PLAY GUIDE
Production support provided by:
ABOUT THE
ROMEO AND JULIET
PLAY GUIDE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
4
Bite-Sized Shakespeare: A Top 10 List
This play guide is a standards-based resource
designed to enhance your theatre experience.
Its goal is twofold: to nurture the teaching
and learning of theatre arts and to encourage
essential questions that lead to enduring
understandings of the play’s meaning and
relevance. Inside you will find history/
contextual information and vocabulary
that lay the groundwork of the story and
build anticipation for the performance.
Oral discussion and writing prompts
encourage your students to reflect upon
their impressions and to analyze and relate
key ideas to their personal experiences and
the world around them. These can easily be
adapted to fit most writing objectives. The
Bridgework connects theatre elements with
ideas for drama activities in the classroom as
well as integrated curriculum. We encourage
you to adapt and extend the material in any
way to best fit the needs of your community
of learners. Please feel free to make copies
of this guide, or you may download it from
our website: ActorsTheatre.org. We hope
this material, combined with our pre-show
workshops, will give you the tools to make
your time at Actors Theatre a valuable
learning experience.
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An Interview with Philip Allgeier, Media Romeo and Juliet student matinees
and play guides address specific
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES:
• Students will identify or describe the
use of elements of drama in dramatic
works.
• Students will analyze how time,
place and ideas are reflected in
drama/theatre
3
Romeo and Juliet Synopsis, Characters and Setting
Technologist
6-7
True Love Never Dies: or, Why We’re Still Watching
8
Teens and Technology in Romeo and Juliet
9
Humor and Horror, Comedy and Tragedy: the Mirror Structure of Romeo and Juliet
10
“Shaping the Larger Picture:” An Interview with Romeo and Juliet director Tony Speciale
11
Grasping How He “Words His Words”
12
Communication Portfolio, Discussion Questions
13Bridgework
14
Other Reading and Works Cited
15
Glossary of Terms
Actors Theatre Education
Steven Rahe, Director of Education
Jacob Stoebel, Associate Director of Education
Jane B. Jones, Education Associate
Liz Fentress, Resident Teaching Artist
Keith McGill, Resident Teaching Artist
Gabriel Garcia, Education Intern/Teaching Artist
LeShawn Holcomb, Education Intern/Teaching Artist
Lori Pitts, Education Intern/Teaching Artist
Christina Shackelford, Education Intern/Teaching Artist
Play Guide by Dominic Finocchiaro, Whitney MillerBrengle, Hannah Rae Montgomery, Lacy Mudd, Christine
Noah, Steven Rahe, and Jacob Stoebel
Graphic Design by Mary Kate Zihar
• Students will explain how
drama/theatre fufills a variety of
purposes
If you have any questions or suggestions
regarding our play guides, please contact
Steven Rahe, Director of Education, at
502-584-1265 ext. 3045.
2
The Kentucky Arts Council, the
state arts agency, supports
Actors Theatre of Louisville with
state tax dolars and federal
funding from the National
Endowment for the Arts.
SYNOPSIS
Two warring families live
CAST OF
CHARACTERS
in the same town. So what
happens? A fight breaks out
between the tempestuous
youths of both households.
Prince Escalus comes to
keep the peace and warns
that no more bloodshed
better occur in his streets—
or else. Romeo, the sensitive
son of the Montague house,
shows up and tells his
best friend Benvolio that
he’s in love with Rosaline.
Romeo and Juliet
Meanwhile, Paris asks Lord
Capulet for his daughter Juliet’s hand in marriage, but Capulet
shrugs him off and invites him to a masquerade. Romeo and
his crew find out that Romeo’s girl will be at the party, so they
decide to crash it. When Romeo, Benvolio and Mercutio arrive,
Romeo and Juliet set eyes on one another—and fall madly
in love (Rosaline who?). Capulet’s nephew Tybalt gets pretty
miffed that Romeo’s crossing the line. Later, Romeo sneaks
over to Juliet’s house, and they profess their ooey gooey love for
one another. They decide to secretly get hitched the next day by
Friar Laurence.
The Capulets
After they’re married, Tybalt starts stirring up trouble in
the streets, challenging Romeo to a fight. Romeo tries to
put him at ease, but his friend Mercutio and Juliet’s cousin
Tybalt end up going at it. When Romeo comes between
them, Tybalt kills Mercutio. A vengeful Romeo kills Tybalt
before fleeing the scene. Escalus arrives and banishes the
newlywed Romeo. Romeo goes and spends the night with
Juliet before he has to skip town. Soon after, Lady Capulet
tells Juliet that she has to marry Paris in a few days, and
Juliet refuses. Will the two lovers be reunited? Will their
families ever stop fighting? See the show to find out!
the bawdy servant of the Capulet
household, raised Juliet from
birth and is seen as her most loyal
confidante.
- Christine Noah
SETTING
Traditionally, the story is set in Verona, Italy, but this production
will take place in modern American suburbia. It’s summertime:
school’s out, the swing set’s ready for swinging, the treehouse
is ready for imagination and the basketball court is ready for
a pick-up game. Cellphones, video games and video cameras
abound. With no homework, no responsibilities, and plenty of
room in the pool, time may just stretch out forever. But when
reality sets in, the sprinklers turn off and the Xboxes get left
behind, the mirage of carefree youth dissolves into a world of
uncertainty.
Juliet
is a beautiful, young woman from
the Capulet family who faces
domineering parents and the stress
brought on by the rivalry between
her family and the Montagues. She
instantly falls in love with Romeo.
Capulet
is Juliet’s father and head of the
Capulet family. He refuses to end
the feud with the Montagues.
Lady Capulet
Benvolio
is Romeo’s cousin and close friend
who attempts to be the peacemaker
when things go awry between the rival
families.
Abram
is a Montague servant who fights the
Capulet servants at the beginning of
the play.
Balthasar
is Romeo’s loyal servant.
Additional Characters
is Juliet’s mother. She has little
connection with her daughter and
pushes her to marry the wealthy
Paris.
Friar Laurence
Tybalt
Mercutio
is a hotheaded Capulet youth and
cousin to Juliet.
Nurse
Sampson and Gregory
are Capulet servants who fight a
Montague servant at the beginning
of the play.
Peter
is a Capulet servant who attends to
the Nurse.
The Montagues
is Romeo’s mentor who longs to see the
end of the feud between the Montagues
and the Capulets.
is Romeo’s witty, temperamental,
mischief-making best friend.
Paris
is a wealthy young nobleman seeking
Juliet’s hand in marriage.
Escalus
is Verona’s head law enforcer and
defender of the peace.
The Apothecary
of Mantua
reluctantly sells poison to Romeo
though the law prohibits it.
Rosaline
is the object of Romeo’s short-lived
affection at the beginning of the play.
Romeo
Pages, Servants, maskers,
is a Montague teen who would
rather spend his time daydreaming Attendants, Citizens, and
about girls than fighting with the
Guards also inhabit the play.
rival Capulet family. He falls in love
with Juliet the instant he lays eyes
on her.
Lady Montague
is Romeo’s emotional and sensitive
mother. She is a single mom in our
production.
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BITE-SIZE SHAKESPEARE: A TOP-10 LIST
OF SHAKESPEARE’S MOST TASTY MORSELS
Wondering why William Shakespeare remains the
world’s most widely read, studied and produced
playwright? Chow down on this bite-size smorgasbord of delicious knowledge nuggets. Your friends
will no doubt be impressed, your parents delighted
and your
teachers stunned!
10) His plays are timeless. While other play-
wrights’
moments in the spotlight have come and gone, Shakespeare
wrote plays that are still relevant today more than 400 years
later. For example, Romeo and Juliet is about young love and
rivalry, subjects that everyone deals with at some point in life.
9) He’s got rhythm. Shakespeare’s plays have a
natural rhythm to them. Look at the balcony scene of Romeo
and Juliet, for example. If you read it out loud you will notice
a rhythm with an accent on every second syllable. (But, SOFT!
what LIGHT through YONder WINdow BREAKS?) Even
though his verse might feel forced at first glance, it turns out
that iambic pentameter approximates the rhythms that we speak
in everyday life. Just eavesdrop on a conversation at your school
and you might be surprised.
8) His history is shrouded in mystery.
Though we know quite a bit about our friend Willy, there is still
so much
we don’t know. Some believe that he did not even write most of
the plays credited to him! It is also widely believed that he died
on his
birthday at the age of 52. Another popular rumor is that
some of his romantic sonnets were written about The Earl of
Southampton. We may never know the truth, but it is fun to
ponder!
5) He was a jack of all trades in the theatre! Though Shakespeare is most recognized in the theatre
world for his plays, he was also an actor! He even acted in his
own plays; not many playwrights today can say that. He also
had a hand in managing the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, his acting company in London that later became the King’s Men.
4) Men played the roles of women!
In
Shakespeare’s time, Juliet would have been played by a young
man. Usually the women’s roles would go to young boys who
had not started to grow facial hair and still hadn’t yet acquired
deeper voices.
3) He’ll make you laugh and cry!
Shakespeare was a master of comedy as well as tragedy. Most
have heard of the
tragedies Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, but if you have never
read Twelfth Night or The Taming of the Shrew, you are missing
out on some serious comedy!
2) He was a trendsetter.
Even though
Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet way before any of us were
around, we still love to retell and reimagine his works. There are
countless modern spins on this classic tragedy everywhere, such
as the musical West Side Story, Disney’s High School Musical, or
the more recent, computer-animated film Gnomeo and Juliet.
1) We speak Shakespeare every day!
There
are more than 2,000 words used in the English language today
that were first recorded in Shakespeare’s works, as well as commonly used phrases such as “foul play”, “in a pickle”, and “flesh
and blood”.
- Lacy Mudd
7) His characters are human! Though some of
Shakespeare’s characters seem larger than life, such as fairies and
kings, their hopes and struggles are recognizable. Romeo and
Juliet are the protagonists of the play, but they each have what
we call a hamartia, also known as a tragic flaw. After all, nobody
is perfect! In fact, one could argue that every human emotion
and experience is reflected in his plays.
6) He was a rebel. While his plays are still resonant
today, Shakespeare made political statements that spoke to the
moment. He based certain characters on noblemen, and even
kings and queens of the time, and risked getting into some serious trouble—but the crowd absolutely loved it. Good thing
Queen Elizabeth I was a supporter of the arts!
William Shakespeare
4
AN INTERVIEW WITH PHILIP ALLGEIER
MEDIA TECHNOLOGIST
Philip Allgeier
Media Technologist Philip Allgeier, now entering his fifth
season with Actors Theatre, is the head of all things video
and projection: he designs for shows, makes production and
marketing videos and helps with other technology needs
around the theatre. Education Intern Christine Noah sat
down with him to discuss his career, media’s role in theatre
and plans for our production of Romeo and Juliet.
How would you define your job description?
The interesting thing about my job is that it
serves the entire organization; I take care of all of the mediarelated tasks that the organization needs to complete. In a lot of
places you would have to hire a video engineer, video technician,
shooter,
editor, programmer, designer. And I do all of those things. My
primary responsibility is to take care of anything that happens
onstage, so that includes any time video is used in projection,
anytime there’s a television with a video signal on it. We’ve had
computers and iPads that have had videos playing on them.
And then the second side would be anything marketing-related.
That’s shooting promo videos, , the monitors that you see in the
lobby, stuff for the web, stuff that goes to news stations. You’d be
surprised how often video gets used. How did you get into this
field? Why media/technology? Why theatre?
In high school I started doing lighting and set design, and then
became an actor, so I’ve been immersed in theatre since I was
a teenager. And video was just another one of the classes that I
took that really interested me. Then I went to Western Kentucky
University, and majored in mass communications with a minor
in theatre. My job at Actors sort of combines the two things that
I’ve spent my life learning and doing. So this job allowed me to
not have to choose.
What kind of role do you see media and technology
playing in the theatre in the future?
It’s not going away. I once read an article titled “Whether You
Like It or Not, Video Is Here to Stay in the Theatre.” There are a
lot of purists who don’t want to have that element infecting the
live performance, but I think that it really does enhance what’s
going on onstage. I think it’s just one more thing in the toolbox
to create a show that’s interesting and fun to watch. It’s great to
have directors and designers come in and dream big and think of
a really grand idea using video, and to be able to accomplish that.
One really good example would be The Hour of Feeling, which
was a show we did for the Humana Festival last year. A significant
percentage of the dialogue for that show was in Arabic, so we
projected translations of what the actors were saying on the back
wall of the set. That allowed the author to have this language
onstage that people aren’t accustomed to hearing, and it added
another level to the play because language was such an important
theme in it.
Do you have a favorite show that you’ve worked on?
Oh, wow. I think The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, because
video was such a big part of that show. It was about professional
wrestling, and the tackiness and the spectacle that comes along
with it. And so we got to make the most ridiculous videos that
we could. And it was fun. The product was really good, and
you left having noticed the video and its enhancement of the
performance.
So how does the process go when you’re working on a show?
Where do you start, what are the steps?
We start with a set design. The set designer will collaborate with
the director and then they work with the technical director and
figure out what we can do, what we can’t do, what’s right for
the space, what are the best choices for sightlines. And then for
video, they’ll say, “Here’s our set. We want to project onto this
scenic element or that scenic element,” and I have to go in and
figure out what projectors I need, what lenses, what software,
where we can get power for all these devices without blowing
everything up. Then I start on content and I work with the
director. I’ll throw some ideas out there, start building sequences.
Sometimes it’s found footage, compiled. And then I’ll start
loading in and we’ll focus everything. After all the gear’s tested,
we’re ready for technical rehearsals (where all of the technical
elements come together over the course of a very long weekend),
and that’s a crazy thrill ride for many days in a row. And then we
open and we get to breathe again.
So do you know what exactly will be the role of
technology in Romeo and Juliet?
I know that video will be an element. Obviously Shakespeare
didn’t have video in mind when he was writing the play, so
we’re going to have the director’s treatment of the script determine how the video gets used. Tony Speciale’s idea is to make
Romeo kind of a budding filmmaker, and so he’ll have a camera
and you’ll see live footage that he shoots. We’re incorporating
those elements to flesh out the character in a modern way.
- Christine Noah
5
TRUE LOVE NEVER DIES:
OR, WHY WE’RE STILL
WATCHING ROMEO AND
JULIET
Have you ever experienced the thrilling obsession
of first love, felt that your world revolved around
one special person like the Earth around the sun?
Have you ever loved someone you weren’t supposed
to, adding to the thrill of infatuation the thrill of
the forbidden? Have you ever had to stand up for
who you love—or who you are—against bullying
pressure from peers or the recycled resentments
of an older generation? If you answered yes to
any of these questions, then you can relate to
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Really, if you
answered yes to any of these questions, at some
point in your life you’ve been Romeo and Juliet.
These star-crossed lovers, like the stars themselves, have endured
in our collective consciousness for centuries. When he wrote
Romeo and Juliet in the 1590s, Shakespeare himself pulled from
earlier incarnations of the same classic plot, tapping into a grand
tradition of romantic tales that end in tragedy. For example,
Roman poet Ovid’s account of Pyramus and Thisbe in his
Metamorphoses closely parallels Shakespeare’s plot: two young
Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet
people fall in love despite families who despise one another, and
Pyramus is eventually fooled into thinking his beloved Thisbe
is dead. (If you’re familiar with A Midsummer Night’s Dream,
believed to have been written around the same time, you might
recognize Pyramus and Thisbe from the play-within-a-play that
Bottom and his clownish troupe of actors rehearse in the woods.)
Closer to home, in 1562 a poem entitled The Tragical History of
Romeus and Juliet hit the English presses, followed in 1567 by a
story called “The goodly History of the true and constant love of
Rhomeo and Julietta.” Both of these texts were already popular
when Shakespeare put pen to paper to usher the story onstage.
So what distinguishes Shakespeare’s version from the others,
enabling it to remain so famous while its counterparts have
faded into relative obscurity? For one, Shakespeare manages
to masterfully blend elements of comedy into the inevitable
tragedy. The first half of his Romeo and Juliet brims with
boys-will-be-boys hijinks, with Mercutio as the wise-cracking
ringleader. There are self-effacing yet impassioned declarations
of ever-lasting love, light and joyous with the perceived promise
of forever, and the romance culminates in the lovers’ marriage,
as did all traditional comedies in Shakespeare’s day. Oh, and
don’t forget the endless string of sexual innuendoes embedded
in the Montague boys’—and the Nurse’s—dialogue. Such comic
touches create snapshots of youth that we can easily relate to
today: many of us were probably pulling pranks with our friends
and sneaking around behind our parents’ backs, falling headover-heels at first sight, and pushing the boundaries of adolescent
humor. The startling violence of Mercutio and Tybalt’s deaths in
the middle of the play, however, sets the action on an inexorable
course toward tragedy.
6
Indeed, it’s the heavy hand of fate shadowing Shakespeare’s
characters that also makes his rendition of Romeo and Juliet so
resonant. As the body count mounts, we’re forced to wonder
whether it’s just an unfortunate result of ordinary human hatred
and miscommunication—or whether the lovers were doomed
from the second they laid eyes on one another, already caught
in the web of a feud that they were powerless to untangle.
Some of these questions that Romeo and Juliet face loom large
in our own daily lives as well. Can we ever truly transcend
the biases that we inherit from our parents? Can we choose
not to participate in a culture of violence? How much control
do we have over who we fall for and want to spend our lives
with? What is the cost of trying to deceive the people we love?
Grappling with these questions is part of the difficult process.
- Hannah Rae Montgomery
Baz Luhrmam’s Romeo + Juliet
West Side Story
7
TEENS AND TECHNOLOGY IN ROMEO AND JULIET
This contemporary production of Romeo and Juliet
will highlight both the growing role of technology
and media as well as the influence of violence and
bullying on the lives of young people. More and
more, technology and violence seem to go hand in
hand. An estimated 93% of children ages 8 to 18
have computers at home, while about one in 17
young people have reported being harassed online.
So what is the connection between these two
powerful forces, and what does it mean for students?
Cyberbullying
The most common use of technology for violence is cyberbullying,
which entails any kind of harassment or threats sent on a
technological platform (email, Facebook, Twitter, texting). It
may not sound much different from traditional bullying, but, as
Thomas Aberli, principal of Atherton High School, notes, “Instead
of having an audience of whoever’s standing around you, they have
an audience of whoever they want to add into the conversation.
So they can increase the level of victimization because it spreads
much more virally than it would in a face-to-face conflict.” Because
technology allows for anonymity, it’s much more difficult to
pinpoint perpetrators.
Why is it such a big problem?
As Heidi Glascock, a counselor at Western High School, points
out, cyberbullying didn’t really reach the vernacular until kids
started taking their own lives. The problem lies in the medium:
cyberbullying occurs on platforms that allow for an immediacy
that parents and school administrators may underestimate. Kids
are often too embarrassed or afraid to report cyber-attacks and
threats. Unlike a face-to-face conflict, where one student may
exceed another in size or strength, cyberbullying gives everyone
the power to do harm, allowing roles to shift and victims to
become perpetrators. It may not be any more prevalent than
traditional bullying, according to Aberli, but its impact is much
greater: victims of cyberbullying are nearly twice as likely to
commit suicide as those who are not targeted.
Looking for Solutions
So what can students, parents, and schools do to combat this
misuse of technology? Aberli says the answer is education. “The
people in our society who care about doing something positive
need to continually work towards giving kids avenues for making
good choices and give them proper models to deal with tough
situations.” At Atherton, students can be a part of what’s called
the Green Dot Program, a social violence awareness program.
“Imagine a red dot being an act of violence that’s posted on a
map, and green dots being acts opposing that violence,” Aberli
8
explains. “You can choose to either be a bystander to violence or
an upstander. The purpose of the Green Dot Program is to help
young people understand what they can do instead of just what
they can’t do when they see acts of social violence.”
Until education becomes more widespread, however, Glascock
has some simple advice for students to avoid cyberviolence:
Don’t get too caught up in what happens online. If a post or a
text makes you feel uncomfortable, report it to an adult. Most
of all, when you really need to communicate your feelings about
something, do it in person—chances are, you’ll choose your
words more carefully.
Discussion questions:
1) What are the differences between communicating online
and communicating in person? Which do you prefer?
2) Do you have any experience with cyberbullying?
3) How prevalent would you say it is among your peers?
4)How do you find cyberbullying to be different from a faceto-face conflict?
5) Is the pen, or keyboard, really mightier than the sword?
6) How might today’s relationship between technology and
violence be reflected in a modern telling of Romeo and
Juliet?
- Christine Noah
HUMOR AND HORROR, COMEDY AND TRAGEDY:
THE MIRROR STRUCTURE OF ROMEO AND JULIET
SPOILER ALERT: If you don’t know how Romeo
and Juliet ends, skip this article until after reading the
play or seeing Actors Theatre’s forthcoming production.
Romeo and Juliet remains one of William Shakespeare’s most
well-loved plays, and even those unfamiliar with the Bard’s
work are likely to recognize its narrative of star-crossed love.
Much of this familiarity comes from Hollywood’s willingness
to adapt and reinterpret Shakespeare’s text, from West Side Story
to Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet. However, perhaps what is
most compelling in the work is that which is most constant—
the instantly recognizable story of young love fighting against
insurmountable odds. By utilizing a clever mirror narrative
structure, Shakespeare allows that fight to achieve its full
dramatic force, weaving a tale of equal parts love and death,
comedy and tragedy.
Romeo and Juliet, at first blush, appears more in structural step
with Shakespeare’s comedies than it does his tragedies. One need
only look at the play’s first scene, with its bawdy serving men
bantering about “maidenheads,” to get the sense that this is not
Hamlet’s Elsinore. Although comedic elements are typical in
Shakespearean tragedy, usually such elements occur sparingly—
think of the Gravediggers in Hamlet, or the Porter’s speech in
Macbeth. In Romeo and Juliet, however, such humor is rampant
throughout the first half. Even the burgeoning love story,
culminating in marriage, feels typical of Shakespearean comedies
such as As You Like It and Twelfth Night. In this context, the
ongoing threats of violence and the constant attempts to
separate the young lovers feel less like the mortally serious plots
of Shakespeare’s greatest villains, and more like the harmless
schemes of the ineffectual scoundrels that populate his comedies.
Romeo and Juliet reveals itself as more
than simply a familiar love story; it is also
a finely crafted narrative whose very structure undermines our expectations.
reflected in the form of the unfortunate friars of Act Five, Scene
Two, whose inability to deliver a message dooms the lovers. A
similar structure is seen in Acts Two and Four; while the former
charts the rising love story of the couple, the latter paints the
portrait of their downfall. In these ways, the final two acts of
Shakespeare’s masterpiece can be seen as the tragic counterpart,
the deadly reflection of the humorous love story that dominates
its first two acts.
In such ways, Romeo and Juliet reveals itself as more than simply
a familiar love story; it is also a finely crafted narrative whose
very structure undermines our expectations. By allowing the
audience to experience Romeo and Juliet’s early courtship as
comedy, Shakespeare makes the inevitable destruction of their
love story—and their lives—all the more jarring and all the more
tragic. By creating such a mirror structure, such a transition from
comedy to tragedy, Shakespeare heightens the narrative tension
and surprises his audience, leaving us, much like his young
lovers—woefully unprepared for the traumatic actions that will
occur at the play’s conclusion.
- Dominic Finocchiaro
All of this changes, however, at the play’s midpoint and the
fulcrum of its action: the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt and
the resulting banishment of Romeo. At this point, the stakes
are raised, and the action of the plot picks up speed, leaving its
comedic elements behind. Romeo and Juliet’s hopeful naiveté is
replaced with a realization of the mortal consequences of their
love, and their dream of a happy union fractures as the story
rushes towards its now inevitable, bloody climax. The first half ’s
humor-underscored foreboding is transformed into fatal action,
the young lovers’ marriage plot realized in their shared demise.
Shakespeare achieves this narrative trajectory, this subtle shift
from humor to horror, by employing an expertly crafted mirror
construction, so that the first act’s lighter scenes are paralleled
with their darker, inverse counterparts in the final act. The
confrontation between the warring families in the play’s first
scene is mirrored in their reconciliation through shared sorrow at
its conclusion; the hapless messenger of Act One, Scene Two is
9
“SHAPING THE LARGER PICTURE:”
AN INTERVIEW WITH ROMEO AND JULIET DIRECTOR TONY SPECIALE
This fall will be a
homecoming of sorts
for Tony Speciale, as the
former Actors Theatre
Acting Apprentice returns
to Louisville, this time as
the director of Romeo and
Juliet. Since leaving Actors
Theatre’s Apprentice Company, Speciale has gone on to lead a
successful directing career and serve as the Associate Artistic
Director at Classic Stage Company in New York City. Speciale
took time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions
and offer his advice to aspiring directors.
Actors: What led you to become a director?
Tony Speciale: I first started out as an actor. Well, I guess I
should say that before that, I played piano and thought I wanted
to be a classical pianist when I grew up. I went to high school at
Manual and the Youth Performing Arts School (YPAS) for piano
performance. While I was in my freshman year, I was introduced
to theatre through an afterschool acting class. I was always a
very shy kid and could barely walk and say my name at the same
time, but quickly I grew to love the class and the people in it.
Then, Billy Bradford—who is now retired—gave me my first
acting role at YPAS as a chorus member/understudy in Babes in
Arms. I became hooked and the rest is history. I owe the theatre
for bringing me out of my shell and for giving me confidence
and access to a larger creative community. I ultimately decided to
attend The Boston Conservatory with a focus in musical theatre.
While in my senior year, I took an elective in directing (really as
a bet with my best friend), and discovered my deep passion and
love for directing. After college, I continued acting for several
years, occasionally directing a friend’s solo show or new play
until I built up enough credentials to apply to graduate school.
In 2008, I received my M.F.A. in directing from Columbia
University.
Looking back, it makes a lot of sense that I transitioned into
directing, because I was never really interested in being in the
spotlight myself. I’m much better on the outside, guiding people
and shaping the larger picture. But like a lot of people, my
introduction to theater was through acting, and I’m grateful for
the inside view it gave me of the craft.
How did your time at Actors Theatre influence your career?
The wonderful thing about being an Apprentice at Actors
Theatre was that I got a chance to learn about every aspect of
the theatre. It gave me a unique perspective into the sometimes
complicated and various components that make theatre possible
on a daily basis. Being an Apprentice gave me a wide education
in a lot of different areas: marketing, management, casting,
education and outreach, stage management, lighting, carpentry,
backstage life, wardrobe and running crew. I ran lines with
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actors, assisted a puppet master in the construction of his design,
created a solo show of my own and attended countless classes
with master guest artists. Most importantly, I got a taste of how
difficult it was to work in the theatre and how devoted one
must be in order to be successful in this competitive business.
I also met several mentors, friends and colleagues with whom I
continue to collaborate to this very day.
What are some of the rewards and challenges that come with
your line of work?
For me, one of the biggest challenges is also one of the biggest
rewards. With every new production—for a short time—the
people you work with become a sort of surrogate family. The
good thing about that is that you keep expanding your network,
your circle of artists who inspire you. The challenge, though,
is that with every new production you start from ground zero.
That can be energizing and refreshing, but it also can be difficult
because it requires a leap of faith each time and an enormous
act of trust. You have to develop a unique vocabulary with each
new company in order to collaborate efficiently and cohesively.
Theatre has a very short shelf life. People gather together for a
finite amount of time to create something special for that specific
moment in time. Then it’s gone forever. That’s what makes it so
magical, but also bittersweet. And as a director it can be even
sadder because once you open the play your job is essentially over,
while the actors and stage managers and crew continue on with
their journey.
What specifically is rewarding about working on a
Shakespeare play?
Speciale: Shakespeare is the best psychologist in the history of
time, and he continues to teach us so much about each other,
and ourselves, if we open ourselves up to his plays. I think that is
remarkable. As a director, I love working on Shakespeare because
his plays are like puzzles that require you to use every aspect of
your mind, heart and soul. You could say working on Shakespeare
is like going to the gym. It keeps you creatively fit.
What is your advice for aspiring directors or students
considering directing?
I would highly encourage any aspiring director to look into some
sort of apprenticeship or internship at a major theatre because
nothing compares to the hands-on experience that I received at
Actors Theatre and other theatres. I would also encourage young
artists to see as much theatre as you possibly can because that will
inspire you and help you find your own point of view and who
you might like to work with. I learned as much from productions
that I hated as I did from the ones I loved. Observing other
people’s work and discussing it with your friends afterwards can
help you develop your own critical eye. Because at the end of the
day, a director has to be articulate and have a point of view.
GRASPING HOW HE “WORDS HIS WORDS”
Google the words
“teaching” and
“Shakespeare”, and
titles such as No
Fear Shakespeare
and The Friendly
Shakespeare:
A Thoroughly
Painless Guide
to the Best of the
Bard pop up. Indeed, the very mention of the
name Shakespeare has been known to elicit from
teens everything from confusion to disgust to
white-faced terror. In anticipation of our preshow
workshop, where teaching artists prepare students
for Romeo and Juliet, we asked area teens why
Shakespeare might inspire such feelings of fear or
pain and, when given the effort, why he just might
be worth it.
What’s the problem with Shakespeare? Why do
so many teens, and people in general, wince a bit,
maybe even groan some, when they hear the words
“William Shakespeare”?
They don’t interpret how he words his words – his poetry speaks to
you in a different way. You have to re-read and keep going back at
it to figure out what he’s trying to say to you.” - Gerald White, Academy @ Shawnee
“The language is a whole new world. Very complex. It’s hard to
break the code when you’re inexperienced. – Andrea McKinney, Atherton High School
“It looks old-timey. When students see the words, they are
intimidated. What stands in the way is true understanding of the
language.” - Joe O’Neil, Academy @ Shawnee
Well, why do so many people LOVE Shakespeare? Does
he really deserve his reputation? Why bother wading
through all those words? “I feel pure joy when I understand Shakespeare.”
- Tatiyana Dean, Tates Creek High School
“When you see Shakespeare it makes it much easier to understand
– you get to experience how the actors interpret it. It’s relatable.”
– Mollie LaFavers, Boyle County High School
“One of the coolest things about Shakespeare is that you can read it
multiple times and still pull new meanings out of it that you didn’t
see the first time.”
– Bryce Rowland, Male High School
“I think we can learn how to love from Shakespeare. A lot of
people today don’t know what love is – they don’t know anything
about love. It’s like – they’re not in touch with their emotions. Shakespeare can show what love is and how to love.” - My’Zirria Abdul Shaheed, Academy @ Shawnee
“I think reading Shakespeare made me a better learner. Now when
there’s something I don’t understand, I take more time on it like I
did with Shakespeare’s language. I slow down, pay more attention,
and try to understand before I freak out.” - Joe O’Neil, Academy @
Shawnee
“Once we got into it, we saw it
as our own. We had fun with
the script. We saw it as our
own. Shakespeare opens up a
mind to creative things – even
if you’re not creative, you have
to move outside of your comfort
zone (especially when reading the language) and the experience
makes you more creative in the end.” - My’Zirria Abdul Shaheed, Academy @ Shawnee
“Shakespeare easily expresses all of this emotion, and he
communicates so much. I can appreciate how he expresses himself
when it’s a challenge for me.” – Andrea McKinney, Atherton High School
Any final thoughts on Romeo and Juliet?
“Saddest thing I’ve ever heard of. All due to timing . . . oh, man.” - Tatiyana Dean, Tates Creek High School
“I love Romeo and Juliet. Once that story is in your life, it’ ll
always be there.” - Corey Tynes, Atherton High School
Special thanks to Stacy Geyer, English teacher at the Academy @ Shawnee;
Andy Perry, drama teacher at Atherton High School; and Conrad Newman,
drama instructor with the Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program for
connecting us with these students.
11
COMMUNICATION PORTFOLIO
NARRATIVE
If you had the chance to rewrite the ending of the play, what
events might you change? Which characters would you involve
in the new telling? Why? Write your own alternative ending to
the play.
ARGUMENTATIVE
Who is the protagonist, the main character, in this story? Is it
Romeo or Juliet? Both? Neither? Drawing upon multiple specific references from the story, explain who the main character is
and why.
INFORMATIVE
Shakespeare’s Birthplace
If you could cast yourself in a production of Romeo and Juliet,
who would you play? Why? Now, pretend to be that character
and create a letter or note to another character. What do you
need to say? What do you want from the other character? Why?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
PRE-SHOW QUESTIONS
POST-SHOW QUESTIONS
1. Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s most popular tales.
1. Did our production meet your expectations of a live
2. Love is a universal and timeless theme. Make it a “star-
2. What decisions have you made impulsively that you later
Based upon what you have heard or seen, what do you think
happens in the play? Why is it such a popular story? Why is this
particular Shakespeare play so frequently taught in school?
cross’d love” and you immediately introduce conflict, a key
ingredient of a play. What is the role of conflict in a story?
Why is conflict so important to good stories? What are other
examples of conflicts in Romeo and Juliet?
3. Romeo and Juliet is considered a tragedy, yet moments of
our production intend to make the audience laugh and have
fun. Why might a playwright interweave funny characters and
circumstances through a tragic tale? What role does humor play
in Romeo and Juliet?
4. Misunderstandings, miscommunications, and mistakes are
just as pervasive today within romantic relationships as they
were in the Elizabethan Era. What is it about love that inspires
such mayhem?
12
production of Shakespeare? Were there any parts that took you
by surprise? Did you predict correctly how a specific moment
was interpreted? How and why?
regretted?
3. Do you view the suicides of Romeo and Juliet as the tragic
result of fate or two impulsive teenagers acting with free will?
Why?
4. What arguments would you use to talk Romeo and Juliet
out of suicide? How would they differ from the ones that adults
might use?
5. Strong theatrical design is critical to telling stories onstage.
• How did you respond to the set design? Did you always
know where you were? Why or why not?
• Did the costume design reflect anything about the characters? Pick a favorite character and consider how his or her
costume expressed personality.
• Was the lighting design helpful in setting the mood? What
moods were created? How? What are other ways lighting
can help tell a story onstage?
• What role did the sound design play in the production?
Describe the sound and music that you heard. Did they all
contribute to the storytelling?
• Did the props (the hand-held objects), seem to fit into the
world of this specific production? Why or why not?
• Would you be interested in being a designer? If so, what
type and what kind of play would you like to design? Why?
BRIDGEWORK
BUILDING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN STAGE AND CLASSROOM
The following assortment of discussion starters, exercises and activities offer theatre concepts aligned with
state standards. By exploring drama as a mode of learning, students strengthen skills for creative problem
solving, imagination and critical thinking.
AT YOUR DESK ACTIVITIES
1) Using the Play Guide glossary as a reference, identify how
Shakespeare expresses both love and hate in Romeo and Juliet.
How can we translate and modernize Shakespeare’s language?
How do we express love and hate today? Are we able to translate
our modern language into Shakespearean-inspired words and
phrases? Can you follow Shakespeare’s lead and invent new
words to express these emotions?
2) Divide the class into five groups, and assign each group an
Act from Romeo and Juliet. Identify the major events of the Act
and then storyboard them by sketching them out. Students can
use comic books or anime as inspiration. Review all five Acts in
consecutive order. What moments from the play stood out?
ON YOUR FEET ACTIVITIES
1) Write down your favorite questions and statements from
Romeo and Juliet on index cards. “Hang thee, young baggage, you
disobedient wretch.” “Here’s a drink—I drink to thee.” “They
have made worms meat of me.” “But soft, what light through
yonder window breaks?” “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou,
Romeo?” And so on. Divide the students into even groups. (A
class of 30 would have five groups of six.) Each group would
receive an even number of statements (3 questions/3 statements)
per group. Have each group improv a modern day scene, but
each student in the group has to state the Shakespearean line
somewhere in the scene. The result? An electric mix of modern
language with Shakespeare.
-Submitted by Judy Chandler, recently retired teacher at
Bullitt East High School.
2) Post five or so large blank sheets of paper around your room.
At the top of each, write open-ended statements or questions,
one per page. Provide markers for each student and ask they write
responses to each poster in any order. Silently. This activity works
well for any topic that could benefit from an inclusive discussion.
Suggested statements for Romeo and Juliet are: “When I read
Shakespeare, I . . .,” “Tragedy means . . .,” “Love is . . .,” “Romeo
and Juliet makes me feel . . .,” and “Hatred can be found . . ..”
Students can place checkmarks by comments if someone writes
exactly what they are thinking. Review the responses as a group
afterwards, noting those ideas that received multiple checks and
those that may have appeared multiple times. Use these ideas to
help frame your exploration in class.
Shakespeare in Love
13
IF YOU LIKED ROMEO AND JULIET...
BOOKS
Innocence Shattered: A Modern-Day Romeo and Juliet by Heather
Koontz Sprouse
Romeo and Juliet: A Vampire and Werewolf Love Story by H.T.
Night
FILMS
West Side Story
Shakespeare in Love
William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet Dir. by Baz Luhrmann
(1996)
Romeo and Juliet Directed by Franco Zeffirelli (1968)
Romeo & Juliet (Royal Ballet) (1966)
ON THE WEB
Internet Shakespeare Editions: InternetShakespeare.uvic.ca
Luminarium Anthology of English Literature: Luminarium.org
Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet: Shakespeare.
Palomar.edu
Open Source Shakespeare: OpenSourceShakespeare.org
The English Speaking Union: English-SpeakingUnion.org
Shakespeare’s Globe: ShakespearesGlobe.com
The Royal Shakespeare Company: RSC.org.uk
Mark Morris Dance Group's Romeo and Juliet
WORKS CITED
“51 Random Facts About William Shakespeare.”
Randomhistory.
com. Randomhistory.com,
2012. Web. 20 Jun 2012. <http://facts.randomhistory.
com/2009/01/11_shakespeare.html>.
Hartmann, Tilo, and Peter Vorderer. “It’s Okay to Shoot a Character: Moral Disengagment in
Violent Video Games.” Journal of Communication
60.1 (2010): 94-119. Web.
Aberli, Thomas. Telephone interview. 25 June 2012.
Holladay, Jennifer. “Cyberbullying.” Teaching Tolerance 38 (2010): 42-46. Web.
Allgeier, Philip. Personal interview. 13 June 2012.
Barak, Azy. “Sexual Harassment on the Internet.” Social Science Computer Review 23.1 (2005):
77-92. Web.
Bushman, Brad J., and Craig A. Anderson. “Comfortably
Numb: Desensitizing Effects of Violent
Media on Helping Others.” Psychological Science 20.3 (2009): 273-77. Web.
Feinberg, Ted, and Nicole Robey. “Cyberbullying.” Education Digest 74.7 (2009): 26-31. Web.
Glascock, Heidi. Telephone interview. 25 June 2012.
14
Stover, Del. “Treating Cyberbullying as a School Violence
Issue.” Education Digest 72.4 (2006):
40-42. Web.
“William Shakespeare.biography.” Biography.com. A&E
Television Networks, LLC, 2012. Web.
20 Jun 2012. <http://www.biography.com/people/
william-shakespeare-9480323?page=1>.
GLOSSARY
References to Love
Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs
(Romeo, Act I scene i)—A joke about the fact that lovers are
known to sigh a lot. It seems Romeo is poking fun at himself.
If love be rough with you, be rough with love; /
Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down
(Mercutio, Act I scene iv)—If love tries to mess with you, mess
with love (with a sexual pun). Benvolio is telling Romeo not to
let Rosaline’s rejection get him down, but to go after what he
wants.
My life were better ended by their hate, / Than
death prorogued, wanting of thy love
(Romeo, Act II scene ii)—Romeo would rather Juliet’s family kill
him than to live without Juliet’s love—an expression of how
serious his feelings are for her.
Do not swear at all; / Or, if thou wilt, swear by thy
gracious self, / Which is the god of my idolatry, /
And I’ll believe thee
(Juliet, Act II scene ii)—Swearing may not prove true; that is,
unless Romeo swears by himself, whom Juliet now worships as a
god. (Perhaps a bit much for a first encounter, Jules.)
O, I have bought the mansion of a love, / But
not possess’d it, and, though I am sold, / Not yet
enjoy’d
(Juliet, Act III scene ii)—Juliet’s using a sly metaphor to say
that she hasn’t yet been able to consummate her marriage to
Romeo—and she’s not too happy about it!
These times of woe afford no time to woo
(Paris, Act III scene iv)—Paris wants to skip all of the courting
and get right to marriage with Juliet, and the death of Tybalt is
the perfect excuse.
Alas, that love, so gentle in his view, / Should be so
tyrannous and rough in proof!
(Benvolio, Act I scene i)—Love always looks nice, but it turns out
to be painful when you experience it. According to Benvolio,
relationships aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.
References to Hate
Bite your thumb
(Abram, Act I scene i)—in Elizabethan England, this was the
equivalent of giving someone the finger. When Sampson, a
Capulet, bites his thumb, the Montagues immediately take
offense.
My only love sprung from my only hate!
(Juliet, Act I scene v) —Juliet, Romeo’s one true love, is the
daughter of Montague, his family’s bitterest enemy. (What are
the odds, right?)
Now I have stain’d the childhood of our joy / With
blood removed but little from her own?
(Romeo, Act III scene iii)—Romeo has marred the beginning of
his happiness with Juliet by murdering her cousin Tybalt.
See, what a scourge is laid upon your hate, / That
heaven finds means to kill your joys with love
(Escalus, Act V scene iii)—So much evil results from the
Montagues’ and the Capulets’ hate that heaven decides to teach
them a lesson by using love to take away their happiness.
One fire burns out another’s burning, / One pain
is lessen’d by another’s anguish
(Benvolio, Act I scene ii)—Misery loves company! Although
really the point Benvolio is trying to make here is that Romeo
should fall in love with someone besides the cold Rosaline. (He
must be psychic!)
A plague o’ both your houses! / They have made
worms’ meat of me
(Mercutio, Act III scene i)—The hatred between the Capulets and
the Montagues is what leads to Mercutio’s death. In the end,
Mercutio is saying, nobody benefits from the feud.
15
SPONSORED BY THE NORTON FOUNDATION,
Fund for the Arts
Members Agency
SHOCK
US!
WITH YOUR BEST
TEN-MINUTE
PLAY.
Attention: Young Playwrights!
Actors Theatre of Louisville is seeking
submissions for our New Voices Ten-Minute
Play Contest.
Students grades 6-12 living in the Commonwealth of
Kentucky or the (812) area code of southern Indiana are
invited to submit their very best ten-minute play to New
Voices, Actors Theatre of Louisville’s annual ten-minute
play contest for young playwrights!
Deadline for submissions:
October, 31 2012, Halloween
Guidelines, tips, examples and submission details are
outlined at ActorsTheatre.org/NewVoices. You may also
email your questions to NewVoices@ActorsTheatre.org.
New Voices Young Playwrights Festival
Winning plays will be fully produced at Actors Theatre of
Louisville in April 2013 and will be published in our New
Voices Anthology!
Missed the deadline? Send us your play anyway! We’ll
automatically enter it into next year’s contest.