Press

Romeo and Juliet

Star-Crossed Lovers Play Under The Stars
By Adam Paul
The Bulletin,
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Flanked by children gleefully running around a playscape and a few men playing football, a young man leans upon a rusty metal drum, looks up at a young lady and claims lovingly, "and Juliet is the sun." Attired in blue athletic shorts and a yellow T-shirt (not his formal costume), our Romeo took the outdoor stage in Clark Park Monday night for a rehearsal of this summer's production of Shakespeare in Clark Park… click for full article.

Editor's Pick: Romeo and Juliet
By J. Cooper Robb
The Philadelphia Weekly, Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet is typically thought of as the tale of two "star cross'd lovers." But in the new production from fledgling company Shakespeare in Clark Park, the focus won't be as much on the doomed couple as on a community divided. Director Tom Reing explains that while the production isn't set in any particular era, the rampant violence besetting the lovers' hometown of Verona is not unlike the hostilities currently plaguing Philadelphia. The profound civil unrest is reflected in Jacob Walton's scenic design, which depicts Verona as cancerous concrete, dirt and corroded steel, an image echoed in Kelly Cobb's oxidized costumes. Juxtaposed with the decay is the pastoral beauty of the park where the teen lovers seek refuge from their feuding families. Trimmed down from its usual three hours to approximately 100 minutes, SCP's Romeo and Juliet follows up the company's successful debut production last summer of the Bard's Twelfth Night, which attracted more than 2,000 spectators to the West Philly park. The company has upgraded its sound system to accommodate a larger audience, so wherever you spread your blanket, you won't miss a word of Shakespeare's eloquent prose.

Arts Picks: Romeo and Juliet
By David Anthony Fox
The Philadelphia City Paper, Thursday, July 25, 2007
Pity poor Romeo and Juliet, so many times dissed. First, of course, by their wacko families, resulting in one of literature's most tragic love affairs. More recent rejections have come from generations of eye-rolling middle school students, whose only exposure to Shakespeare has been from this play, which they dismiss, often unread, as soppy. How wrong they are. R&J is one of Shakespeare's greatest, and it's also (teens, take note) the founding document for shows like The O.C. , One Tree Hill and others. If you think R&J is soppy, pay more attention. It's thrilling, scary, muscular — and of course, very, very sad. And happily, the play is having a renaissance. This year, there have been several local productions (as well as one by the New York Public Theater). But I can't think of a better way to savor R&J than live in Clark Park, where the intimacy, and the landscape, should suit it perfectly. And it's free! It seems that the doomed lovers will have their day in the sun — better yet, their evening in the moonlight — after all.

Twelfth Night

Shakespeare in Clark Park a Summer Treat
By Toby Zinman
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Saturday, August 5, 2006
The Twelfth Night presented in Clark Park by a small troupe of theatrical pros is a remarkable combination of excellent classical acting and disconcertingly contemporary naturalness. Director Tom Reing has found some lovely and funny place where Shakespeare's world and ours meet under a half-moon on a hot summer's night. Bring a blanket and picnic dinner, bring the kids, the dogs, the bicycle, bug spray, a beach chair, whatever - but don't miss this one… click for full article.

All Clark Park's a stage for Bard's “Twelfth Night”
By Tanya Barrientos
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Thursday, August 3, 2006
When you picture Shakespeare in the park, you think warm, breezy nights, black, starry skies, and gentle waves of the Bard's lyrical verse. Not 11 struggling actors competing with 22 unyielding soccer players, a dozen loose dogs, and a steady stream of neighborhood joggers for a patch of green at Clark Park in West Philly. But that's how rehearsals have been for a small band of professional actors hoping to revive the local tradition of Shakespeare under the stars with little more than a handful of inexpensive props and sheer determination… click for full article.

Midsummer Madness: The brand-new Shakespeare in Clark Park takes it outside
by Rachel Frankford
The Philadelphia City Paper, Thursday, August 3, 2006
Last summer, while waiting out a downpour in the Franklin Mills Mall, actors Maria Möller and Marla Burkholder started talking about what they missed in Philly's summer theater scene. A year later, the result of that conversation is four nights of free theater from the first truly Philadelphian Shakespeare in the Park company, founded by Burkholder, Möller, director Tom Reing and managing director Whitney Estrin… click for full article.

A-List: Twelfth Night
By J. Cooper Robb
The Philadelphia Weekly, August 2, 2005
Reing has emerged as one of the city’s most creative directors, and with a strong cast performing a taut, edited version of the play, the show provides a rare opportunity to see the best of professional Philadelphia theater free of charge… click for full article.