Immerse in the story...
Director's Notes
Program notes from Romeo & Juliet director, John Langs
I’m not sure how it happened but I have been in a long-term relationship with this story since I saw my first production 37 years ago.
The production had swager, leather pants and great sword fights. I was able to meet the actor playing Mercutio who coached me in my first Shakespearian monologue. It was an experience that opened me up to the world of theatre.
Then I found the Franco Zeffirelli’s movie which I watched over and over repeatedly. The Italy of it all, the incredible moonlit romance, the husky voice of Olivia Hussey, all of it shaped my taste for what a beautiful production could be.
The first real play I was asked to direct was Romeo and Juliet. It was a rambunctious, playful warm-hearted production but what to do when the clouds rolled in… I was out of my depth. Then life happened. I fell in love. The kind of bone deep love that hurts to think about and is almost impossible to live through. The kind of love that gives you an exquisite appreciation for a poet who can name the feelings that feel indescribable to anyone except a poet. I was asked to direct the play again and this time I could hear it in my mind's ear. Although imperfect, this production gave me a glimpse of what an artist could accomplish if they brought their vulnerability to a story and if they were brave enough to dig deep. A bit later in life I had another chance to work on this story again. This time I had loved and lost many times and lived through the tragic experience of someone very close to me taking their own life. From this new lens the vividness of how greater obstacles, both inside and out, carve and dictate our fate found it way into the telling of the story. The blood was real now, the language personal the play had so many more secrets to reveal. There was now a familiarity and with and deep affection for the beautifully flawed incredible characters who populate Williams Verona particularly the young woman Juliet who has become so dear to me. Then 10 years later sitting in rehearsal on another project I saw an actor who communicated in American sign language in a performance that was so immediate and soulful that I was struck like a thunderbolt with the idea that this was the Romeo I had always wanted to see. Against impossible odds we made a production that brought the play to life in a completely unexpected way and planted the seeds for the show you are about to see tonight. I am indebted to so many people with whom I have worked to understand this play. Josh Castile, Brenda DeVita, Lindsay Welliver, Reggie Jackson. What incredible partners I have had on this journey. I hope that this production reveals some of the extraordinary love I have come to feel for this play and these characters. And that tonight you can see this timeless story from a whole new perspective.
- John Langs, Director of Romeo & Juliet
Portable Prologues Podcast
Host Orange Schroeder talks to the directors and actors to bring you background information that will make you appreciate each APT performance even more! Listen on Apple Podcast or Spotify! Produced by Buzz Kemper, Audio for the Arts.
Director John Langs joins actors Joshua Castillo, who plays Romeo, and Isabelle Bushue, who plays Juliet, in discussing the 2023 production of William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet at American Players Theater in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Enhance your experience and appreciation by listening to this lively interview before or after your theater visit.
Reviews & Features
Review: APT's remarkable 'Romeo & Juliet' demands attention by Lindsay Christians, The Cap Times
Feature: Deaf actor Joshua Castille brings a new Romeo to APT by Lindsay Christians, The Cap Times
Review: 'Romeo and Juliet' is given a fresh angle at American Players Theatre by Gwendolyn Rice, Isthmus
Season Selects: Romeo & Juliet
Fast Facts
Playing: Hill Theatre | August 11 - October 7
Featuring: Nathan Barlow, Joshua Castille, Sun Mee Chomet, Jim DeVita, Tim Gittings, Kailey Azure Green, Casey Hoekstra, Rasell Holt, Jamal James, Josh Krause, Gavin Lawrence, Colleen Madden, Daniel José Molina, Ronald Román-Meléndez, Robert Schleifer, Lindsay Welliver
Genre: Shakespeare Tragedy/ Romance
Last Seen at APT: 2014
Go if You Liked: Hamlet (2022), Cymbeline (2021), Cyrano de Bergerac (2017)
Video
Trailer: Romeo & Juliet
Romeo & Juliet in 60 Seconds
Our Juliet, Isabell Bushue, breaks down APT's Romeo & Juliet in one minute!
The Fate of Star-Crossed Lovers with Isabelle Bushue
Isabelle Bushue, Juliet in this season's Romeo & Juliet, examines how fate and choices affect Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers
Welcome to APT, with Joshua Castille
Deaf performing artist Joshua Castille, who is playing Romeo in "Romeo & Juliet" at American Players Theatre this season, is here to share a little about what the APT experience is like, and what to expect from your visit.
The Cast of APT's Romeo & Juliet
We'd like to introduce you to this season's denizens of Verona! The 2023 production of Romeo & Juliet features two actors who are Deaf - Joshua Castille playing Romeo and Robert Schleifer playing Friar Lawrence - and the rest of the cast is hearing. While some actors use ASL in the play and others speak, most of the characters received name signs during the rehearsal process.
Behind the Scenes with Sara Becker & Alys Dickerson
Learn how a professional voice and text session works with APT's Director of Voice and Text, Sara Becker, and APT actor and educator Alys Dickerson.