St. John’s School and Johnnycake Present Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”

Set in dystopian Verona, the cast brought the timeless classic to life against an unconventional backdrop. In lieu of the typical Italian Renaissance staging, the set was constructed as a post-apocalyptic wasteland with stone structures and decaying electric poles as the main features. The accompanying music throughout punctuated the cold setting. In this harsh, unforgiving environment, the age-old feud assumed new layers where Montagues and Capulets fought not only for their family’s honor, but also for their very survival in a world devoid of comfort.

 

Portraying the titular star-crossed characters of Romeo and Juliet were Vivian Connelly '28 and Annie Voorhees '27. 

 

Connelly described the dedicated preparation that went into the show. She explained that the subversive setting and atypical casting coupled with the archaic dialogue led the cast to countless hours of studying the text before ever setting foot on stage. 

 

“We dedicated the first several weeks of our rehearsal process to just discussing the language,” Connelly said. “Our director Mrs. Stires Hardin did a wonderful job leading us through the entire process. I didn't know how to portray the scene where Romeo finds out that Juliet is dead. That scene, to me, meant so much. I wanted to portray a pain beyond pain, because how can you even describe losing someone you love so dearly? Mrs. Stires Hardin really helped me discover what eventually became the scream that was ‘Then I defy you, stars!’”

 

“This was truly the role of a lifetime,” Connelly continued. “I'm so glad I was cast as Romeo and had the opportunity to explore this character. I was able to portray a character who is very different from myself, as he's literally a boy, but one that has such depth of emotion. And I will never cease to be amazed by the quality of SJS sets, costumes, and hair. So much work goes into these productions, and they truly turn out to be not only rewarding for the audience, but also for the actors, tech, and crew.”

 

Wes Kozar '27 played one of the famed antagonists of the play and cousin of Juliet, Tybalt. Proud and irascible, Tybalt’s temper catalyzes the violence and bloodshed that ultimately seals Romeo and Juliet’s fate.

 

“Tybalt was a very challenging role to find so to speak,” said Kozar. “He's extremely abrasive and prideful with only a few lines, so it was difficult to play his arrogance and anger without stepping into the realm of cartoon villain. However, thanks to Mrs. Stires Hardin's support, I felt like I was able to take the character in a direction that felt good to play.”

 

“This actually leads into why I enjoy being part of the Fine Arts Program as a whole at SJS,” Kozar added. “The community is relentlessly supportive, and theatre is one of the best ways to experience this fact. Working with scene partners is a great time to talk with people I don't see normally on a day-to-day basis. After going to rehearsal and running the same scenes so many times, you start to get a feel for how your partner plays their character and can even pick up on small differences from night-to-night. At this point, I feel like you can communicate to them even without speaking.”

 

The cast and crew send a special thank you to the following who helped to make this production possible: Fine Arts Parent Committee, Chris Abide, Dan Alig, Amy Bruce, Chris Curran, Bailey Duncan, Jennifer Kuhl, Anthony Leakey, Julia Oppenheim, Kevin Weatherill, SJS Fine Arts Department, and SJS Facilities.

Sampson ·················································································································· Cameron Baird
Gregory ···················································································································· Ana Salavarria
Abram ························································································································· Amelia Paine
Balthasar ··········································································································· Nathalie McDaniel
Tybalt ······························································································································ Wes Kozar
Benvolio ················································································································ Samantha Gross
Lord Montague ············································································································ Wanya Zafar
Lady Montague ········································································································ Sarah Spalding
Lord Capulet ···················································································································· Sam Faulk
Lady Capulet ················································································································ Grayce Choi
Prince Escalus ·················································································································· Mila Craig
County Paris ················································································································ Ved Kulkarni
Romeo ···················································································································· Vivian Connelly
Juliet ······················································································································ Annie Voorhees
Nurse ····················································································································· Olivia Calabrese
Peter ····················································································································· Ashwini Poduval
Mercutio ········································································································ Marley Brailey Harris
Friar Lawrence ················································································································· Julian Tan
Friar John ······················································································································ Ella Hughes
Apothecary ·············································································································· Sarah Spalding

Stage Managers ·························· Fiona Bodmann, Genevieve Ederle, Andy Trejo, Jordan Frawner
Sound Board ·················································································································· Andy Trejo
Light Board ·········································································································· Genevieve Ederle
Backstage Manager ································································································ Jordan Frawner
Backstage Crew ·························································································· Mia Guinn, Shelby Kuhl
Spotlight Operators ············································································ Suraj Verma, Samuel Huang
Costume Assistant ·································································································· Saira Merchant
Poster Design ················································································································· Angela Ma
Show Parents ··································································· Carla Brailey, Suzanne Faulk, Kate Gross
Photography ·············································································································· Charles Tsang
Master Carpenter -···································································································· Micheal Burka
Theatre Manager ······································································································· Sean Morgan
Box Office Manager ···································································································· John Esparza