“…when he shall die, Take him and cut him out in little stars, And he will make the face of heaven so fine That all the world will be in love with night.”
Two star-crossed souls collide and fall fast in love, only to take their own lives in a tragic twist of fate. In this music-driven, 90-minute production, heightened theatricality and original alt-rock anthems will engage audiences and bring a fresh perspective to Shakespeare’s classic tale. Narrated by Benvolio, an unsuccessful peacemaker, Romeo and Juliet is a lesson in loss, destiny, loyalty – and most importantly, love.
This production is part of Shakespeare in American Communities, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.
DID YOU KNOW
- Romeo and Juliet was performed as part of our 2022 summer season, the first in our new home.
- The works of William Shakespeare have been translated into over 100 languages and are continually performed all around the world.
- From West Side Story to The Lion King, new takes on Shakespearean stories are common. But did you know that Romeo and Juliet is itself an adaptation of Arthur Brooke’s 1562 narrative poem The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet?
Cast & Creative

Emma Rosa Went
Director
Emma Rosa Went is a New York-based theatre director who makes new and classic-text plays. Recent work includes: Much Ado About Nothing (Opera House Arts, Stonington ME;) A Midsummer Night’s…

Naiya Vanessa McCalla
she/her
Juliet
Naiya Vanessa McCalla (she/her) is so excited to join the tour! She developed an unshakeable adoration for performing Shakespeare– particularly his masterpiece Julius Caesar– while studying with the Classical and…

Reagan Tankersley
Capulet/Friar
Reagan Tankersley is an actor and teaching artist in New York City. He began performing in and leading Shakespeare workshops for rural communities in Central Texas, starting in 2011. More…

Tania Kass
she/her
Nurse/Tybalt
New York based actor, musician, singer-songwriter and director. Born and raised in Italy where she graduated from the Bernstein School of Musical Theater, she moved to New York to attend…

Sophia K. Metcalf
they/them
Benvolio
Sophia K. Metcalf (they/them) is an NYC-based actor, musician, and writer. Recent credits include: Netflix’s I Am No Longer Here, Feste in Twelfth Night (The Acting Company; Irvington Shakespeare), and…

Nettie Chickering
Lady Capulet/Montague
NETTIE CHICKERING (Lady Capulet/Montague) is overjoyed to work with the HVSF cast and team! Recent NY/Regional Theatre: Into the Breeches! (Hub Theatre Boston), As You Like It (60 Hr. Shakespeare…

Liam Gerard
he/they
Mercutio / Prince / Paris
Liam Gerard (he/they) is an actor and artist based in Queens, New York, and is over the moon to be making their HVSF debut. Previous credits include Puck (SSF), Vittorio…
Ali Walensky
Stage Manager
Production Manager: Piper Theatre; National Tour: Flamenco Vivo – Carlota Santana; Production Stage Manager: Stealing Mona Lisa, Noises in My Head, Candlelight by John Patrick Shanley, Trails reading Dir. Lorin…