Bringing a Classic to Life

On October 31, APU Drama began its fourth annual Shakespeare performance of the timeless romantic tragedy, Romeo and Juliet.

The Shakespearean tale of two young lovers from feuding households is filled with tension and action, pun-riddled comedy and tragedy. Phil Nash, assistant professor of drama, directs the play.

With a cast of 30 and enough set changes to keep the audience on the alert and the actors on their toes, the play was a challenge to rehearse. According to Nash, the difficulty was that "there were so many things to coordinate," including a fight scene and a dance scene. To keep things lively, Nash also involved extra people in certain scenes that the dialogue didn’t necessarily call for.

For Ricky Staub ’05 plays Romeo. Staub a Chicago native, has been involved in drama since his junior year of high school. This is the biggest lead he’s had yet. "I love it, it’s great...a lot more work than I thought, but definitely worth it."

Romeo and Juliet is one of the 10 shows being performed by APU Drama this year. This places Azusa Pacific as third in California behind USC and UCSD in number of main stage productions per year.

The play will run Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, November 7-9 at 7:30 p.m. with an afternoon performance at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The APU Theatre is located in the Mary Hill Center on West Campus. Tickets may be purchased in advance at InCom or at the door.

Posted: November 4, 2002