'Romeo and Juliet' opens Thursday

by Sharlene Irete

sirete@recordcourier.com

The Theater of Arts Discipline retells Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" with the feuding Capulets and Montagues represented as winter and fall.

"It's not necessarily 'Nightmare Before Christmas,' but one side is fall and the other is winter, which clash," said TOAD director Rich Garrett. "We're using the idea of Halloween versus Christmas so kids can identify one side against the other."

TOAD's production of "Romeo and Juliet" opens Thursday at Pau-Wa-Lu Middle School, and is performed by 14 students from Carson Valley and Carson City.

"When people think Shakespeare, they think traditional," said Garrett. "I was trying to find a different angle for our youth theater company to perform. We decided to make this entirely new and make it more accessible to a modern-day audience.

"Shakespeare purists will say 'yikes!' and there's inherent risks, but the students have loved it. They are so psyched with the concept. They bought into it 150 percent.

"This has been a challenge, but I couldn't be prouder of how these kids have attacked this," he said.

"Shakespeare wrote about humans, human feeling and thought. It's no different than modern day, just a different way to say it. There's a reason why it's endured for several centuries. People love to go somewhere to see real people who share the same experiences."

Garrett said he and his wife Kris Garrett created the TOAD youth theater company to provide a performing outlet for young people in Carson Valley.

"I like nothing better than to see them flourish," Rich Garrett said. "I'm so excited to be part of this community. It's a great place to do what we want to do - provide something for kids where they're not bored and they're not getting into trouble. Then all of the sudden they're hooked. They're so ready for it."

Performances are 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, at Pau-Wa-Lu Middle School in the Gardnerville Ranchos. Tickets are $10 adults and $8 for students and seniors, available at (775) 219-3577 or toadinc@gmail.com

Information on upcoming TOAD summer drama camps at www.toad.vpweb.com