Raven Bonniwell, Sean Hudock, Chris Genebach & Chris Dinolfo to Lead We Happy Few's ROMEO & JULIET, Begin. Today

We Happy Few Productions, one of Washington D.C.'s preeminent emerging theatre companies, concludes its lauded inaugural season with its signature take on William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet tonight. The 90-minute production, which continues We Happy Few's celebrated commitment to illuminating Shakespeare's text through a fresh lens while maintaining the integrity of his story, characters and language, will run through July 24, 2013 at Source Theatre in Washington, D.C. as part of this year's 8th Annual Capital Fringe Festival.

Praised by the Washington Post for their "interesting, hyper-watchable, impressively brisk" interpretations of Shakespeare's text, We Happy Few will apply its acclaimed treatment to the perennially-performed tragedy of star crossed lovers with an innovative interpretation that gets to the root of Juliet's plight. With only Juliet played by a woman and all other characters played by men, We Happy Few explores the story of Juliet, strengthened by love and seeking to forge her own destiny in a world dominated by the wills of men.

Directed by We Happy Few Co-Founder Hannah Todd, the 8-actor ensemble will feature Raven Bonniwell (PERFECT ARRANGEMENT) as Juliet, Sean Hudock (PRIVATE ROMEO) as Romeo, Helen Hayes Nominee Chris Dinolfo (Synetic Theater's KING LEAR), Chris Genebach (Broadway's SHINING CITY, Bob Falls' KING LEAR with Stacy Keach), Nathan James Bennett (We Happy Few's THE TEMPEST), Paul Reisman (Faction of Fools), William Vaughan (Folger Theatre's TWELFTH NIGHT) and Kiernan McGowan (PERFECT ARRANGEMENT).

The Romeo & Juliet creative team includes fight choreography by Casey Kaleba, Scenic Design by Curry Hackett, Lighting Design by Jason Aufdem-Brinke and Costume Design by Rose Barber. Katie Chew will Stage Manage.

Tickets for We Happy Few's Romeo & Juliet are currently on sale to the public and can be purchased online at www.capfringe.org and over the phone through the Capital Fringe box office (866.811.4111). 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 7:30 pm.

Founded in 2012 by Hannah Todd and Raven Bonniwell, We Happy Few is committed to presenting stripped down, small cast, ensemble productions that offer a unique perspective on classic texts. After a celebrated inaugural season, We Happy Few has established itself as one of Washington D.C.'s preeminent independent theatre companies by nurting a creative environment that thrives on ensemble collaborations with some of the nation's most promising emerging theatre artists. WHF's flagship production of a six actor, 90-minute HAMLET premiered at the 2012 Capital Fringe Festival to great acclaim. Exploring the idea that the entire play unfolded in the title character's mind, the Washington Post hailed the production as "interesting, hyper-watchable, impressively brisk" and DC Metro Theatre Arts declared that We Happy Few's work is "a new approach to Shakespeare you will not want to miss." We Happy Few followed the success of HAMLET with an ensemble production of THE TEMPEST in May of 2013 to further acclaim including WDCBuzz calling it "a can't miss show." Romeo & Juliet will mark the end of WHF's first season, continuing in our tradition of maintaining the integrity of Shakespeare's text, characters and story while exploring his text through a fresh lens. Find We Happy Few on Facebook (Facebook.com/WeHappyFewProductions), Twitter (@WeHappyFewDC) and on our website (WeHappyFewDC.wordpress.com).

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.