VERILY 80'S ROMEO & JULIET to Launch Speak Low Productions in LA

A new Los Angeles theatre company is making its debut this fall with a bold reimagining of one of Shakespeare's most enduring classics. Speak Low Productions will launch its inaugural season with Verily 80's Romeo & Juliet, a gender-reversed adaptation set in a nostalgic 1980s American high school.

Running September 11 through October 4 in Hollywood, the production preserves William Shakespeare's original language while completely reimagining every character through gender reversal, offering audiences a fresh perspective on the timeless story of love, family, identity, and belonging.

Drawing inspiration from the films, music, fashion, and culture of the 1980s, Verily 80's Romeo & Juliet explores the universal themes at the heart of Shakespeare's tragedy through a world that feels both familiar and unexpectedly new.

The production also marks the official launch of Speak Low Productions, a new Los Angeles theatre company dedicated to presenting classic works in innovative ways while creating artistic opportunities for local theatre makers.

"Every generation inherits Shakespeare. The question isn't whether we should tell these stories again—it's how we can help today's audiences see themselves in them."

That philosophy became the foundation of the company.

"I founded Speak Low Productions because I believe these stories still have something vital to say," said founder and director Libby Letlow. "At a time when so much of our lives happens through screens, live theatre offers something increasingly rare: the chance to gather in one room and share an experience that exists only in that moment. It reminds us that we're connected through our laughter, our heartbreak, and our shared humanity."

She continued, "We don't need another Romeo & Juliet simply because it's a classic. We need productions that encourage audiences to discover something they haven't seen before. Setting the play in the 1980s and reimagining its entire world through gender reversal wasn't about changing Shakespeare—it was about uncovering new questions hidden inside a story we thought we already knew. That's the kind of work Speak Low Productions hopes to create."

Featuring a cast and creative team of more than 20 Los Angeles artists, Verily 80's Romeo & Juliet represents the company's first step toward establishing a home for imaginative classical theatre in Los Angeles.