Jessica Hannam, Melanie Allison, and Molly Dawkins rehearse as Montagues at odds with Capulets.
Jessica Hannam, Melanie Allison, and Molly Dawkins rehearse as Montagues at odds with Capulets.
BlackBox Creative's 2017 retelling of William Shakespeare's classic tale Romeo and Juliet reimagines the ill-fated lovers as inmates in a New Zealand women's correctional facility.
The fictional Verona Correctional Facility for Females plays home to director/producer Mel Martin's adaptation at The Meteor, in Hamilton from November 10 to 18 andhas just begun rehearsing.
With some male characters necessary, the cast is predominantly female to work within the prison setting chosen.
Kate Booker and Sherrie Roue-Walker rehearse their final scene as lovers.
"The challenge will be in creating unique elements to the production without altering the script too much, which I think audiences will find particularly interesting," Martin said. In the adaptation, the Capulet gang are at odds with the Montagues.
But add to that a Romeo (Kate Booker) inside for a crime she can't tell anyone about, a Juliet (Sherrie Roue-Walker) who is discovering a new side of her sexuality, a transgender Nurse (Laurie Hayes) who fights to be himself in a system that doesn't recognise his gender happening under Prince's (Danny Bailey) watch - all within the confines of Shakespeare's original text.
Join BlackBox Creative at The Meteor later this month to see how it all unfolds. Adults $25, students/seniors/concession $15. Tickets available at www.themeteor.co.nz. M15 - Parental guidance is recommended.
