A Truly Youthful R+J

The Flatwater Shakespeare Youth Ensemble production of Romeo and Juliet concluded a very successful run tonight. Under the direction of Tom Crew, our increasingly experienced actors offered lively and involving entertainment. The show was especially enriched by . . .
--the intensity of our leads, Kellie Bate and Josh Duncan
--the authority of our Capulet and Montague matriarchs, Alli Derr and Shelby Krause
--the charisma of our Mercutio, Andrew DeCamp
--the care and concern of our Friar Laurence, Jackson Fisher, and our Benvolio, Rishi Ragsdale
--the compassionate good-humor of our Nurse, Sydney Timmons, and our Valentina, Alison Foley
Who's Valentina? She's a new character, Mercutio's cousin, some of whose lines are based on those of Balthasar in Shakespeare's play. This adaptation achieved a measure of "gender balance," giving more of our female actors a chance to work with Shakespearean material -- and giving some of Shakespeare's roles a chance to affect the plot (and audiences) in new ways.
Thanks go to our Stage Manager, Brooke Erks ; our scholar-observer, Kristy Maydwell; our Fight Choreographer, Dave Owens; and our Dance Choreographer, Karen Freimund Wills. Our 2006 Youth Productions were made possible by grants from the Nebraska Humanities Council and other sponsors.