An upcoming Prime Stock Theatre production takes one of William Shakespeare's most popular plays and combines it with a satirical look at teen television programs, such as Riverdale or The OC.
Riverona will feature mostly performers in their mid- to late-20s and early-30s playing hormonal teens in a parody of Romeo and Juliet. The production will be at the Scott Block Theatre on June 26-29 and July 5-6.
"It's an exploration of that classic Shakespeare story," said Starlise Waschuk, director of the comedic play.
"We're having some fun with it and I hope making (Romeo and Juliet) accessible for the regular ears of today's audiences. ... Expect ridiculousness. There's singing, dancing and fencing. There's also a filmmaking aspect to it. Everyone who comes is in for a show that features all those classic tropes that those teen television shows will give you."
There are 17 cast members for the play, which was written by Megan Baldrey, Claire Bolton, Hans Wackershauser, Erin Weir and Kevin Weir, all of Calgary.
"We were very ambitious and we filmed a lot of it. I come from a film and TV background. I love that aspect of acting and performing," said Waschuk, who serves as co-artistic director of Prime Stock Theatre alongside with Jonathan Widdifield.
"I've directed probably 15 per cent of the show on camera. The original script is four (one-act plays), but we're only doing Act 1 and Act 4 live. At the intermission, you'll see 'previously on' and 'next time on' segments as recaps of Acts 2 and 3. We filmed highlights all over Red Deer."
Tickets for Riverona are available through Showpass: www.showpass.com/riverona. All shows are scheduled for 7:30 p.m., except for July 5's, which will be at 2 p.m.
Riverona is the first half of Prime Stock Theatre's summer offerings. The theatre company will also present a traditional production of Romeo and Juliet at Bower Ponds, as part of the annual Bard on Bower.
Traditionally, Bard on Bower has featured a pair of shows running in tandem at Bower Ponds. Last year, Prime Stock Theatre began doing one of two shows at Scott Block Theatre and the other at Bower Ponds. They're continuing that this year, except both shows are variations of the same text.
"You'll get your (traditional) play at Bower Ponds and the parody version at Scott Block," Waschuk explained.
For more information on Prime Stock Theatre, including regarding upcoming productions, visit www.primestocktheatre.com.
