A Siena production of Shakespeare’s timeless romantic tragedy that was temporarily derailed by the pandemic will finally debut on campus, via a full-length film produced by the crew. “Romeo and Juliet” will be screened on Saturday, March 5 at 7PM in RB202. Admission is free, and those attending are encouraged to “dress” for the premiere!
Matt Gerrain '22 collaborated with Mike Lounello to edit the film throughout 2021.
“The actors really put forth a tremendous effort to make this work with masks and distancing,” said Gerrain. “This is a very different production of the play than we have seen before – they had to sell the emotion, and they succeeded.”
The production was almost in technical rehearsals back in March 2020 when the pandemic sent everyone home. The cast and crew continued to rehearse via Zoom with the plan to stage the play in person as soon as health protocols allowed. When the Siena community returned to campus in the fall of 2020, welcoming guests to the Beaudoin Theatre in Foy Hall was still not an option, so the decision was made to film their play. The Siena production takes place in “Verona City,” Nevada in the late 1800s, a likely setting for an ongoing feud between the Montagues and Capulets, given the vigilante justice common to the era and place.
