Hilo Community Players will be performing “Romeo and Juliet” for the 44th annual Shakespeare in the Park event beginning tonight in the parking lot outside Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
For the second year, “Romeo and Juliet” will be presented in compliance with pandemic guidelines as the Players will appear on a raised stage before an audience watching from their cars. Viewers will be able to tune into the show’s sound with a short-range radio transmission.
The beloved play is being directed by veteran HCP Shakespeare actor Theon Weber. Players will also be joined onstage by a troupe of dancers choreographed by Paradise Performing Arts Center director Nadia Schlosser.
The classic version of the play will start at 7:30 p.m. each night on weekends beginning with Friday, July 9 to Sunday, July 11; Thursday, July 15, to Sunday, July 18; and Thursday, July 22, to Sunday, July 25.
On the same stage, children will perform a kids’ version of the play called “The Seussification of Romeo &Juliet” by Peter Bloedel.
Directed by James Henry Kuliaikapono O’Connor, the children’s show will begin at 4 p.m. every afternoon on Saturdays and Sundays from July 10 to July 25.
All shows will have free admission, with the parking lot opening an hour before each performance.