Rosalind & Juliet at Hudson Valley Theatre

Rosalind & Juliet, a new Black, queer, revolutionary prequel to Romeo & Juliet written and scored by Janelle Lawrence, comes to Craryville this June for a limited workshop production blending classical inspiration with contemporary urgency.

Set against a city divided by feuding families, political unrest, and the threat of plague, Rosalind & Juliet centers two young women who dare to choose truth over expectation. As underground resistance movements rise beneath Verona’s streets, Rosalind and Juliet discover a connection that challenges everything they have been taught about love, identity, and destiny.

This is not simply a love story.
It is a story about freedom of thought, identity, body, and future.

The production explores the transformative power of queer love, resistance against systems that restrict identity, and the courage required to imagine a freer world. Through revolutionary meetings, masquerade balls, and intimate acts of rebellion, the play creates a world that feels both timeless and urgently contemporary.

“At its heart, this play explores two powerful forces: the love of knowledge and the love of love,” says playwright Janelle Lawrence. “Rosalind is a revolutionary voice fighting social constraints, while Juliet is awakening to her own autonomy in a world that has already planned her future.”