Lean
& Hungry Theater’s Romeo and Juliet to
Air on WAMU, February 13 and 14, in Time for Valentine’s Day
JJ Area: Benvolio, Paris
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Chris Genebach:
Lord Capulet |
Luke Cieslewicz: Friar Laurence |
Heather Haney: Nurse |
James Majewski: Romeo |
Karen Novack: Narrator, Lady Montague, Prince |
Bob Sheire: Lord Montague, Balthazar, Mercutio |
Teresa Spencer:
Lady Capulet |
Jay Sullivan: Tybalt, Servant, Watchman |
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Washington, DC January 12, 2011– Lean
& Hungry Theater, DC’s only radio drama company and
Washington DC’s NPR affiliate WAMU-88.5, will air the
company’s production of Romeo
and Juliet twice during Valentine’s Day and the
day before.
The one-hour production is scheduled for broadcast on Sunday, February
13 at 8 PM on WAMU’s HD-3 radio channel, and on
Valentine’s
Day February 14 at 9 PM on the main broadcast frequency (88.5 MHz FM).
Lean & Hungry Theater’s productions and recordings
are endorsed by the Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind.
The cast of Romeo and
Juliet
include JJ Area, Luke Cieslewicz, Chris Genebach, Heather Haney, James
Majewski, Karen Novack, Natalie Pyle, Teresa Spencer, Jay Sullivan and
Bob Sheire. These artists have appeared with or taught at The Folger
Theatre, The Shakespeare Theatre, The Baltimore Shakespeare Festival,
The Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, The Washington Shakespeare Company,
Studio Theatre, and other local and national companies.
Romeo
and Juliet
is directed by Kevin Finkelstein, the co-director of Lean &
Hungry’s Macbeth, which aired on WAMU-88.5 this past
Halloween
evening. Special effects and musical underscore were provided by Lean
& Hungry Technical Director Gregg Martin. The
production’s
dramaturg was Hannah Todd.
The DC public charter school system introduces Shakespeare to students
as early as fourth grade. Among fourth grade students overall in DC,
one in eight are English Language Learners, and one in five are special
needs students.
“The story of Romeo
and Juliet is
among the best known – and most frequently taught –
of
Shakespeare’s plays,” explained Jessica Hansen,
Lean &
Hungry’s Artistic Director. “The tragic love story
takes on
special significance in the time leading up to Valentine’s
Day.”
“We’re making it particularly relevant and
understandable
to younger and underserved audiences by placing it in a contemporary
setting with modern-day sound effects.” Hansen added.
“We
also have edited the production to one hour, with modern-language
narration providing recap of the original text throughout the show.
It’s an ideal way to introduce the broadest audiences to this
important work.”
The resident radio drama company of St. Stephen and the Incarnation,
Lean & Hungry Theater is the only company in the Washington, DC
metropolitan area dedicated to adapting works of Shakespeare and other
classic playwrights for radio broadcast.
About
Lean & Hungry Theater: Conceived in 2006, Lean
& Hungry Theater
(Lean & Hungry) is a non-profit educational radio drama
company.
Drawing primarily on the works of William Shakespeare, Lean &
Hungry provides adaptations of classic dramatic works to underserved
areas, in established or improvised venues (both live and electronic),
for the educational benefit and cultural enrichment of students,
families, seniors and other interested groups in the Washington, DC
metropolitan area and beyond. Lean & Hungry performances are
recorded before a live audience, complete with sound effects and
original musical underscore. The recorded performances are made
available as audio streams, audio CD and as radio broadcast
productions. For more information, visit www.leanandhungrytheater.com
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