To go or not to go,
that is
the question
By Douglas Sulenta
The Collegian
A hot evening turned into an
enchanting night as a group of local actors gave a rousing performance
of “Romeo and Juliet” before a crowd of several hundred onlookers
at the Woodward Park Shakespeare Festival.
With temperatures topping 100 degrees during the day, the performers and
audience welcomed the subtle breeze through the amphitheater by nightfall.
The audience sat in appreciative silence through the performance that
featured actors ranging from high school students to senior citizens.
At the end the audience gave the performers a spirited round of applause
lasting no less than five minutes as the actors were introduced to the
crowd.
The show, which opened Aug. 25 and runs through Sept. 17 with shows every
Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m., comes on the heels of the cast’s
previous four-week engagement of “Much Ado About Nothing.”
With an elaborate stage set up featuring the classic “Romeo and
Juliet” balcony, the show went off without a hitch. Brilliant sword
fights coupled with emotional death scenes had the crowd on the edge of
their seats, and it’s safe to say, none left disappointed.
S. Eric Day, the director of the production, said the cast put in over
six weeks of preparation for the show.
Kimberly Guevara who played Juliet is only a senior in high school. She
said that she has been doing theatre since sixth grade and that she was
able to fit the play into her schedule. “Monday was my first day
of school, and it’s my senior year. I only have two classes and
everything else is electives, and we’re not even dancing yet.”
Clovis local Adam Meredeth played Romeo. He received his Bachelor of Fine
Arts from the Chicago College of the Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.
His list of accomplishments on stage include performances with the Chicago
Shakespeare Theatre, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival and the Goodman
Theatre of Chicago.
Maybe even more impressive than the play itself is the price of admission.
Parking at Woodward Park is $3 and the performance is free.
So for all you broke college students looking for something to do for
an evening, this may be the thing for you. And as “Romeo”
says, “you could go on a date and come off as being all cultured.”
Members of this cast will also be directing staged readings at Woodward
Library and Clovis Library throughout coming months. Among those staged
readings will be “Two Gentlemen of Verona” and “The
Taming of The Shrew.” Additional information on these events can
be found at www.woodwardshakespeare.org.
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