By Ken Centers for The Oregonian/OregonLive, 10 March 2015
Rusty Tennant, director of Pacific University’s production of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” is presenting a unique interpretation of the tragic love story.
Verona is a contemporary high school instead of a city; Lord Capulet is its principal, and Friar Lawrence a counselor of the eager-youth-group-leader type. A handful of the characters are transgender, including Romeo, born biologically female who identifies as male.
Tennant, artistic director of Fuse Theatre Ensemble in Portland, said his biggest challenge producing “Romeo and Juliet” is audience expectations.
”Most everybody has to read it in high school,” he said. “If a person has only seen one Shakespeare play, it is probably this one, and everyone has their expectations of what they should see. Satisfying those expectations and then elevating them is a real challenge. I think we’ve created something relevant, current, and exciting while still honoring the play’s classical roots.”
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