Katigbak (The Headlands, The Trial of the Catonsville Nine) Andrew Pang (Thoroughly Modern Millie), Jon Norman Schneider (Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them, Awake and Sing!), Mitchell Winter (Alcatraz, Chaos) and Jeena Yi (Judgement Day, Network).

All proceeds from this reading and the entire series will support Two River Theater. In addition, proceeds will be matched by a generous donor to benefit five organizations with a pressing need due to the impact of systemic racism and COVID-19. The beneficiary partner for this reading is to be announced.

Online benefit event tickets are $25 and include access to Acts 1 and 2 of the reading and a live post-reading Q&A with the artists, hosted on Zoom. Sponsorships start at $1,000, and include additional benefits such as an invitation to a private virtual event with reading artists.

Two River Theater will also stream the reading on YouTube from Thursday, October 1 at 7PM EDT through Sunday, October 4 at 7PM EDT. Streaming is free and donations of any amount from viewers will be greatly appreciated.

For more information on the Romeo and Juliet reading visit: https://tworivertheater.org/whats-on/romeo-and-juliet-reading-series/. For more information on the Two River Rising series visit: tworivertheater.org/tworiverrising.

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