What: Summer Shakespeare Theatre presents “& Juliet”
When: 7 p.m. July 23, 24 and 25; 2 p.m. July 26; 7 p.m. July 30, 31 and Aug. 1 and 2 p.m. Aug. 2.
Where: Appleton North High School, 5000 N. Ballard Road.
Admission: $15, all seats reserved. Purchase online at cur8.com/15246/project/139694.
Background: Summer Shakespeare Theatre, a program of the Fox Valley Summer School Consortium, was selected by Music Theatre International as one of only three schools in the nation to pilot the high school edition of the hit Broadway musical “& Juliet.” For more than two decades, the program has provided students from high schools across the Fox Valley the opportunity to learn about Shakespeare, his times, and theatre by preparing and presenting one of his plays for public performance. This summer marks its 25th year in the Fox Valley.
This coming-of-age jukebox musical, which features the music of Swedish pop songwriter Max Martin and a book by David West Read, began in London’s West End, then moved over to Broadway in 2022, where it received 9 Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical. In addition to continuing to run on Broadway, a production is currently touring across North America, including a recent run at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center.
What they’re saying: “Being in ‘& Juliet’ has been one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences I have ever experienced in the theater,” said Max Lietzan, cast as William Shakespeare. “Playing William has taught me more than I could have imagined going into this show. One of the reasons for that is the number of different schools that students have come from in order to be a part of this amazing production. … The amount of kindness that kids from different schools show each other, and the support they give has built an unbreakable community that is going to make this production something very special.
Take home message: “The history of Shakespeare in the Fox Valley is a long and storied one. Over the past quarter-century, hundreds of high school students and thousands of audience members have enjoyed the power, potency, and poignancy of the Bard’s words,” said director Ron Parker. “Being invited to partner with MTI as only one of three high school theatre programs in the country to help create and stage a student edition pilot of the musical ‘& Juliet,’ based on one of the Bard’s most popular plays, is a great honor and an incredible way to commemorate the silver anniversary of the Summer Shakespeare program. It’s a dream come true. As Shakespeare himself said, ‘We are such stuff as dreams are made on.’”
Provided by Ron Parker
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Summer theater program 1 of 3 in nation to pilot ‘& Juliet’
Reporting by Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Appleton Post-Crescent | USA TODAY Network
