MICHAEL WILLIAMS
Staff Writer
Audiences packed Marvel Theatre this past weekend for the second to last show in the Walter Gloor Mainstage Series, “Romeo and Juliet,”
When preparing to play Juliet, junior musical theatre major Jules Pearson had to do things a little different.
“Shakespeare is very informed to the actor. A lot of the objectives are in the text telling the actor what needs to happen action-wise; there is no subtext/subtleness in Shakespeare,” Pearson said.
This differs from many of her other shows at Fredonia. Pearson also expressed her concerns with other traps actors fall into.
“A lot of people think of Juliet as a 13-year-old, ingenue, dream girl. She’s not like that; she’s very strong and searching for her independence throughout the whole show,” she said.
Working with the director is another important aspect of preparing for the role, and Pearson was pleased to work with Ted Sharon.
“Ted was so open to many of my ideas. It was a breath of fresh air,” Pearson said.
For example, during the balcony scene, Pearson carried a bottle of alcohol with her, something from her first run through of the show that she asked to be kept in the show.
Pearson also had many great things to say about her co-star as well.
“[With] Aidan Conklin as Romeo, we were able to trust each other, and we had a great sense of play,” Pearson said. “We could trust each other as actors and scene partners.”
Pearson is thankful to Dan Lendzian, associate professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance (TADA), for the wise words he has given her throughout her time at Fredonia. Pearson took Lendzian’s Shakespeare class.
“With Dan, you always expect the unexpected and to be challenged,” Pearson said.
With Shakespeare being its own genre, actors are expected to know most of his works before they attempt to perform in the play. Sharon helped Pearson strengthen her voice for the role.
Also, as a member of the improv club, “Random Acts,” Pearson learned the tools she needed to experiment with the works of Shakespeare.
This was Pearon’s first Shakespeare show, and when asked what she learned from this show, she said, “Live theatre is still live theatre, Shakespeare or not, all the notes, actions, run throughs, your cast, you all just learn so much from each other and grow close.”