Shakespeare’s famous tragedy takes place during the California Gold Rush

From left: Linsday Petroff as the nurse, Caroline Drayton as Friar Lawrence and Atwood Meyberg as Romeo in Sobrato’s “Romeo and Juliet.”
Photo by Savvy Brito

By Savvy Brito

Savvy Brito

Ann Sobrato High School’s production of “Romeo and Juliet” comes straight out of Shakespeare — but there is a unique twist. It’s set in the California Gold Rush period.

And while most theater productions perform the famous tragedy on a stage, much of the Sobrato students’ version will take place within the audience.

Atwood Meyberg, acting as Romeo, is excited the audience will be a part of the show.

“If you are in the front half, you will be in the bar with the actors,” he said.  “You will be talked to and you will be right next to someone who will die. It is going to be gruesome yet awesome.”

Sabreena Roberts, acting as Juliet, agrees seeing the performers up close will give the show a unique perspective.

“Interacting with the audience does not happen often in theater, which will be fun and different for our audience,” she said.

Rehearsals began in mid-August. After hours of memorizing lines, learning the choreography, and embodying their character to bring them to life, the play’s 20 actors and actresses are thrilled about the Nov. 4 opening night.

“Romeo and Juliet” is the tragic story of two star-crossed lovers whose families are caught in an violent feud passed down from generation to generation. This initiated the antagonism between the two prosperous houses, the Capulets and the Montagues. Originally set by Shakespeare in Verona, Italy, Sobrato’s version takes the story to the fictional mining town of Verona, California.

“Our version of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is not the traditional staging. We have set  it in the gold rush, so it is a little bit of a wild-west feel,” said co-director Christopher DeMelo. “Another difference from the actual text is that we have a great idea of having ‘Romeo and Juliet’ be a comedy until it’s not — so the first half of the show is very funny. There is a definitive moment where an audience member can feel the show change. And every time I see it, it gives me chills. The audience is going to love it.”

The two feuding families control two gold mining camps. Shakespeare comes to life with his classic romance adjacent to the traditions of the Old West: bars, shoot-outs, and shindigs that unite the families as the teenagers find themselves in a passion that is determined to end in calamity.

DeMelo believes character work is critical to excellent acting.

“The key to a good performance is when the actor can really embody the role and we lose the line between seeing the actor on stage and seeing the character on stage, which the cast of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ do a very good job at,” he said. “Getting to know their character as well as the other characters helps them figure out how they talk, walk, and think.”

DeMelo is also the fight choreographer and spent many hours teaching cast members how to make combat scenes look lifelike. “The cast members have worked really hard to make it look realistic and get the choreography down. It will be spectacular.”

Savvy Brito is a senior at Sobrato High School. She wrote this with assistance from Morgan Hill Life Publisher Marty Cheek.