Romeo & Juliet: Story & Spectacle - American Shakespeare Center (in-person)

In-Person Event, Open to All, $135 (Includes: Talks, Performance, Tour, Post-Play Q&A with the Actors, Breakfast Pastries, and Lunch)

Join Lifetime Learning for a day of the Shakespearean pageantry Romeo and Juliet at the American Shakespeare Center, home to the world’s only reproduction of the Blackfriars Playhouse. This program will include:

• UVA College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences faculty lectures by Marcy Linton, Associate Professor of Costume Technology, Department of Drama and Colleen Kelly, Professor Emerita, Department of Drama. Find the description of their lectures below.
• A riveting performance of Romeo and Juliet, set in the early 2000s. As the American Shakespeare Center says – “Hope never goes out of style, no matter the decade.” Learn more about the play at their website.
• An exploration of the many sides of this historic theatre, including a behind the scenes tour of the playhouse.
• A post-play Q/A session with the play’s actors.
• Breakfast pastries and coffee/tea at check-in. A three-course lunch at nearby Hotel 24 South.

More Than Clothes: Costumes as Storytelling Tools
Marcy Linton, Associate Professor of Costume Technology, Department of Drama, College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Costumes do far more than clothe a character, they communicate. Linton will explore how costumes function as a powerful storytelling tool. We will look at how choices in fabric, color, and silhouette reveal character arcs, set tone, and deepen narrative meaning, often without a single word being spoken. Discover how what is worn on stage and screen helps shape the stories we tell.

Shakespeare in Action
Colleen Kelly, Professor Emerita of Drama, Department of Drama, College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences,

Discover what it takes for directors and actors to bring Shakespeare from the page to the stage and what important role the bard expected the audience to play. Join Kelly in uncovering the textual treasure map that Shakespeare embedded in his plays to help bring his characters to life.

Marcy Linton, Associate Professor of Costume Technology, Department of Drama, College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Marcy Linton, Associate Professor of Costume Technology, Department of Drama, College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, has worked extensively as a firsthand and draper in theatres across the country, including The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Colorado Shakespeare Festival, the Tony Award–winning Utah Shakespeare Festival, PlayMakers Repertory Company, and Animal Planet. As Collection Manager of the HCC, she is overseeing the stabilization and documentation of the approximately 2,500-piece collection, which spans 1795–1980 and is supported by multiple grants and donor contributions. She has also draped for Toni-Leslie James on the Broadway musical Finian’s Rainbow and for Anne Hould-Ward at Flat Rock, NC, on The Nutcracker.

In 2019, Marcy published A Historical Pattern Archive: Women’s Clothing 1840–1970. Her current book project, focusing on UVA’s Historic Clothing Collection (HCC), was recently released this August 2025. Marcy holds an M.F.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a B.F.A. from the North Carolina School of the Arts.

Colleen Kelly, Professor Emerita of Drama, Department of Drama, College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

During her tenure at UVA, Colleen Kelly, Professor Emerita of Drama, Department of Drama, College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, served as Director of the M.F.A. Professional Actor Training Program, Department Chair, and Interim Artistic Director of the Virginia Theatre Festival (formerly Heritage Theatre Festival). Colleen, who is a member of the Actors’ Equity Association, has worked as an actor, director, fight director, and dance choreographer at professional theatres across the country. Through her work at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, the Old Globe Theatres, and the American Shakespeare Center, she has “completed the canon”—working on some plays, such as Romeo and Juliet, numerous times. Her service to the field includes: board member of the University Resident Theatre Association (URTA), a founding board member and former president of the Association of Theatre Movement Educators, a former vice president of the Virginia Theatre Association and a former vice president of the Society of American Fight Directors. She is recipient of the ATME Lifetime Achievement Award, the SAFD President’s Award, and VTA’s “Ginny” Award.

Tickets may not be transferred to another person (no substitutions).

Parking is available in the New Street Parking Garage for $7.50 per day. The New Street Parking Garage address is 35 S New St, Staunton, VA 24401.

The American Shakespeare Center is located around the block, at 10 S Market St, Staunton, VA 24401.

Hotel 24 South is located next door to the theater, at 24 S Market St, Staunton, VA 24401.

Cancellation Policy: Participants may cancel their registration for this One-Day UVA program by emailing John Pilat at [email protected]. John will send an email notification confirming your cancellation.

Refund Policy: If Lifetime Learning (via John) receives your cancellation email before 3:00 pm on October 10, 2025, you will receive a refund of 50% of your registration fee.

If Lifetime Learning (via John) receives your cancellation email after 3:01 pm on October 10, 2025, no refund will be issued.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

American Shakespeare Center, 10 S Market Street, Staunton, United States