With a starry sky overhead, the Duzer Du chapter of Alpha Psi Omega, a national theater fraternity, performed a gender-bent version of Romeo and Juliet this past weekend.
The play was a part of Duzer Du’s biannual outdoor event, Shakespeare in the Park, which was held in Theta Gardens surrounded by the GCPA building. The play was directed by senior Billy Burke, who gave both leading roles to female actresses, turning Romeo and Juliet into a lesbian couple.
“It’s Shakespeare, you can do whatever you want with it,” Burke said, “I’m personally interested in representation on the stage.” Burke said a large portion of this performances’ cast identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Outside of the characters of Romeo and Juliet, there were many characters that were gender-swapped or represented as androgynous. “We have a responsibility to move forward,” Burke said, “to be progressive in our ideas.”
Senior Maggie Furtner, who played the part of Romeo, did not audition thinking she would get the part, but is happy she did and thinks it represents a change in theater because it presents an important message.
“It doesn’t matter that it’s a lesbian couple,” Furtner said, “the story’s still the same, the characters are still the same, they still have the same motivations.”
Student-revered dramatist and Department of Communications Professor, Tim Good, appreciated the spins the cast and crew took on the production and thought it was an important performance for the messages it promoted. “Theater is where you break boundaries,” Good said, “It’s the best place to start to make everyone feel like it’s a good thing.
Aside from casting decisions, Burke included some additions to the production such as musical and choreographed elements. Two seniors, Zach Jacobs and Eleanor Price, brought on the music, in which Jacob’s percussion added extra dramatic quality to the interpretation. Junior choreographer, Kevin Salinas, provided the visual movements that added to the intensity, especially seen in the fight scenes.
Burke definitely “upped the ante a little bit” on this production, as he intended, with the uncommon Shakespearian features and progressive interpretation.
Romeo and Juliet is Burke’s third time as director, and he and his cast had only three weeks to practice. Cast members being given their roles at the end of last semester and rehearsal started the week before the start of classes.
“I liked it a lot. I liked how it was minimalistic,” said avid DePauw play-goer, sophomore Natalie Bennett, “They had about five props, they were all in black.”
Bennett enjoyed the aesthetic Burke went for with the play, and thought it added an extra element “I really liked Billy’s approach, especially with the lines on their faces and the flowers in their hair,” she said.
The play was also well-received by faculty. Good said, “I thought it was a great interpretation. The kids did a fascinating job committing to what Billy had in mind, and it came across in this huge space. So yes, I am very impressed.”