Andres Fonda Jackson and George MaguireJulian Lopez-Morillas and Linda Paplow
Drew Hirschfield as Jasper's ghostRobert Currier directing
We are thrilled to welcome the following actors to the Forest Meadows stage this summer:

 

Verona is the home to the most famous lovers in all of literature.
Today, visitors can pretend to be Romeo gazing up at a balcony above walls strewn with colorful note notes, or they can — like Paris — visit Juliet’s tomb to pay homage to her tragic young demise. Shakespeare set both of the romantic plays you can see this summer at Forest Meadows in this city of love, 71 miles west of Venice with its political and international ties. To Shakespeare, Verona held all the charm of Venetian art and culture, yet retained a more homey and natural ambiance. While the Duke of Venice in Othello plots troop movements, the corresponding authority figure, the Friar in Romeo and Juliet, is a botanist who cavorts through the fields searching for medicinal plants.

It is tempting to think of Venice and Verona as a metaphor for London and Stratford. The big city is the venue for law, politics, courts and noblemen. The town is the place where one first falls in love, struggles with one’s parents, and enjoys the company of one’s chums. Literary historians continue to argue over whether or not Shakespeare ever visited Italy. Some of his geographical details are quite bad, yet he has a well-developed sense of Italy’s nostalgic romance. Whether or not Shakespeare ever found his way to Verona, it held a fascination for the playwright and it continues to cast its spell on visitors to this day.