The theater program began rehearsals Aug.29 in preparation for their performance of Romeo and Juliet in the Kabuki style.

“What I’m looking forward to is just translating a story that everyone already knows or has studied at some point in their lives into something that is visually new,” theatre director Jonathan Alonso said.

Alonso picked the play based on the connections he found between the cultural setting of Japanese foreign films and the traditional Romeo and Juliet.

“I’m a fan of a lot of foreign films as well as some Japanese films, and as I was trying to pick a play to do, I found a lot of similarities between the time period that Romeo and Juliet existed and the warlords, samurai, and clans of that time, so I really liked the idea of putting them together,” Alonso said.

The Kabuki style is a Japanese dance-drama with a very different line of costumes and makeup that explores Japanese culture.

“I can’t say if I prefer the normal style of Romeo and Juliet or Kabuki because I’ve never done something this different, but I do believe that this will be a lot more interesting and eye catching to the audience,” sophomore Shiane Galasso, who is playing the part of Juliet, said.

The Kabuki style will have all the same dialogue as the original Romeo and Juliet, but there will be some changes in the set, makeup and costuming.

“The Kabuki style is mainly just the feel of the show, so costumes and set pieces will be different but not our dialogue so it won’t really change the way I perform,” senior Collin Brown, who is playing the part of Romeo, said. “I can’t really say if I prefer Kabuki to the original Romeo and Juliet this early in the process but I think both are great ways of doing the show.”

The stage manager, junior Jenna Hoover, also shares the differences that she will be experiencing with the Kabuki style.

“In the Kabuki style I think the set will be rather minimalistic, with the elements of typical Japanese architecture. Personally, I’ve seen a lot of traditional Shakespeare, so it’s fun to see how people interact with the traditional settings and language; however, stories like Romeo and Juliet can be interpreted in so many ways it can be really exciting to see such a familiar show done in a new and unfamiliar way.”

The Kabuki style has never been used at Vandegrift before, and Galasso says it will present some new challenges for the performance.

“One thing that I believe we will struggle with the most is the dancing and poses we have to conduct throughout the play because they are not traditional for us,” Galasso said. “Although, I know that we will work as a team to succeed.”

The show is planned to open on Nov. 10 and will run until Nov. 13. Alonso says he’s looking forward to exposing the school to the Kabuki culture.

“It’s kind of nice to have something familiar like chicken noodle soup and add a different spice to it,” Alonso said. “You realize, this is different, but it’s good.”