Along the Way Productions presents BCC: ROMEO & JULIET

By: Aug. 27, 2016
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Along the Way Productions announces the company's inaugural project, BCC: Romeo&Juliet, will showcase Monday, September 26th at 7:30 PM at Stage 773 (1225 W Belmont). Granted funding support from Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Along the Way's Founding Artist Amanda Jane Long directs the experimental project.

BCC: Romeo&Juliet is a theatrical production, with a twist on the usual creative process. Eight adventurous cast members signed onto the project anonymously, agreeing to rehearse their role independently, without ever meeting one another. For the entire rehearsal process, the actors - and audiences - will not know the identity of the cast.

On September 26, the cast will arrive inconspicuously with the rest of the audience and take their seats as presumed patrons of opening night. As the actors rise in turn to make their first entrance, cast and audience will share in the revelation of each actor's identity. Shakespeare will sizzle as the company plays everything from first kisses to fatal feuds together for the first time.

"Some of the cast will recognize familiar faces arriving on stage with them. Others, will meet for the first time," says Long. "I am 99 percent certain Romeo and Juliet have never met."

Along the Way will donate a portion of all tickets sold to Gilda's Club Chicago. One of Chicago's most beloved nonprofits, Gilda's Club is named for Gilda Radner, the vibrant Saturday Night Live original cast member who passed of ovarian cancer in 1989. Gilda's Club supports anyone living with cancer, along with their families and friends, as well as those who have lost someone to cancer, with over 350 free programs each month. Long, whose mother passed of colon cancer in 2000, selected Gilda's Club as beneficiary of BCC: Romeo&Juliet.

"Gilda's Club is a perfect fit and so worthy of support" says Long, "Their commitment to well-being and community is inspirational. They make life better along the way."

On Tuesday, October 4 at 6:30 PM, the cast, now revealed to one another and the public, will present a one-hour program at Gilda's Club Chicago. Open to the public, this "greatest hits" rendition of BCC: Romeo&Juliet will feature performances of everyone's favorite bits, including the famous Balcony Scene. Accompanied by her creative team, Long will share highlights of the project and inspiration taken from her mother's life.

The third and final performance of the production will be a fully staged, public access show on Tuesday, October 11 at 7:30 PM at Stage 773. Having now enjoyed two weeks in each other's company, and a single full-cast rehearsal, the cast will perform a final time for the public, for free. Any donations will support the future work of Along the Way Productions.

BCC: Romeo&Juliet marks the Chicago premiere of this pointed and exhilarating play. Romeo&Juliet is an original adaptation by playwright Scott Palmer of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. This smartly succinct script also offers a moving contrast to Romeo and Juliet's risky union, with Mercutio and Benvolia - a couple of time and substance. When Mercutio is killed as a result of the Capulet/Montague feud, the grief-stricken Benvolia becomes culpable in the fate of the star-crossed lovers.

The Chicago credits of the actors include Steppenwolf Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Oak Park Theatre Festival, Lookingglass Theatre, American Theatre Company, Lifeline Theatre, Stage Left Theatre, Steep Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, and many more. Their collective resumes include an array of training programs, local, regional, and national theatre, union affiliations, and experience in theatre, television, and film. Their identities are yet to be revealed.

Tickets are $30 (available at the early bird rate of $23 until September 10). Tickets and information are available at www.alongthewayproductions.com or by calling 773-797-2631.

Along the Way Production Artists find joy in the creative process through art making, mindfulness, and life lived along the way.



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