#Romeo and Juliet at Petaluma Adobe

[we-players]

#ThrowbackThursday to 5 years ago as we worked long days in the sun, rehearsing for Romeo & Juliet at Petaluma Adobe, with Mohammad Shehata as Romeo and María Ascención Leigh as Juliet.

Photo by Lauren Matley

[we-players]

A few warning signs for others during rehearsals for Romeo & Juliet at Petaluma Adobe State Park in 2016

[we-players]

#ThrowbackThursday - here's a glimpse back 3 years at 2016's Western comitragedy "Romeo & Juliet at Petaluma Adobe"

[we-players]

Have you been tirelessly searching for the perfect card to send out for Summer Solstice? Are you feeling self conscious about the generic hipster art adorning your walls? Fret no more! With a donation of $150, you'll receive a whimsical set of 6 limited edition, never before seen Midsummer of Love postcards featuring the costume renderings of our very talented Brooke Jennings! AND, you'll be covering the cost of feeding one whole actor for the duration of our tech week! (No one wants a hungry actor; they're the worst!)

Above are some of Brooke's renderings for Romeo and Juliet at Petaluma Adobe and Ondine at Sutro! Donate now: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1313658164/midsummer-of-love

[we-players]

“By his cockle hat and staff, And his sandal shoon”

-Ophelia, Hamlet

Spotlight on our resident costume designer and frequent collaborator, Brooke Jennings!

The costumes in a show are not only an integral part of the audience’s experience but also of the actors. They shape the character from the inside out! Hear from Brooke about her experience working with We and check out her note in the Undiscovered Country program about the special We Players paisley!

What was your first show with We?

Ondine at Sutro, in 2015

How would you describe working with We in 4 words?

Expansive, Detailed, Grounded

Describe your favorite We Players memory.

Sharing the We experience with a new audience member always leads to my most cherished moments. So in that vein, I’ll share an extra special moment with you all.

My partner, Cole, and I first started dating during Romeo and Juliet at Petaluma Adobe. He had yet to see a We Players Show at this point (I know!), so naturally he was my date on opening night. The show begins in the usual We flurry; gun shots, leather clad rancheros, and the audience looking on with our canteens of wine and napsacks of cheese and crackers. The bells ring in the distance and it’s time for the Ball! We are all given black lace masks; I help Cole tie his and he helps me with mine. To the sound of trumpets, we dance in the middle of the courtyard in the beautiful hills of Petaluma with the actors, staff, fellow audience members, and each other. We laughed, fumbled, and sealed our small moment with a kiss just before Romeo and Juliet lock eyes for the first time.

What is your favorite thing about working on Undiscovered Country?

The expansive quality of We shows usually requires my work to draw and hold audiences attention against roaring cliff sides, sweltering trails, and dense forests. No easy feat given the stunning natural beauty of our performance sites! And while I am deeply grateful for the gift of nature in our shows, this production feels much more distilled. It is a concentrated version of We shows, allowing me to explore detail and precision in the work.

What has been surprising about this process?

The Paisley Research! It’s so satisfying when you stumble onto a treasure chest like this one. The history and story fits so well into our aesthetic for this piece and I learned so much delicious information about a subject I hadn’t really considered before. [Read more about the paisleys in the Undiscovered Country program guide]

Also, pocket soup!  Look up a recipe, it’s a real cowboy treat!

Don’t miss Brooke’s costumes in Undiscovered Country- the final four performances are here, so get your ticket today!

[we-players]

An interview with Undiscovered Country's Chris Steele

We caught up with Chris Steele, who plays Horace in our upcoming production of Undiscovered Country. Here's what they shared about the rehearsal process and about working with We Players.

What was your first show with We? I played Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet at Petaluma Adobe and Villa Montalvo. I've been enamored with We ever since. How would you describe working with We in 4 words? Visceral, Thrilling, Rewarding, Dionysian! Describe your favorite We Players memory. During Midsummer of Love, as my co-Puck Britt and I were speaking about summoning the darkness, this MASSIVE bank of fog rolls over the hilltop out of nowhere and plunges down upon us all. I'm still not convinced that we didn't actually cast a fairy spell. What is your favorite thing about working on Undiscovered Country? The intimacy of the immersion is unlike anything else I have done with We. It is going to be a treat to be so immediately involved with the audience both in terms of proximity and size. This show is really a special chance to feel like you are spitting distance from real and vital theatre. What has surprised you during the building of this production? Honestly, this show has felt magically effortless in its creation in a way no other show has. Ava, Nick, and Hunter are such generous and supportive collaborators so we all keep bouncing ideas off each other and so many of them seem to stick. That kind of synergy is rare!

Don't miss Chris in Undiscovered Country opening next week at San Francisco's Sunnyside Conservatory! Enjoy special low prices on tickets for our Preview performances April 18th & 19th!

https://www.weplayers.org/

[we-players]

Looking back at the summer of 2016 with Romeo & Juliet at Petaluma Adobe this #ThrowbackThursday

And we're looking forward to August & September's CAESAR MAXIMUS at The Music Concourse!

Photos by Lauren Matley

[we-players]

THANK YOU to everyone that joined us last weekend at our preview performances of Romeo & Juliet at Petaluma Adobe!

Sun, wind, tears, joy - we hope you experienced a wealth of sensations as we shared in nature, history, art and community in this special setting. We'd truly appreciate you sharing your experience with others. We Players is in new terrain with this adventure in Sonoma County. Word of mouth is so powerful! A suggestion by a friend can be even more effective than our communication through traditional media avenues. We'd like to maximize all the effort, passion, and talent that went into this production by sharing it with as many people as possible. Please write a quick email, share this link on Facebook, or pick up the phone and tell a colleage of your experience. Thank you again for entrusting us with your time, and supporting us as we craft and share immersive performance experiences that connect people with place. Yours truly, We