BHS presents William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Recent visitors to Briarcliff High School may have been surprised to see local EMS staff in the district auditorium, or hear the sound of sirens coming from the theater stage. But there was no need to be alarmed. It was simply the cast of next week's production of Romeo and Juliet preparing for a daring and exciting contemporary version of Shakespeare's classic tale.

It's all part of an approach to classic drama that allows high school students to reimagine the classic through a contemporary lens, and, in the words of theater program director Ian Driver, "Illuminates the impact of young people taking on the mantle of universal questions through engagement with classical drama." This approach has led to a fall rehearsal period that has included a great deal of research as well as rehearsal. "We've not only had to rehearse the play', said Driver, " but the cast and crew have had to research ways in which mythical stories of magic potions and community in-fighting might be represented in a manner that reflects the students own lives, right here in Briarcliff". Thus, the visits from Anne Castioni (EMS Liason, Hoch Center for Emergency Education, Phelps Memorial Hospital) and Joan Lederman (BMFD EMS) to the school, to discuss the EMS treatment of drug related emergencies, and a visit from stage combat expert, Erik Gaden, to collaborate with the cast on ways to present teenage gang violence.

The result promises to be a truly exhilarating two hours of love, dance, stage fights and action. Even the creation of Juliet's potion will take place on stage. In the words of Senior Andrew Van Camp, who plays Friar Laurence in the show and was given the task of figuring out how to simulate the creation of a deadly potion onstage in ways that will catch the audience's attention,"There are no tricks of the light, just chemistry, and there is nothing up my sleeves, just potassium permanganate in my beaker, but there is still a hint of magic." Yet another example of the ways that telling a classic story through a modern lens can yield educational as well as theatrical benefits.

Briarcliff High School Theatre presents Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
Friday, November 16, 7.30
Saturday, November 17, 7.30
Sunday, November 18, 2.30

tickets available online at showtix4u.com