Looking back at this project, I can honestly say it was one of the most fun, yet challenging things I’ve done. Taking Romeo and Juliet and flipping it into a modern parody was a real exercise in creativity, especially when we added over-the-top slang and made the family feud between Seycove and Windsor.
I definitely learned a lot about Romeo and Juliet itself, especially the major themes like love, conflict, and identity. But it was interesting seeing how those themes can be taken out of the 1500s and still be relevant today, even in a totally different setting. When you add all the modern references and slang, the whole thing turns into a crazy, hilarious version of the classic, but the core ideas are still there. It made me realize just how timeless the play really is, even if it’s been re-imagined in all sorts of ways over the years.
What stood out most to me was the balance between staying true to the play and making it fun for a modern audience. We had to keep the big plot points but also figure out how to make it comedic, with lots of exaggeration and fun. I think our modern high school setting really helped bring out the parody aspect. There’s something about the drama of high school rivalries that connects perfectly to the original feud between the families.
The project also pushed me to work with new ideas, especially when it came to creating the script and sound/vision elements. We all had to communicate our ideas, sometimes quickly, to make sure everything fit together for the performance. The rehearsal process definitely helped shape how the final piece came together, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed that part. Even with all the work, it felt like we were all contributing to something really cool, and that made it a lot of fun.
In the end, this project was about more than just learning about Shakespeare. It was about using parody to explore important themes and making them feel relevant to today’s world. I think we nailed that balance, and it was cool to see how creative you can get while still staying true to the heart of the original story.