THE HARLEM SUMMER SHAKESPEARE PRODUCTION

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ROMEO AND JULIET
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Stella Heath




Last chance to see Harlem Summer Shakespeare’s FREE production of ROMEO AND JULIET playing  through August 17, 2014 at Riverbank State Park, 145th Street and Riverside Drive. Performances are at 8 PM.


Stella Heath And Jordan Bellow
Harlem Summer Shakespeare Artistic Director Alexa Kelly said: “Continuing our tradition of making Shakespeare a part of today’s world, our 10th anniversary production of R&J will be visually contemporary, whilst keeping Shakespeare’s language intact. The goal of Harlem Summer Shakespeare is to bring Shakespeare to new audiences. In the tradition of the great Joe Papp, we bring live, multi-ethnic theatre, FREE, to families and young people who might not gravitate to or even imagine they would enjoy live theatre—especially not Shakespeare. We use familiar, contemporary visuals, motifs and sounds, to bring the audience closer to the story being told on stage. ROMEO AND JULIET will be presented like a crime story in the style of TV’s Law and Order. As an extra source of contemporary excitement for young people, the clan action will also include some STEPPING (as in Fraternity competition face-offs).



Founded in 1989, Pulse Ensemble Theatre is presenting the 10th season of Harlem Summer Shakespeare. Pulse, which is celebrating its 25th season, is dedicated to making the Classics accessible to young people, to being a training ground for actors, playwrights, and directors and to developing new audiences. Pulse is also committed to multi-cultural casting. Pulse runs a weekly Playwrights' Lab. dedicated to developing new American plays and has an active training program for Interns.




Over the past 10 years, HARLEM SUMMER SHAKESPEARE has presented popular and critically acclaimed productions of TWELFTH NIGHT, THE TEMPEST, the ever-popular A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (3 times! by special request from the Park), ROMEO AND JULIET, MACBETH, and AS YOU LIKE IT set in the NJ Mafia world. The New York Times said of the company’s first production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM: “The audience – which did not resemble any audience I have seen at the Delacorte or any other mainstream Shakespeare venue—obviously loved it!” The 2007 production of THE TEMPEST, where Izod shirts replaced Elizabethan ruffs, continued the company’s tradition of making Shakespeare immediate and accessible to audiences new to Shakespeare as well as to those familiar with the Bard. MACBETH was set in Afghanistan, and critically proclaimed "an extraordinarily innovative production". The Village Voice said of our MIDSUMMER... touring Harlem Shakespeare production that "even when the Mr. Softee truck came by, the children sat transfixed and did not leave--high praise indeed!"



ROMEO AND JULIET, directed by Alexa Kelly, features Stella Heath as Juliet, (Orlando Shakespeare Festival, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Beijing Shakespeare Festival); Jordan Bellow as Romeo (South Coast Repertory Players); Thia Stephan as Lady Capulet (Brunswick Square Theatre, London, Boomerang Th. NYC, Puck/Harlem Summer Shakespeare); Marina Barry as Nurse (Asolo Theatre); Michael Gilpin as Friar (Bottom & Petruchioi/Harlem Summer Shakespeare); Brian Richardson as Lord Capulet (Metropolitan Playhouse, Barter Theatre, Bristol Riverside Theatre, Macbeth & Malvolio/Harlem Summer Shakespeare), Jonathan Hicks as Mercutio (Milwaukee Rep., Chicago Shakespeare, Colorado Shakespeare); Karim Sekou as Paris, (Classical Theatre of Harlem, Titania/Harlem Summer Shakespeare); Colleen McGloin as Benvolio, John L. Payne as Prince; James Ross as Balthasar; Ricardy Fabre as Gregory; Gregory Cioffi as Samson; Kim Rachelle Harris as Montague (Shenandoah Music Theatre, York Theatre, Mill Mountain Playhouse), and Israel Gutierrez as Tybalt (Virginia Shakespeare. Marvell Rep). 



ROMEO & JULIET has costume design by David Anthony Crowley with lighting design by Steve O'Shea, scenic design by Bob Miller, fight choreography by Joseph Pisapia, and sound design by Brian Richardson. 



This production is made possible with the help of Riverbank State Park, New York State Council on the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Councilman Robert Jackson & NYC Council District 7.



For additional information, visit www.pulseensembletheatre.org or call (212) 695-1596.


Photos Courtesy Of: Justyn Richardson

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