02/26/2026
Adapted from the Director's Note:
Everyone knows the tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet. You read it in high school, or maybe you studied it in college. Possibly, you may have even been in it before. For Ash, she read it in the 9th grade. At that time, she relished reading through scenes, but Romeo and Juliet was not the most important thing learned that year in school. That year, she also studied the Holocaust in my German class. Her teacher, Frau Mans always talked about the concentration camps and the museums that preserved them to ensure history did not repeat itself.
Last year, Ash was asked by Bridget Foy to direct a “queer” Romeo and Juliet. At the time, Ash was ecstatic, and right away, she began making vision boards. The first one was centered in the Elizabethan Era, a time period she loves, especially with her love of the renaissance and fantasy genres. But then, the vision evolved. There was no reason needed to do “queer” Romeo and Juliet, but that choice pulled her to and empowered the concept of the 1960’s: a time with vibrant music, fashion that still bares heavy influences to today’s fashion, and the unforgettable and monumental history of the Civil Rights Movement and the Stonewall Riot. A time in history defined by standing up and speaking out about the injustices surrounding many different groups.
A thank you from Ash: "Today, we live in a time where we are fighting to make sure that history does not repeat itself. This cast did an incredible job telling this story and making it their own, but this cast also proved their resiliency. This cast has uplifted and inspired me, and I will be forever proud of the art we created together during a stifling time in our history and our hour of overcoming in Minnesota."
