APRIL 29, 2016, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A5
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From woo to woe to WOW
McNary’s Romeo and
Juliet urges audience
to enjoy the ride
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
There are certain things
one expects when going to
see yet another production of
William Shakespeare’s Romeo
and Juliet. Among them are:
misunderstandings,
teenage
affairs of the heart and mind,
and of course, a healthy dose
of tragedy.
With McNary’s High
School’s latest production of
the play, the director, cast and
crew are setting out to defy a
lot of those expectations. The
play opened Thursday, April
28, and continues its run with
performances April 29, 30 and
May 5-7. Curtain time is 7
p.m. for all shows. Tickets are
$5 and are available at the door
or online at mcnarytheatre.
weebly.com.
“In a lot of productions, most
of the confl ict can be attributed
to miscommunication,” said
Dallas Myers, McNary drama
director. “With our version I
melded a script from a friend
of mine, Scott Palmer, with
the original text and did some
heavy editing and cutting.
The result is that there are
some much more intentional
decisions by the characters.”
In addition to script
changes, the play is set
against the backdrop of
1940’s Hollywood, and the
two warring families, the
Capulets and Montagues,
are heavily involved in fi lm
production. McNary student
Katherine Gray supplied the
vision for most of the scenery
that comprises the set. The
play’s soundtrack is provided
Postmodern Jukebox, a music
group that takes modern era
pop songs and rearranges
them as period pieces ranging
from New Orleans jazz to
torch songs – think Taylor
Swift’s Blank Space as sung by
Fiona Apple. Several of the
Postmodern Jukebox’s videos
will be projected above the
stage during scene changes and
during some pivotal scenes.
Changes in the script and
setting have echoed even in
the smallest aspects of the play,
said Dorothy Woolford, who
plays a genderswapped Tybalt,
a cousin of Juliet.
“Because of the updated
time period, we aren’t using
swords, we’re using knives
and switchblades. The combat
is much closer quarters and
there’s not as much room for
interpretation in the fi ght
scenes, when someone dies it’s
the result of intent,” Woolford
said.
The same can be said
of the actions of certain
characters, added McKinley
Friesen, who plays Benvolia,
a genderswapped version
of Benvolio and cousin to
Romeo.
“By the end of the play, my
character is very angry and
broken and things she does
are the reason why Romeo
and Juliet take the actions they
take,” Friesen said.
While some of the additions
add a more serious tone to
parts of the play, others are
much more freespirited.
Senior
Fatima
Falcon
Ontiveros is playing Juliet’s
nurse
and
she’s
been
encouraged to bring her own
cultural background to the
character.
“Because it’s set in Los
Angeles, we thought it would
make sense for the nurse’s
character to be Latino and
even use Spanish for some
lines in the play,” Falcon
Ontiveros said.
The play’s leads Ryver
Nakayoshi, as Romeo, and
Skyla Cawthon, as Juliet, are
A
also attempting to make their
characters memorable in
ways that audiences won’t be
expecting.
Nakayoshi is playing his
Romeo as if he were a budding
star in the Hollywood scene,
but he set out to avoid cliché
from the moment he found
out he was cast.
“One of the fi rst things
I noticed was how overly
dramatic Romeo has been
played by other people and I
didn’t want to annoy people.
I’ve been playing a lot more
with his wit because he’s a very
smart character,” Nakayoshi
said. “He’s also new money
in the Hollywood scene and
aware of it. He’s going to have
certain ways he acts around
some people and not others.”
Given that most people
in the audience have read or
seen a previous production
of the Bard’s tale and know
precisely how it will end,
Myers encouraged Nakayoshi
and Cawthon to focus on the
moments leading up to the
fi nale and not dwell on the
ending.
Cawthon has made efforts
to play up Juliet’s strength
rather than her whimsy and it’s
B
opened her own eyes to all the
play encompasses.
“It’s made me more aware
of how much fun the play
can be. There’s so much that
is expected when people go
to see Romeo and Juliet and
this isn’t that. It’s still very
emotional in parts, but there’s
a lot more variety to the
emotions,” Cawthon said.
C
puzzle answers
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
A: Ryver Nakayoshi and Skyla Cawthon, as Romeo and Juliet,
share their fi rst intimate moment. B: Serena Dufour, as Lady Cap-
ulet, tries to quiet her husband, Cameron Engle as he fi ghts with
Tybalt, Dorothy Woolford. C: Ashton Thomas as Mercutio and
McKinley Friesen as Benvolia in a moment of lightheartedness.
WorshipDirectory
These Salem-Keizer houses of worship invite you to visit.
Call to list your church in our Worship Directory: (503) 390-1051
John Knox Presbyterian Church
JOIN US FOR
SUNDAY WORSHIP
452 Cummings Lane North • 393-0404
8:30 am • 10 am • 11:30 am • 6 pm
PEOPLESCHURCH
4500 LANCASTER DR NE | SALEM
503.304.4000 • www.peopleschurch.com
Celebration
Services
Saturday Evening
1755 Lockhaven Dr. NE Keizer
503-390-3900
www.dayspringfellowship.com
Rev. Dr. John Neal, Pastor
Worship - 10:30 a.m.
Education Hour - 9:15 a.m.
Nursery Care Available
www.keizerjkpres.org
Jason Lee UMC
820 Jeff erson St. NE
Salem OR 97301
9:00 am
Dr. Jon F. Langenwalter, Pastor
The church with the purple doors
10:45 am
Worship at 9:30 am • Child Care Available
6:00 pm
Children’s Programs, Student and Adult Ministries
Father Gary L. Zerr, Pastor
Saturday Vigil Liturgy: 5:30 p.m.
Sundays: 8:15 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.
La Misa en Español: 12:30 p.m.
Sunday Morning
and
503-364-2844
Faith Lutheran Church
4505 River Rd N • 393-4507
Sunday Schedule:
9:00 a.m. Children’s Church
9:15 a.m. Adult Bible Study
9:30 a.m. Children’s Activities
Pastor
Virginia Eggert 10:30 a.m. Worship with Communion