Director’s
Note
Odyssey Theatre’s The Tragedy of
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
 Though
perpetually popular, Romeo and Juliet has always been seen
as a poor cousin to the greater tragedies of the later Shakespearean
canon. The tragic cycle requires of its protagonist a fall
from greatness or its potential. This potentiality is difficult
to visualize through the ambiguity of youth in Romeo and
Juliet, and yet the play has been a much-requested favourite
of audiences of stage and later film productions since 1595.
Samuel Johnson argued that the captivating power of this
play is, in fact, not in the tragic but in the pathetic.
That is, the audience –then as now- at a visceral
level, can understand the fickle nature of Romeo as he comes
of age, the actual impossibility of the tumultuous infatuation
of these young lovers, the arrogance and stupidity of their
feuding families, and the wide-eyed optimism turned horror
of thirteen year old Juliet’s four day romantic odyssey.
Consequently 411 years after this play’s first appearance,
through the power, boldness, vividness, and beauty of Shakespeare’s
language, we can still feel passionately for its title characters.
 The
Odyssey Theatre production of Romeo and Juliet is months
in the making. Since October these young players have worked
to capture the story of the play through intensive study
of its antiquated language. The challenge of the play lies,
of course, in bringing that language, much of it in the
playwright’s celebrated yet difficult ‘blank
verse’, to life off of the page. The creativity of
these students is obvious as they interpret the lines to
the stage, as Shakespeare is notorious in his almost complete
lack of stage direction. We have attempted to bring this
play to life much in the way it must have first appeared,
with minimalist props, lighting, and stage effects and with
costumes –designed and made by Rita Barrette –
and hairstyles –by Ms. Janet Oates’s Cosmetology
class - suiting the era that the play is meant to be set
in.
 As
directors and producers, Ms. O’Connor, Ms. Gruntz,
and I have been humbled by the memory work, creative impulses,
and co-operative work ethic, as well as the commitment and
spirit of our cast and crew. Collectively, they have made
these many hours of rehearsal work an enjoyable and worthwhile
experience. We could not be more proud of these Opeongo
students.
As always, many thanks are due to the
Opeongo community. We would like to thank the efforts of
Mr. Sinclair, Mr. Pilgrim, Mr. Legault, and their technology
classes. We would like to thank Mr. Gorski and Ms. Moscaliuk
for their artistic work and advice and Ms. Armstrong for
her assistance with our chorus music. We would like to thank
the Opeongo Performer’s Network, Ms. Sediako’s
Website team, Ms. Edmanski and the Office staff, and the
Student’s Council for their time and assistance.
Jeff Scott
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