UNI Theatre R and J

University of Northern Iowa

Early Shakespeare productions included audiences from all corners of society. Audiences stood or sat in close proximity; they not only conversed with each other as the play performed, but often called to the actors directly. Their level of engagement was physical, social, audible, visual, and aesthetic.

Audiences new to Shakespeare often find his plays inaccessible. Thwarted by the heightened language, they often struggle to find a “point of entry” into the world of the play.

The company of Romeo and Juliet hopes that the App offers contemporary audiences a modern day entry point for engaging in our production. We hope the App provides you with content about the play, William Shakespeare, and the world in which we have conceptualized our production. More importantly, we want the App to engage you with these characters in ways that help you begin to see them as people responding to fundamental human emotions, conflicts, and challenges.