Saint Viator High School Presents: The Ninety-‐Nine Minute Romeo and Juliet Oct. 17, 2014 “Oh, Romeo, Romeo. Wherefore art thou, Romeo?” Those classic lines come to life this weekend when Saint Viator High School mounts a 99-minute version of one Shakespeare’s most famous works, Romeo and Juliet. “It’s a classic,” said Director Kate Costello. “It gives students a chance to be exposed to the greatest dramatist in the English language.” The show opens at 7:30 p.m. Students are taking a different approach to Shakespeare in The Ninety-Nine Minute Romeo Thursday, Oct. 23, and continues and Juliet. Pictured from left to right: with performances at 7:30 p.m. Sophomore Zac Jones as Romeo, senior Nick Friday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. Crothers as Father Laurence and senior Maria 25, as well as a matinee Werba as Juliet. performance at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26. Tickets are $5 and will be available at the door. Since Romeo and Juliet was written more than 400 years ago, it now is in the public domain, and can be adapted for modern audiences without fear of copyright infringement. Knowing that, Costello shortened the drama and placed it in 1920’s Chicago, a time and place famous for violence. Think Al Capone and his Italian mob versus Dean O’Banion and his Irish gang, during their bootlegging wars. “I’ve shortened the long monologues,” Costello said, “yet the end result keeps all of the plot and characters from Shakespeare’s original work.” Costello and her production staff made one other key addition to the work: they’ve added a dance scene during the Capulet ball that includes the entire ensemble. “It’s fun,” said sophomore, Jenna Breslin who plays Mrs. Montague. “I even get to have an Irish accent.” In all, nearly 75 students are involved with the production, including two casts and a tech crew. All of them were familiar with Romeo and Juliet, having read it in their freshman English literature classes. Yet they quickly found out that reading it and performing it were two different experiences. “Knowing about iambic pentameter helps,” said senior John McManus, who plays Romeo along with sophomore Zac Jones. “It gives the lines a sort of rhythm. “But still, it’s a lot of lines,” he added. “But once you have them down, you realize how deep and clever they are.” Senior Maria Werba plays the role of Juliet as does sophomore Olivia Dominguez. “I love the way it’s written,” Werba said. “I don’t think people today fully appreciate the Shakespeare’s writing style, but it’s like music or poetry.” Dominguez agreed, adding that she is enjoying playing a character with such depth and passion. “Once you put yourself into the character and understand her, you can take (the characterization) to a whole new level,” she said. Sophomore Caroline Sevilla plays Lady Capulet, with junior Megan Daugherty. “We’re thrilled that as sophomores we’re getting to play such major parts,” Sevilla said. “And it’s fun to play such emotional characters.”