Saturday, August 4 to Sunday, August 12, 2012; 7:30 p.m.

Location: College of the Atlantic - Gates Community Center, 105 Eden Street, Bar Harbor, Maine

Contact: Donna Gold; 207-801-5623

Website: https://www.facebook.com/HarborsideShakespeareCompany

BAR HARBOR, ME – Harborside Shakespeare Company’s first production, “Romeo and Juliet”, opens Aug. 4. Under the direction of Alicia Hynes and Daniel Mahler, Romeo and Juliet will be performed at College of the Atlantic’s Gates Community Center on Aug. 4, 5, 11, and 12. Famous for staging Shakespeare plays with a modern twist, Hynes and Mahler have produced “Romeo and Juliet” using contemporary music, dance, and costumes.

Among Hynes and Mahler’s past productions while attending College of the Atlantic were a Bollywood-inspired production of “The Tempest,” Hynes’ glam-rock “Hamlet,” and a movement-based rendition of Euripides’ “The Bacchae.” Having graduated, the pair has returned to the island to continue this work by launching Harborside Shakespeare Company (HSC), a community-driven, nonprofit theatre company.

Shakespeare’s classic romantic tragedy, “Romeo and Juliet,” opens with a violent feud between two high society families: the Capulets and the Montagues. When Romeo, son of the Montagues, falls in love with Juliet, the daughter of the Capulets, their forbidden “star-crossed love” is bound for tragedy.

The cast and crew of “Romeo and Juliet” are comprised of local community residents. In this production, Romeo will be played by Kelsey Taylor and Juliet by Gabrielle Keene, both Mount Desert Island residents. Other cast members include Bar Harbor attorney Lynne Williams as the nurse and Shannara Gillman as Lord Capulet.

“I really like the mix of the old and the new. Dan and Alicia are making Shakespeare even more relatable,” says Keene. “I think people should come see the show because it’s going to be really fun and engaging.”

The modern makeover emphasizes aesthetic differences between the Capulets and the Montagues. “The Capulets are a bit more traditional,” says Mahler. “We see this coming across through their clothing and characters, whereas the Montagues are a bit looser. They’re what we might call ‘hipsters’.”

“The language and the characters are always at the core of our productions,” says Hynes. “But the fact that we can still relate to these characters hundreds of years after they were written shows how much we still have in common.”

Hours: Saturday, Aug. 4 at 7:30 pm, Sunday Aug. 5 at 2 pm and 7:30 pm, and the following weekend on Saturday, Aug. 11 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, Aug. 12th at 2 pm and 7:30pmEvening performances will be held at the Gates Community Center and matinees will be performed at the Shrine on COA’s North Lawn directly behind the Gates Community Center (weather permitting).

Tickets are available at the D’Alessio Gallery, and Trailhead Cafe in Bar Harbor, or at the show. For reservations, call (207) 939 – 6929 or email tickets@harborsideshakespeare.org. Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for children under 12, and $10 for seniors and students.