ROMEO AND JULIET
By William Shakespeare

CAST:
JULIET: Jenna McRill
ROMEO: Niclas Olson
TYBALT: Steven Walker
BENVOLIO: Sara Geiger
MERCUTIO: Tony Onorati
LAURENCE: Lance Zielinski
NURSE: Deanna Martinez
LADY CAPULET: Emily Robinson
LORD CAPULET: Steve Gallion

SET and LIGHTING DESIGN
Niclas Olson

COSTUME and SOUND DESIGN
Bethany Bevier

BOARD OPERATOR
Erinne Kellogg

ASSISTANT DIRECTION
Kelsey Harrison

ADAPTED and DIRECTED
​by
Niclas Olson

Winner of Two
BroadwayWorld Seattle Awards

Best Leading Actress in a Play
Jenna McRill

Best Featured Actress in a Play
​Deanna Martinez

also nominated

Best Play
​
Best Direction of a Play
Niclas Olson

Best Leading Actor in a Play
Niclas Olson

Best Sound Design
Bethany Bevier

Nominated for Two
South Sound Critics Association Awards

Best Performance in a Leading Role
Jenna McRill

Best Performance in a Supporting Role
​Tony Onorati

Nominated for Two
BroadwayWorld Seattle Decade Awards

Production of a Play of the Decade

Performer of the Decade
​Jenna McRill
Charging onto the Dukesbay Theater stage, New Muses continues their tradition of intense, powerful adaptations of classic works with a stunning new production of William Shakespeare’s ROMEO AND JULIET.  Set in a war-torn modern day Verona, and with a powerhouse cast led by Jenna McRill (TMP’s Spelling Bee) and Managing Artistic Director Niclas Olson (Doctor Faustus, Hamlet) in the title roles, this production strips away the baggage of “the greatest love story ever told” to reveal a hard hitting and intense story of war, family, and most of all love
On the streets of Verona, a war between two powerful families has led to chaos and fear.  But in the midst of chaos, a forbidden love will arise. This is the story of that love. And never was there a story of more woe… This is Romeo and Juliet.
Dukesbay Theater
508 6th Ave #10, Tacoma, WA
1.15.2016 - 1.31. 2016
Friday and Saturday at 8:00    Sundays at 2:00

Press:

"(W)hen you discover a production that not only says something new with “Romeo and Juliet,” but says it in a compellingly contemporary way, you rejoice… once the lovers get going, this production starts to soar. Olson makes a moody, Hamlet-ish Romeo, flitting with ease between wholehearted passion and cynical weariness. He woos Juliet (Jenna McRill) with charm and adorable insecurity, and McRill responds with a startling wisdom and a real sweetness… Sara Geiger is perfect for the joshing, tough-faced Benvolio (with a surprise twist); Deanna Martinez brings out both the gabbling comedy of the Nurse and her deeper, caring side. Lance Zielinski makes a calm and philosophical Friar Laurence… Set inside a cinematic scene sequence with an emotive backdrop of pop soundbites (Beyoncé to Lorde), this “Romeo and Juliet” dives inside the teen mind, pulling the Renaissance firmly into our present. If you have a teen in your life, this is the Shakespeare you’ll want them to see. And if you don’t, see it anyway and ponder that crazy period in all our lives when only death is as strong as love." - Rosemary Ponnekanti (Tacoma News Tribune)
"The company opened "Romeo and Juliet" at Dukesbay Theater this weekend, and did it with style and grace… Mr. Olson (Romeo) performs the intricacies of Shakespeare's dialogue as well as anyone on stage. His pacing is expertly accurate, and his stage presence is palpable… The lovely Ms. McRill (Juliet) handles the dialogue as if born to the task. She is pensive, in love, angry, and distraught by turns and in exactly the proper measure… And stage combat is one of the true strengths of this show. The intimacy of the Dukesbay stage means the crowd is within 15 feet of the flashing knives. Fakery would be easily seen. But, the actors who fight in this show make the audience believe danger is afoot!" - Kim Hastings (Axs.com)
"We aren't force-feeding a history lesson down anyone's throat or sticking our noses in the air because we're doing "Shakespeare" with a giant capital S," Olson said. "This is Shakespeare being produced because four hundred years ago some guy in London wrote a really good play." - Preview article by Alec Clayton (The Weekly Volcano)
"Brought forward to a war-torn modern day Verona, New Muses employs an impressive cast stocked with local favorites. South Sound audiences will enjoy seeing familiar and well-loved talent perform the classic lines of a never-ending quest for love and respect." - Preview article by Kim Hastings (Axs.com)

a New Muses Theatre Company production at the Dukesbay Theater