U. group brings Shakespeare to young'uns

Most Juliets don't get asked after their performance by giggling audience members if their kisses with their Romeos were real, or if they were "movie kisses." But then again, the average Shakespeare patron isn't a fourth-grader. As a precursor to its show last weekend, the Underground Shakespeare Company, a student performance group, put on an abbreviated and slightly censored version of Romeo and Juliet for about 90 children from Wilson Elementary School Wednesday afternoon. "They got a chance to see not only Romeo and Juliet, but also what a group of students can do," said Nigel Caplan, co-founder of the Underground Shakespeare Company. "Maybe what they could be." About an hour of dialogue was cut from the play and replaced with original narration. Other changes included removing some of the sexual innuendos from the play and keeping Romeo and Juliet fully clothed during the bedroom scene. The matinee performance represented several firsts. Not only was it the first time Juliet, played by Wharton senior Stephenie Park, has been asked such a question, it was also the first time College senior Kate Davis has directed a play with the Undergroundlings -- as they call themselves -- and the first time since its founding in 2001 that the group has put on a tragedy. The play was also the first matinee tailored exclusively to school groups that the Undergroundlings have ever performed. But according to Davis, this special school matinee is something that the company has been working toward since the drafting of its charter. She said it fits right into the Undergroundlings' commitment to "opening up Shakespeare to a wider audience." Other manifestations of this philosophy include the production's low ticket price, its short rehearsal time and the minimal sets and costumes used. Though this is their first performance for school kids, the Undergroundlings have been working with Wilson Elementary School, a Penn Partnership school that is funded in part through the University, for some time. Earlier this year, the company did a workshop with a fourth grade class at the school, involving the kids in a rehearsal of Romeo and Juliet, Act I, Scene 1. The same fourth graders came today to see the final product. They seemed immersed in the world of the story, turning around in their seats when Juliet thought she saw Tybalt's ghost at the back of the room. They also showed concern for the welfare of the characters, telling Lady Capulet after the show that Lord Capulet was really mean. "Is your husband abusive?" they asked her. "Does he beat you?" The Undergroundlings found the children's response to the show -- including all their questions -- evidence of a good day's work. Caplan said that "if any of the 60 kids here decide they want to see another Shakespeare play, that's worth everything we put into it."