Student production runs March 2-12 at Playhouse Square’s Outcalt Theatre

Cleveland State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance, a Resident Company of Playhouse Square, tells the tale of star-crossed lovers in William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. Playing in the Outcalt Theatre in the Allen Theatre Complex at Playhouse Square, March 2-12, 2017, the romantic tragedy is one of The Bard’s most beloved classics.

Directed by CSU Associate Professor Michael Mauldin, Romeo & Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s most recognized masterpieces. Romeo of the Montagues and Juliet of the Capulets fall in love, but their families are embroiled in an age-old feud, so they marry in secret. When Juliet’s parents betroth her to another, and Romeo gets caught up in the death of a Capulet, these ill-fated lovers are tossed into a whirlwind of wretched fate that leaves both sides shocked and changed for all time.

Mauldin believes that Shakespeare’s actors were swift and dazzling. “I hope to bring the excitement, fun, and heartbreak that Elizabethan audiences witnessed to Cleveland audiences,” he says.

Junior theater major Sarah Blubaugh (who plays Juliet) agrees. “She’s not the Juliet you’ve seen time and time again. I’m really excited to play her because it’s another chance to show off a strong female in Shakespeare.”

Shows run Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., as well as Sundays at 2 p.m. General admission tickets, which cost $10, are available by calling 216.241.6000, visiting playhousesquare.org, or buying at the State Theatre Ticket Office, located at 1519 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115. Tickets are also available 60-minutes prior to performances at the Allen Theatre Complex. CSU students, faculty and staff can purchase one $5.00 ticket per valid CSU ID presented at the time of an in-person purchase.

The play stars Sarah Blubaugh as Juliet and Eric Wloszek as Romeo. Additional members of the all-CSU cast include: Alexandra Bair (Lady Capulet), Chace Coulter (Lord Capulet), John P. Cox (Sampson/Friar John), Lainne Davis (Lady Montague), Jordan Ficyk (Tybalt), Benjamin Gillooly (Abram), Patrick Gladish (Mercutio) Casie Griffis (Balthasar), TJ Hayes (Friar Lawrence), Katie Huskey (Nurse), Zavier McLean (Prince), Nnamdi Okpala (Paris), Timothy Richard Parks (Lord Montague/Gregory/Apothecary), and Daniel Weddell (Benvolio).

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