“Romeo and Juliet” is a timeless play that has no issue sparking emotion in its audiences. The play is put on by the Barn’s main stage, which is an aspect of the theater department of RWU. The show played on various days from the end of November to the beginning of December.

 Choice in plays was admired by members of the cast and crew.

 “Shakespeare is cool and timeless and being able to adapt it into a new idea or concept is really interesting,” said Mae Van Rossum, a sophomore who plays the Apothecary in the show. The actors were not the only ones who appreciated this decision, as sophomore and Stage Manager Jenna Arkontaky can corroborate.

 “I love the choice we made for “Romeo and Juliet.” The simplicity of the set really helps draw focus to the language and the characters themselves without the distraction of big and extravagant set pieces,” Arkontaky said.

 Some scenes were truly powerful and evoked cast and audience reactions during the performances. Rossum said that the death scene is very dramatic and powerful, and it quickly became her favorite scene in the show. Natalia Villareal, a freshman who went to see the play, echoed this sentiment, saying that this scene almost moved her to tears.

 In the play, Romeo is played by senior Emily Dittmar while Juliet is played by Carlee Sincavage, another senior in the cast. “Romeo and Juliet” is the first play at RWU to feature LGBTQ+ characters and relationships. Dittmar said that the production was not exactly a groundbreaking ideal, but that “having more representation and normalizing gay relationships could have some impact on bigotry and the perception of the LGBTQ+ community.”

 Rossum believes that this direction is important because “It is crucial to display visibility for everyone, especially considering that it is not always on the forefront of events here.”

Members of this production were extremely grateful to have taken part in such an impactful performance. Arkontaky said that she “loved being able to watch everyone in the cast grow over the rehearsal process and to watch the show come alive after every rehearsal.” She is so proud of all of the cast and crew and hopes that everyone enjoyed the show.