AnyStage Theater to Present All-Female ROMEO AND JULIET

AnyStage Theater presents a free outdoor production of Romeo & Juliet for the current zeitgeist. Featuring 21st century costumes and music, minimal scenery, and a cast of 7 women playing 12 male and female roles, the cast and crew aim to bring a fresh perspective to Shakespeare's classic romance.

In its first public performances in the 1600s, Romeo & Juliet featured all male casts, as women weren't allowed to be on stage. When this cast performs in May, they're looking forward to flipping that piece of history. Diane Samuelson, who plays Romeo, says that while all the performers have past Shakespeare experience, " one of my favorite aspects is the energy and enthusiasm from everyone in the cast getting to tackle roles we wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity to play."

This isn't the first time that co-directors Aria Velz and John-Nicholas Walsh have approached theater a little differently. Through AnyStage, they premiered an original play at The Capital Fringe Festival last year. Their production, Amelia Earhart In Space, was named one of the best comedies at the Fringe Audience Awards. Through unconventional humor, the show focused on the perspective of women, an idea the directors were eager to continue exploring with Romeo & Juliet. " One of the best parts of having an all-female cast," says Aria, "is talking about masculinity and femininity in the play. Having a room full of women talk about not only womanhood but our perspective of manhood makes for insightful and hilarious moments while staging, particularly in the scenes with only male characters."

In her role as Juliet, Kirsten Koch sees the chance to change how the characters are perceived. "I think in an all female cast, you're divorced from who you have known the characters to be," she says. "Juliet is often seen as sort of a half-person, defined by being in a pair with Romeo rather than as an actual character. This production really highlights that Juliet is much more complex than she gets credit for. We can see the strength of her character in her refusal to follow along quietly."

The project has already brought some insight to everyone involved. "I had no idea how well Romeo fit me and how much I wanted to play him until I was cast in this show," Diane notes. "This is the most fun I've ever had with a role." While the cast has been enjoying the process of getting in touch with their roles, Aria has a goal for the public as well. "We're hoping audiences really see how the masculinity and braggadocio that boys and men display can be ridiculous."

IF YOU GO:

Free All-Female Production Of
"ROMEO AND JULIET"
*May 6th at 2pm, May 7th at 2 & 6pm.
*Produced by AnyStage Theater
*Performed Outdoors
*Lake Anne Recreation Area- 11301 North Shore Drive, Reston VA

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