We Happy Few Productions presents ROMEO AND JULIET

As part of the 8th Annual Capital Fringe Festival, local theatre company We Happy Few will present ROMEO AND JULIET in July 2013 at Source Theatre, located at 1835 14th St NW, Washington, DC. The mission of the company is to provide "stripped down, small cast, ensemble productions that provide unique takes on classic texts." This method, which was so successful with past interpretations of HAMLET (performed last year at the Capital Fringe Festival) and THE TEMPEST, will be exemplified in a fast-paced, 90-minute, 8 actor ROMEO AND JULIET.

Why take on Shakespeare’s perennially-performed tragedy of star-crossed lovers? The We Happy Few treatment will cut down the script, strip down the characters, and get to the root of Juliet’s plight. With only Juliet portrayed by a woman and all other characters – women and men – played by men, WHF explores the story of Juliet, strengthened by love, seeking to forge her own destiny in a world dominated by the wills of men. As always, WHF maintains its commitment to illuminating the text in exciting ways while maintaining the integrity of Shakespeare’s characters, story and language.

Director and WHF co-founder Hannah Todd will lead a cast of just 8, including Nathan James Bennett*, Chris Dinolfo*, Chris Genebach*, Kiernan McGowan, Paul Reisman*, William Vaughan, Sean Hudock* as Romeo and WHF co-founder Raven Bonniwell as Juliet. Rose Barber will design costumes, Curry Hackett will design the set, and Casey Kaleba, who worked with WHF on HAMLET, will choreograph the fight scenes. Lighting designer Jason Aufdem-Brinke, who worked on both HAMLET and THE TEMPEST, will also return.

Last year’s HAMLET at the Capital Fringe Festival and this year’s THE TEMPEST received rave reviews. Celia Wren of the Washington Post called HAMLET "interesting and hyper-watchable" while DC Metro Theatre Arts said, "This is a new approach to Shakespeare you will not want to miss." WDCBuzz called THE TEMPEST "a can’t miss show." DC Theatre Scene says about the company, "We Happy Few has made re-mixing Shakespeare their schtick."

We Happy Few’s ROMEO AND JULIET is presented as a part of the 8th Annual Capital Fringe Festival July 11 – 28, 2013 at Source Theatre. Performances are 7/14 at 7:30pm, 7/15 at 7:30pm, 7/16 at 7:30pm, 7/17 at 7:30pm, 7/21 at 4:00pm, 7/21 at 7:30pm, 7/22 at 7:30pm, 7/23 at 7:30pm, and 7/24 at 7:30pm. Tickets can be purchased online at www.capfringe.org and over the phone through the Fringe box office (866.811.4111). Tickets go on sale June 17th! Visit our website, www.wehappyfewdc.wordpress.com, for more information.

Capital Fringe is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 2005 with the purpose of connecting exploratory artists with adventurous audiences by creating outlets and spaces for creative, cutting-edge, and contemporary performance in the District.

* Equity Actors are appearing under an exclusive arrangement with Actors' Equity Association.