WGHS Theater Past Shows (Fall 2006-Present): 2025 Fall Play "Romeo and Juliet"

It was time for the department to return to the Bard! The WGHS Theater Department decided to produce Romeo and Juliet as it's first play in the newly refurbished Jerry R. Knight Auditorium. It was a perfect fit for this slot in the season.

Poster Design by Viviene DeLorez

AUDITIONS

The department graduated over 30 students the prior Spring and we had a large number of students who were waiting in the wings. The auditions were held the third week of school and we had a great turn out. This was an open audition and we used two different after-school rounds to find the speaking cast. The play has many 3 and 4 hander scenes using the main characters. We had to test for chemistry and some line delivery (being Shakespeare, it asked something different from the actors). The script called for a street party with guests of the Capulets and so able to utilize a much larger cast.

With assistance from thow show's stage manager Charlotte Jennings, the actors were asked to perform a soliloquy on their own the first day (many cuttings had been hung on the wall the previous week), and the second day many were asked to read from scene cuttings with other actors. We danced a little and also did some basic movement/balance assessments.

After much thought and conversation with the casting table, we ended up with 25 actors in the cast, and three-fourths of them had lines in the final performance. This show was going to ask a lot of the cast and crew, and we were very fortunte to have landed on this group. Everyone was willing to try new things.

The auditions were held in the Auditorium and it was nice to be able to spread out.

THE CASTING TABLE

Mr Schaefer and several students assisted with casting. The cast of SIX were invited to weigh in during auditions...they had nothing at stake. They offered some opinions on the auditions they saw and things they see in the characters. It helped to have mutilple eyes on the actor's auditions. There were a lot of characters to cast.

The ECHO article that came out after Auditions

The cast was announced that Friday after the 7th hour bell.

The CREW

The production crew was partially assembled last year, and then the rest of the team was put togetehr in the first several months of school. We didn't need a super large crew for this show, cause the cast was able to handle much of their prep work. We needed the major crew heads, but got use a couple of spot lights and a fly rail op. We had big plans for a flountain...(but that's a story for later in the blog page.)

THE REHEARSALS

We started by staging the show (scene by scene) in the Black Box Theater. It was a perfect studio for this play. The space was wide enough to represent the Aud stage and we didn't have to shout to be heard. These rehearsals allowed us to slow down and look at the meaning of the lines. We also started with a rough blocking rehearsal to play a bit with the text. This let us test some set piece ideas and spacing.

We had 25 total actors in the cast, and many had lines in the show. The play really gave a lot of new actors a shot at memorization and character work. The peotry didn't get in our way at all, we were diving right in from the first day.

The Capulet's party scene had a lot pieces to it and used everyone in the show to make the scene work. Within the dancing sequences, there were a series of speaking scenes and they set-up future scenes. Plot was unravelled and there was lots going on visually. The cast worked together over many days to get it all staged and timed out with the music. Once it all got put together in the final show - everything went together seemlessly.

The scenes really moved quickly and each one never went on for too long (execpt for the balcony scene...and death scenes). Each one took place in a special area of the stage.

After one and 1/2 months we LOADED IN

to the AUDITORIUM STAGE.

It was nice to be back!

PRODUCTION

The technical requirements of the show are not too challenging. It has some moments of scenic change, swordplay, and some stage combat (with blood).

Mr Schaefer's floorplan that we used for the staging and blocking rehearsals and lighting

The set needs a balcony but most of it pretty standard for a street scene box set. There weren't a crazy number of props and the actors mostly wore the same outfit throughout the play with a few exceptions. It gave us a few fun things to figur out; like sword belts, glowing poison and wings for Juliet's costume. We finally got to brealk out all of our cool Vanecian masks for the first time!

We staged scenes across the whole proscenium and into the stairwells

2nd hour Tech Theater immediately went through the story with Mr Schaefer, wrapped all of the curtains in plastic, loaded in the lumber, brought in the set units from stock, wheeled in the platforms, and finally began building the set.

2nd Hour Technical Theater Class

(Back row - Left to right - Carson, Chloe, Lucy, Naya, Ashtin, Cillian)

(Front row - Left to right - Echo, Spencer, Miles, Maya, Adelaide, Thomas)

The class had already completed several warm-up assignments. They had done floorplan designs and frontal elevations for two different plays. They also completed models of their designs. They were ready to build. We played with power drills and short screws first and then we began to elevate the walls and doorways. They hung doors, set stairs, assemble tables, and made vines and flowers. We used the mitre saw, the band saw, jig saws and a little bit of circular sawing. There were tape measures and pencils everywhere!!!

Several students liked to draw things out first...

Spencer's plan for the balcony dressings...

A quick sketch of the Capulet archway before we cut the plywood

The Capulet Cafe had all kinds of places for the actors to hang out

We used the stage level staircase for Juliet's sitting room, and then had the balcony onstage above the Cafe entrance. It allowed the scenes to flow in an around the estate as the family was always looking for Juliet.

The Montague Estate was kept simple to reflect the working class

The Church scenes turned out great due to several student's hard work and creativity

Echo Pentz designed and built the stained glass window that we flew in above the wagon unit for the four scenes in the church.

Chloe and Carson and Lucy cut out and taped down the stones on the church wall and Thomas and Miles built the gate for the tomb scene.

REHEARSALS Con't

The cast contunied the work on the stage and got to begin playing in the set pieces as they were constructed.

Romeo and Benvolio on the stoop

The sword play was a lot of fun. We started with plastic and then finally transitioned to metal rapiers the week of the show. The actors did a fight call each night.

Lots of action packed into several of the scenes

kept it exciting to watch each night

The lights and the music really helped push the drama of the deaths

The rest of the cast really added to the sadness of the moment with the crying and wailing

Wil Strelinger as Lord Capulet, Amelia Muskus and Lady Capuleta and Miles Keller as Paris

The balcony worked out great and was safe for the actors

The Capulets were a complicated family

Lord Capulet won't take no for an answer

Father Lawrence tries to help, but just gets in the way and makes it all worse

Juliet contemplates in the tom

The cast and crew making the last of the vines and roses

The set was also dressed by the class. They used all of the handmade vines and roses, a ton of silks and flowers from our stock, and a lot of set dressings we also had in stock. We finally got to use our suit of armor on stage!!!

THE FOUNTAIN

We tried to make a working fountain and 10 minutes before we opened the house on Thursday night the basin srung a leak and we had to empty the fountain.

It worked for a little bit, but in the end we realized it was for the best that we didn't have running water. It was getting too much of the fountain area wet and there was a lot staged on the fountain, including sword fight scenes. It would have made everything slippery and unsafe.

The ECHO included a flyer a couple of weeks before we opened

COSTUMES

Mira Thies helped manage the rack in the Black Box before and after performances. This was a great help, the cast were able to come to the table and check out their costumes. Once the show was over Mira checked them back in. It really helped the cast from misplacing an item.

There were a lot of costumes in the end.

Each actor had several pieces to track during the show.

PROPERTIES

The props were managed by several people, but our fabulous stage manager Charlotte Jennings really took the bull by the horns and got it done! We had several special props, but mostly it was getting them to the right side of the stage and labelled. Once we had it all organized the show ran really smooth. We had a few actors pantomiming up the last minute while we got the last few props in their hands.

Stage Right cart and stairwell

Actors were using the stairwell to prepare for entrances,

so they had to remain very quiet.

There were many entrances that came from the back of the house. They even entered down the side balcony staircase. These are the props they brought into the tomb scene from the balcony.

The glow sticks used to make the poison glow and the map to Mantua (designed by Kori Stuber)

PR MARKETING

This show gained a lot of exposure through the daily announcements and on the hallway slides. We had a flyer insert in the ECHO, full color posters hung around the school and two display cases. The cast was all over Instagram and we got emails blasted to the WGHS and District staff. We were thrilled that so many staff in the district came out to the show.

The display case outside of the library.
Decorated by Mira Thies and Colin Nicholl

The Senior Display case designed by Mira Thies and Colin Nicholl

(Cast <speaking role> headshots taken by Mira Thies)

Colin really got "into the work" as he took down the German Exchange Student's info

The display board outside of the District Office

A set of tickets won by a student in a contest hosted by the Librarians

T-Shirt designs for the show in devlopment by Spencer Buchanan

The T-shirt Design and Program cover by Spencer

TECH WEEKEND and DRESS REHEARSAL WEEK

It was a tight deadline getting this production to show night. The cast and crew worked their tails off and we managed to avoid too many crazy late nights at the theater. (just a few...)

We get to eact together for several meals and that time together is needed to get us ready for show nights. It builds community and helps the cast and crew bond a bit. We always have a lot of work still to do, but it gives us all a moment to relax and catch our breath.