Studio 58 Romeo and Juliet

Sunday
A long, ongoing feud between the Capulets and Montagues breaks out on the streets of Verona. Both sides are warned by the Prince to not disturb the peace again. 

Romeo, love-sick for Rosaline, is comforted by his friend Benvolio who suggests they go to a party at the Capulet house that night. Meanwhile, Capulet tells Paris that he may not marry Juliet until she is older but invites him to the party.

At the party, Tybalt is prevented by Capulet from fighting with Romeo. Romeo meets Juliet, and they instantly fall in love. After leaving the party, Romeo eludes his friends, returns to meet Juliet, and they exchange vows of love. 

Monday
The next morning, Romeo visits Father Lawrence. Hopeful that a marriage between Romeo and Juliet might end the Capulet-Montague feud, Lawrence consents to marry them.
       
While waiting for Romeo, his friends talk about how Tybalt has challenged Romeo to a fight. Romeo joins them, and is visited by the Nurse, who is told the marriage plan. She returns to Juliet to share the news. Romeo and Juliet are married in secret by Father Lawrence. 

Later that day, Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt. After Mercutio draws on Tybalt and is fatally wounded, Romeo attacks and kills Tybalt. 

The Nurse tells Juliet that Romeo has been banished and she promises to find Romeo and bring him back. Father Lawrence tells a distraught Romeo he is banished, but advises him to visit Juliet secretly, then to leave for Mantua.

As his household mourns Tybalt’s death, Capulet tells Paris he may marry Juliet on Thursday in hopes that a wedding will restore happiness. 

Tuesday
Lady Capulet brings the wedding news to Juliet, who has just bid Romeo a hasty farewell. Juliet refuses to marry Paris, persisting in the face of her father’s anger. She goes to Father Lawrence for help, and finds Paris there arranging the marriage. After he leaves, Lawrence devises a plan: he will give her a drink that will make her appear dead and thus avoid the marriage, and he will message Romeo to tell him. They can then elope to Mantua.

Returning home, Juliet consents to marrying Paris. Overjoyed, Capulet decides to move the wedding to tomorrow. Juliet goes to bed and drinks the liquid. 

Wednesday
The next morning, the Capulet household is busy with preparations for the rushed wedding. The family, including Paris, discover Juliet and believe her to be dead. Her body is carried to the Capulet’s tomb.

Thursday
In Mantua, Balthasar tells Romeo that Juliet is dead. Romeo vows to join her, and obtains a poison from an apothecary. Father Lawrence realizes that Romeo never received his messages.

Paris mourns Juliet in the tomb and encounters Romeo. They fight, and Romeo kills Paris. Romeo then drinks the poison and dies beside Juliet. As Father Lawrence arrives, Juliet wakes up. She refuses to leave, and kills herself. With the Prince, the Capulets, and the Montagues arrive. They agree to make peace and end the feud.

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Stephen is a dramaturg and director originally from Newfoundland and presently based on the lands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples (Vancouver). He holds an MFA in Directing from the University of British Columbia and an MA in Theatre Theory and Dramaturgy from the University of Ottawa and presently works at the Arts Club where he develops new plays. He is a four-time recipient of a Jessie Richardson Award for directing, has worked as a director or dramaturg on over 60 professional theatre productions across Canada and has published research on Shakespeare adaptation process analysis in Shakespeare Bulletin. Stephen has taught and directed at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Douglas College, Neptune Theatre School and the University of British Columbia.

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With passions for both writing and acting, Ellie McCullough (they/she) turns words over like small rocks and analyses their shades. Theatre credits include: Lady Capulet and student choreographer (Romeo and Juliet, Studio 58), The Politician (The Time Machine, Studio 58), Ensemble (We Are Boy Band, Studio 58), Young Republicanette/Swing/Ensemble (Heathers: The Musical, Studio 58), Doctor/Man 1/Priest and co-choreographer (Linck & Mülhahn, Studio 58) and MC (In the Flesh, Risky Nights, Studio 58). Film credits include: Lead (Sex Bomb, Vancouver Film School), Principal (Chromatics, Cartesian Films), Lead (The Crumb and the Blade, InFocus Film School) and Lead (Idea Man, Vancouver Film School). Ellie is honoured to live and perform on the unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. They thank their endlessly supportive family, who sat through many long dance competitions; Tresha and Stella, for keeping them sane; Gus, for reminding her that life isn’t always so serious; and Percy and Todd, for being good dogs.

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Lou Marshall is an emerging stage manager from Treaty 6 Territory (Edmonton, Alberta). She is proud to have graduated from Studio 58’s Production Program in December 2024 alongside a group of impossibly talented emerging actors and designers. 

Since graduating, Lou has been keeping busy behind the scenes, working on productions across the Greater Vancouver area. Recent stage management credits include Metamorphoses (United Players of Vancouver), The Addams Family (Touchstone Theatre), The Forests Wild (Arts Umbrella) and many more. She’s beyond excited to return to Studio 58 as the stage manager for this production of Romeo and Juliet. Keep up with Lou’s latest projects on Instagram: @loumarshalll_ 

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David originally trained as a sculptor and photographer at Emily Carr University, Vancouver and took his Masters in Scenography at Central Saint Martins, London and the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts (DAMU) in Prague. His fine art has been exhibited worldwide and his designs for the stage have been seen across Canada and the UK. Recent work for the stage includes Mamma Mia! for the Arts Club, Body Awareness, Snowflake, Instantaneous Blue and An Intervention for Mitch and Murray; Crazy for You for Royal City Musical Company; Blood Wedding for Studio 58; Medicine for Pi Theatre; The Wolves for Douglas College; and Dead Drone for Upintheair Theatre. David has production designed Canadian features, television series, movies of the week, National Film Board dramas and has been nominated for The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television (Genie) and Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Foundation of British Columbia (Leo) awards. He is also the recipient of seven Vancouver Theatre Alliance (Jessie) awards. David has taught design in Vancouver, London and Prague and is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada and IATSE local 891. davidscenographer.ca

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In the last 28 years, Omanie has worked as a professional designer, scenic artist and prop builder on over 300 theatre productions, exhibits and TV series/commercials in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, Alberta and Saskatchewan for companies including the Vancouver Playhouse, Arts Club, Firehall Theatre, Pacific Theatre, the Vancouver Opera and Persephone Theatre. She is a member of Associated Designers of Canada Local 659. 

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Mel (they/them) is a queer, Chinese-Indonesian multidisciplinary artist based on unceded Coast Salish territories. Their work is a love letter to colours, finding small joys, community building and celebrating silliness, channelled primarily through costume design, graphic design and visual art. Mel’s process is deeply story-driven and rooted in design dramaturgy, with a specialization in supporting new works and adaptations. Recent theatre collaborations include designing for Playwrights Theatre Centre, Pacific Theatre, ITSAZOO, Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre, among others. In their free time, they love solving crosswords, being surrounded by trees and sharing hotpot with loved ones.

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Amber (she/they) is a costumer from Vancouver, BC. She has a deep love for storytelling and world building through the world of textiles and fashion. She works on a variety of different project types including theatre, film, custom couture pieces and personal creative projects. She loves to be at her sewing machine, bringing both her own and others’ designs to life. When she’s not creating, she can be found out in the sun, at a concert, digging in a thrift store or working at Vancouver's favourite fabric store. Find more of her work here: ambrsmth.weebly.com

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John is honoured to be working with such a wonderful group of artists and also to be back at Studio 58 again. 

A long-time designer of both sets and lighting, he has had the privilege of working with some of Canada’s most talented and adventurous artists. He has been honoured to receive Jessie Richardson Awards and nominations, an Ovation Award; and in Ottawa, a Critics’ Circle award and a Prix Rideau Award all for outstanding design. 

Past credits include: As You Like It, Innocence Lost, Richard III, San Diego and Comedy, Satire, Irony and Deeper Meaning for Studio 58; The Wizard of Oz, Chelsea Hotel: The Songs from Leonard Cohen and The Sound of Music at Western Canada Theatre; Fire Never Dies: The Tina Modotti Project, No Exit and Palace Grand for Electric Company Theatre; Forgiveness, Kinky Boots, Onegin, Angels in America, Part One: Millenium Approaches and Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika for the Arts Club Theatre Company; and Rigoletto and The Marriage of Figaro for Vancouver Opera.

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Select credits: choreographer/intimacy director for Bright Star (GTP/Mirvish), The Dark Lady (Bard on the Beach), A Doll’s House (Arts Club) and Pride & Prejudice (Western Canada/Gateway). Associate movement director/intimacy director for Choir Boy (Arts Club) and intimacy director for Die Fledermaus (Vancouver Opera), Yaga (Touchstone Theatre) and Waitress (Arts Club). Lisa is a certified intimacy director through Intimacy Directors and Coordinators and is a graduate of Studio 58.

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A certified fight director and instructor with Fight Directors Canada, Mike is also active in the film and television scene in Vancouver and across Canada. In between teaching stage combat at places like UBC, Capilano University and TRU (among others), Mike has a habit of getting beaten up in various forms of stage and screen. 

In alphabetical order by character:

Abraham/Servant 1 – Alexander Markovina (he/him)
Antonia/Servant 4 – Lucy McLachlan (she/her)
Apothecary/Servant 3 – Ava Knight (she/they)
Balthasar/Student 1 – Carys Watts (she/her)
Benvolio – Aidan Currie (he/him)
Capulet – Gus Setala-Gay (they/them)
Father Lawrence – Alek Toledo-Cisak (he/him)
Gregory – Chhavi Disawar (she/her)
Juliet – Saidi Mader (she/her)
Lady Capulet – Ellie McCullough (they/she)
Lady Montague – Emma Tow (she/her)
Mercutio – Juno (any)
Montague – Alex Christie (he/him)
Nurse – Irene Lozano-Garcia (she/her)
Paris – Evan Andersen Sterns (he/him)
Peter – Daniel Marte (he/him)
Prince/Student 2 – Clayton Melanson (he/him)
Romeo – Evan Makowecki (he/him)
Sampson/Servant 2/Student 3 – Stella Jack-Rennie (they/she)
Tybalt – Hernán Alonso Adrianzén Abanto (he/him)

Studio 58 offers professional theatre training for actors and production personnel. The six terms of practical training consist of intensive classroom work as well as performance and backstage experience in productions. Production students and third term acting students operate sound, lighting and video and act as running crew and stage management.

Stage Management
Assistant Stage Managers – Linden Kienzle (she/her), Mayara Nobre (she/her)

Set/Paint
Set Crew Head – Anne Constance (she/her)
Paint Crew Head – Christo Zouzoulas (he/him)
Crew – Lucy Bennett (she/her), Gabriel Eum (he/him), Sawyer Marc (he/him), Ava Joy (she/her), Amelia Kondor (she/her), Jeremy Lin (he/him), Jilian Tolzmann (she/they)

Props
Crew Head – Jacob Joseph (he/him)
Crew – Sappho Brown (they/them), Hazel Ogden (any), Jocelyn Wale (she/her)

Costumes
Crew Head – Kaliyana Denham-Rohlicek (she/her)
Crew – Isabella Maria Ciccone (she/her), Kay Foord-Catterall (they/them), Samaya Pankanea (she/her), Liam Pritchard (they/them), Destiny Renne (they/them)

Lighting
Crew Head – Kobe Lim (he/him)
Crew – Clara Eppic (she/her), Megan McGregor (she/her), Sally Montgomerie (she/her), Fifi Samuel (she/her), Taylor Weeks (they/she), Tad Wicht (he/they)

Sound
Crew Head – Dre Zachary-Mattias Ayisi-Nyarko (he/him)
Crew – Haylee Raby (she/her)

Extreme
Crew Head – Abby Zacharias (she/her)

Marketing
Crew Head – Payton Gowdar (she/her)
Crew – Jack Ea (he/him), Aurora Maher (she/her)

Interim Co-Artistic Director – Raes Calvert (he/him)
Interim Co-Aristic Director – Stephanie Elgersma (she/her)
Communications and Marketing Manager – Halla Bertrand (she/her)
Production Manager (On Leave) – Ruth Bruhn (she/her)
Production Manager – Pamela Jakobs (she/her)
Technical Director – Kevin MacDonald (he/him)
Voice and Dialect Coach – Brad Gibson (he/him)

A big thank you to the following people, organizations and companies for supporting Romeo and Juliet:

• Robin Richardson – carpentry support
• Ace Martens – sound support
• Rachel E. Ross – light support
• Kathryn Shaw – opening night cake sponsor
• Michael Gall
• Robyn Volk
• Arts Club Theatre Company
• Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
• Jessica Chamber
• Jonathan Ryder
• Jack Chipman
• Natalie LeFebvre Gnam
• Electric Company Theatre