After Juliet director Sarah Delahunty talks to drama on the waterfront about the current Circa Two hit.
Recently I was idly
watching “Shakespeare in Love” on TV (while working on a rehearsal
schedule for something and eating dinner) - but when I saw the supposed
first stage performance of Romeo and Juliet and heard those words as if
performed for the first time, I was seriously struck by how many centuries this
play had survived, as alive now to so many people as it was then. And that here
I was also working with this story as if it was happening to young people here
and now.
After Juliet takes us into the fallout from those deaths, where the violence
that caused them to happen still reverberates. Despite pronouncements from authorities on ending violence, this community is too deeply divided to easily
change – or is it humanity as a whole? Is it just this group of teenagers
struggling without help through their shock and anger or a bigger lack of
acceptance, love and emotional maturity in the world around them? What choices
are they really able to see at this time?
Ist Gear Productions is a group that puts on plays with young actors to give
them the opportunity to work to a high standard of production on plays that are
relevant to them, often written for specific groups of actors by myself. I have
always found this age group an exciting and rewarding one to work with. In
After Juliet we have an age range of 17 – 23 years - one still at school, one
on stage for the first time, a few having now got several productions under
their belts. And all with great focus and commitment to making this play work.
SARAH DELAHUNTYOther productions by 1st Gear have been 2b or nt 2b, Medea
Songs. Crazy Joint Love, Trusting Strangers Counting Stars, Falling
Sparrows Here or There, Hair the rock musical, and co-winner of this
years Best Theatre in the Wellington Fringe, Affinity. www.1stgearproductions.co.nz
After Juliet runs in Circa Two until 8 June - to book, call the box office on 801-7992 or visit www.circa.co.nz.
This week, cast members Iris Henderson and Maxwell Aspe tell drama on the waterfront why we should see their new play with 1st Gear Productions, After Juliet.
Maxwell
All rightey all you blogomites, my job is to
convince you to come see the play After Juliet while also maintaining a
charming demeanor. Can I?
First off, it’s a sequel to the classic tale of star-crossed lovers we all know
so well. Come on, aren’t you a little curious about what the heck happened
next? Was everything hunky-dory? Maybe not! Come see to find out.
Second of all, it’s a 1st Gear Production. These guys know what they’re doing.
And when I say these guys, I really mean one guy. And when I say one guy, I
mean the fantabulous Sarah Delahunty. I have worked with this magnificent woman
for five years now, and in that time I have seen her create magic by combining
Dr. Seuss and Shakespeare, make hippies relevant to the present day, and of
course have an eighteen year old boy play a fifty year old, very feminine,
ex-pole dancer convincingly. So, you know you’ve got some quality stuff when
you’re getting it from her.
Third, and most important, we’re working real hard over here! C’mon! There’s
fighting, and ice blocks, and scary dream sequences! What more could you want
from a play?
So when you’re deciding what to do from the 25th of May to the 8th of June,
remember, there’s a kick-ass play down at Circa you’re bound to love. So get
down there and see it!
Iris
I am ridiculously lucky to be a part of After
Juliet. I am lucky to be able to act alongside so many awesomely talented
people, and I am lucky for the opportunity to perform in Circa Theatre: one of
New Zealand’s leading theatres. As I am new to working with Sarah Delahunty and
1st Gear Productions, performing in The Young and Hungry Festival of New
Theatre (Flash 2012) as well as Summer Shakespeare (Antony and Cleopatra 2013)
put me in a position where being a part of After Juliet was a possibility for
me – which is awesome.
Working on After Juliet has truly been such an experience. The cast are all
incredibly fun, talented, and crazy in that way that all actors seem to be.
Despite all of us having dedicated up to ten hours a week for rehearsal over
the last three months, we’re not sick of each other yet – so that’s an
accomplishment! In my opinion there’s nothing in the world quite like being a
part of a production, and it’s definitely something I hope to continue with my
whole life.
Young and Hungry was an amazing way of starting out, meeting people, and
becoming involved in Wellington’s theatre scene, without which I wouldn’t be
where I am today. Haven’t heard of it? It’s a festival of three productions run
back-to-back at BATS theatre for a two week season. I just couldn’t get enough
of it in 2012 (*cough* - look out for me and Catriona in this year’s Dragonlore
- *cough*).
Rehearsing in Circa Two this week will be super exciting and I can’t wait for
opening night!
After Juliet opens in Circa Two on 25 May and runs until 8 June. To book, call the Circa Box Office on 801-7992 or visit www.circa.co.nz.
