Actors in "Thus With a Kiss I Die" portray Romeo and Juliet in the fictitious Jekyll University's production of Shakespeare's play. Set in the American south in 1958, the interracial casting creates tension at the university and mayhem ensues. (Left to right) Evan Phillips, Raied Jawhari and Jamie Lien (Photo by Teriah Fleming)
Up close and personal, the MSU Department of Theatre presents “Thus With a Kiss I Die."
This is the department’s first immersive theatre project. It's about the clash of world views at a southern university in 1958, where a progressive director from New York has cast a black Romeo and a white Juliet in the university’s production of “Romeo and Juliet."
Audiences will be free to explore the Auditorium, which has been transformed into the setting, selecting which storylines to follow and choosing their own adventure.
Assistant director Sam Meade said he leaped at the opportunity to get involved with the immersive style of theater when director Rob Roznowski first presented the idea last summer.
“It’s going very well. It’s a beautiful project, a beautiful thing the actors have created. The designers, all of their rooms, the spaces audience members can go into are very exciting because it really plays to the adventurous nature of people,” Meade said. “People can go and explore things they want to explore. They can follow actors they want to follow and it’s just a great opportunity for actors and audience members to get to know the style of immersive theater.”
The show’s title, a pruned line from Shakespeare’s tragedy, echoes the severity of opposing standpoints the characters hold. The show addresses topics like sexism, racism, abuse and homophobia. Assistant director Briana Beeman said the issues presented in the show are not confined to 1958.
“A lot of the issues we are focusing on are still prevalent today. There’s still racism and violence within our society, so Rob wanted to highlight how we have changed as a society,” Meade said. “We have made strides and progress, but we’re still not there yet.”
Tickets for the show are $17 for the public and $12 for students. Tickets are available at the MSU Auditorium and the Wharton Center Box Office, 1-800-WHARTON or whartoncenter.com.
SHOWTIMES
MSU AUDITORIUM
8 p.m. Feb. 16
8 p.m. Feb. 17
2 p.m. Feb. 18
7:30 p.m. Feb. 20
7:30 p.m. Feb. 21
7:30 p.m. Feb. 22
8 p.m. Feb. 23
Saturday, February 24, 2018 at 2:00pm
Saturday, February 24, 2018 at 8:00pm
Sunday, February 25, 2018 at 2:00pm
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