Lean
& Hungry Theater to Perform and Record Radio Drama Version of Romeo and Juliet,
January 8
Production Set to Air on
WAMU-88.5 on February 13,
In Time for Valentine’s Day
Washington, DC December 15, 2010
– Lean & Hungry Theater, DC’s only radio drama company, will perform and record the Shakespeare classic Romeo and Juliet live on January 8 at St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church, 1525 Newton Street, NW, Washington, DC 20010.
Doors open for this one-hour production at 7:30 PM and the recording
will begin at 8 PM. General admission tickets are available at the door
for $15, or $10 for students, seniors and St. Stephen and the
Incarnation parishioners. Children under 12 will be admitted free. Lean
& Hungry’s Romeo and Juliet
is scheduled to air on Washington NPR affiliate WAMU-88.5 on Sunday,
February 13 at 6 PM, immediately before the station’s highly
rated “Big Broadcast” program of classic radio dramas.
The productions and recordings of Lean & Hungry Theater 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 will be provided by
Lean & Hungry Technical Director Gregg Martin, and the
production’s dramaturg is 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.
Upcoming Productions: The
Play’s the Thing
A professional radio theater company performing in St. Stephen and the
Incarnation Episcopal Church, 1525 Newton Street, NW, Washington, DC
20010, Lean & Hungry Theater ties its productions at St.
Stephen’s with church calendar events:
- Measure for
Measure (Lent and Easter: Spring 2011)
- The
Merchant of Venice (Pentecost: June 4 and 5, 2010)
- A Midsummer
Night’s Dream (Ordinary Time: June 2011)
Outside
of St. Stephen, Lean & Hungry works on a wide range of other
projects – from workshops to special themed CD recordings.
We’re always looking for new talent, smart people, and good
ideas.
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