Isaac Hickox-Young, Billie Wyatt & More Will Star in ROMEO & JULIET at Shakepeare Theatre of New Jersey

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (STNJ) has announced the cast for its upcoming production of Romeo and Juliet, running from September 10th - October 5th at the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre on the campus of Drew University in Madison, New Jersey.

Romeo and Juliet is one of the most enduring and influential tragedies in Western literature. The play is a cautionary tale about the tragic consequences of young love trying to exist amidst a world entrenched in hatred.

Director Bonnie J. Monte, who has both directed and produced numerous productions of Romeo and Juliet over many decades, spoke about why she feels her work on this production will be different. “What’s happening all over the world, and especially here in America, has given me a whole new, visceral understanding of the ‘civil strife’ that occurs in Romeo and Juliet,” Ms. Monte said. “I don’t think that American artists have, for the most part, dealt with the ‘hate half’ of the play effectively,” said Monte. “Most of the productions I have seen, including my own, have dealt with the ‘love half’ of the play much more successfully. But without the equal, though horrendous, power of hate providing an equal, opposing force for the conflict, we really don’t do justice to what Shakespeare is trying to make us feel and comprehend.”

Real-life couple Isaac Hickox-Young and Billie Wyatt take on the titular roles. The pair first met during the Theatre’s 2019 Shakespeare LIVE! touring production of Romeo and Juliet. Most recently, Isaac Hickox-Young appeared in STNJ’s 2024 production of The Book of Will and the 2023 production of The Rose Tattoo. Billie Wyatt appeared in last season’s Sense and Sensibility and the 2023 production of A Midwinter Night’s Dream. The prestigious cast of fifteen includes several STNJ and Broadway veterans — Celeste Ciulla as the Nurse, Dino Curia as Paris, Edward Furs as Prince Escalus, Robert S. Gregory as Lord Montague, Anthony Marble as Lord Capulet, Quentin McCuiston as Mercutio, Raphael Nash Thompson as Friar Laurence, and Aurea Tomeski as Lady Capulet. Newcomers Christopher Atchison, Ryan N. Murray, Nicole Lawrie, Triever Sherwood, and Godswill Utionkpan are making their Main Stage debuts with this production.

The production team includes set designer Sarah Beth Hall; lighting designer Andrew Hungerford; and fight director Rod Kinter (Broadway: The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical). In addition to directing, Ms. Monte is also the costume and sound designer for the production. Mary Garrigan, Jenna Gregson, and Mikki Monfalcone are the stage managers.