Shakespeare in the orchard under the stars coming to winery

Warwick, N.Y. - This summer, the Illustrious Theater Company will present Romeo & Juliet at the Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery as its annual “Shakespeare in the Orchard” series. Performance dates are the last three weekends of July (14- 30) on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays with show times at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturdays, and 7:30 p.m. on Sundays. The outdoor stage at the Warwick Valley Winery is set in natural amphitheatre surrounded by pear and apple trees. The two previous Shakespeare in the Orchard productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Much Ado About Nothing were highly acclaimed by the audiences, not only for the quality of the performances, costumes, design and music, but also for the wonderful setting. Romeo & Juliet will be directed by the ITC’s artistic director, Mary Clifford, and performed by a cast of 30 actors from the region including Gary Ciuffetelli as Romeo and Virginia Bosch as Juliet. Clifford is supported by choreographer Carol Chave of New York City, who is also designing and building the costumes, set designer JoAnn McNicholas, fight choreographer Drew Leary of New York City, Gene Arnold of A&A Lighting, and the Steinwand Sound Company. The ITC’s mission is to make the production affordable to families in spite of the high cost of the outdoor production. With the help of major support from Provident Bank as well as numerous other individual and corporate sponsors, the company is able to offer tickets purchased in advance for $12 and $10 (students and seniors), and $17 and $13 at the gate. Children 10 and under are admitted free. Tickets purchased in advance are not dated and are good for any one performance. Tickets may be purchased at The Bookstore, 20 Main Street in Warwick, Healthy Thymes Market on Route 94 in Vernon, or by phone (845-258-4858). Seating in the orchard, which is bring-your-own lawn chair or blanket, begins about an hour before curtain. Food and beverages are available from the winery’s bistro style menu. For more information about Romeo & Juliet, call 973-764-4936.