The Saint Paul’s Marian Players performed Romeo and Juliet for this year’s Fall production, and their performance was nothing short of spectacular. The Marian Players put tremendous effort into their Fall production, and Romeo and Juliet is an important play in history and the Shakespeare catalog. In fact, many were genuinely surprised to learn that this was the first time Saint Paul’s ever performed a Shakespeare play. Based on the performance, however, it probably won’t be the last time.

The Marian players had been practicing after school and on some weekends for around two months and were clearly passionate about their performances. 

There were over 30 cast and crew members, alongside two directors. “The cast members inhabit their roles with aplomb. There is a real excitement in the green room that translates to high-energy performances,” stated Assistant Director and English teacher Mr. Whitney Brown.

The Marian Players love to perform on stage for a variety of reasons.

“Regardless of your future profession, confidence in front of your peers is essential to being the best in your field. I might not be performing on stage these days, but I still use my Marian Players’ training every day in my classroom,” said Brown.

In this Fall production, many actors and actresses from Saint Paul’s and Saint Scholastica expressed great emotion while on stage. “Saint Paul’s theater exemplifies what it means to be rooted in self-expression, character, and finding the confidence to move out of comfort zones,” stated Saint Scholastica Academy (SSA) senior Requel Martinez, who played Lady Montegue.

Going into the play, the Marian Players had feelings about performing Romeo and Juliet. “I’m really happy with Romeo and Juliet. It’s a great play with good choreography and sword fighting. The costumes are also really good. Even with the difficulties of learning and speaking Shakespearean English, it’s still really fun,” stated Saint Paul’s junior Jackson Bartlett.

Romeo and Juliet is one of the most popular and influential plays of all time, among other Shakespeare plays, like Hamlet and Macbeth. It is one of his 12 tragedies and it is believed to have been written between 1594 and 1596.

According to Hartford Stage.org, famous Renaissance writer Dante wrote about a feud between two Veronese families Montecchi and Cappelletti that took place in the 1200s. Romeo and Juliet is believed to be based on the story. Dante’s story was popularized in 1530.

All Shakespeare plays are based on either already existing fiction or historical events, according to BBC.co.uk. Despite that, it is still impressive that he wrote multiple masterpieces.

The tragedy of forbidden love is extremely influential on media today; many movies and TV shows like West Side Story and Skin have been based on Romeo and Juliet. In addition, there have been many movie adaptations of Romeo and Juliet.

The movie adaptation of Romeo and Juliet made over 46 million dollars at the box office against its 14.5 million dollar budget, according to Box Office Mojo.com. That’s over three times its initial budget.

Romeo and Juliet, along with other Shakespeare plays, is still relevant to this day for a multitude of reasons. “Shakespeare’s exploration of the human condition is not limited to 17th century England. While his plays may take place hundreds and even thousands of years ago, the timeless themes echo many of our modern problems. Plus, they have lots of violence and lewd humor.” stated Whitney Brown.

The story of Romeo and Juliet is also a huge factor in why it’s still popular today.

In the story of Romeo and Juliet, a man from the Montague family named Romeo meets a woman named Juliet from the Capulet family and Falls in love with her. The Montague family and the Capulet family hate more than anything. Many conflicts arise from the two being lovers, and even some people die.

At the end of the play, the love that both the protagonists share for one another is shown on full display. The two feuding families finally achieve well-needed peace through tragedy at the end of the play.

There were six showings: opening night was on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, and the closing night was on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. On Nov. 26, 2024, there was a double showing: a matinee at 2:00 p.m., and a night showing at 7:00 p.m.

Members of the Marian Players encourage students to do theater at Saint Paul’s. “Our Director, Mr. Baumgartner, is amazing and picks really fun plays, and it’s a way to meet really unique and colorful people,” stated Saint Paul’s junior Jackson Bartlett, who played Lord Monegue.

The performances have come out to be very well received by both students and teachers.

Interestingly, a talented young freshman, Brayden Ford, earned the role of Romeo, and many playgoers found his performance impressive. SSA senior Allie Adams starred as Juliet, and she was perfect for the role.

The full cast list for Romeo and Juliet follows:

• CHORUS: Ellen Bidleman;
• GREGORY: Matthew Roy;
• SAMPSON: Kate Lamere; 
• ABRAM: Lilly Moll 
• BENVOLIO: Emersyn Olivier 
• TYBALT: Aiden Underwood 
• CAPULET: Brody Delaune 
• LADY CAPULET: Audrey Malinski 
• MONTAGUE: Jackson Bartlett 
• LADY MONTAGUE: Raquel Martinez 
• CITIZENS: Abby Champagne, Emma Curran, Kaylee Sedberry, Emily Thomson, Phoebe Vollmer
• PRINCE ESCALUS: Andrew Talamo 
• ROMEO: Brayden Ford 
• PARIS: Damian Rea 
• PETER: Ella Cantin 
• NURSE: Gracyn Dunavant 
• JULIET: Allie Adams 
• MERCUTIO: Olivia Torres 
• CAPULET 2: Alyssa Dickson 
• FRIAR LAWRENCE: Brady Myers 
• BALTHASAR: Lucy Digby 
• APOTHECARY: Quad Mulligan
• FRIAR JOHN: Hunter Fahr 
• PAGE: Michael Long

The Saint Paul’s Marian Players will perform Mary Poppins for their Spring musical production.