Ah, but we are. Our own Evansville Civic Theater is going out on a creative limb this month with their production of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Director Chris Tyner has long desired to bring this New York staple to Evansville’s art community. “All the big cities have Shakespeare in the Park,” says Tyner, “It has always been in the back of my mind as something I would want to do.”

            The first task was to find the ideal location. Tyner chose the Downtown Pagoda on the riverfront and the Visitors Center was happy to oblige. “The setting is absolutely beautiful,” says Tyner, and fulfills his bold vision of a theater production set against an exotic backdrop and lit only by the setting sun. This energy-conserving approach is only one way this production will be going green. Many of the costumes will be recycled from costumes Civic Theater already possesses.

            Post-Modern is the word for this production. Think Baz Lurman’s Romeo + Juliet to start, and then add a twist of the Matrix and Bladerunner. The timeless words of Shakespeare will remain unchanged but this production will “cast the characters into an imagined future that will be loosely based on the science fiction concept of ‘Cyberpunk,’  according to Civic Theater’s website.

             Three cultures will be represented in the costuming. The Juliet’s family, the Capulets, will have a Japanese influence while Romeo’s Montagues will represent the American Old West, and finally, the royal family will have an Egyptian feel.

            “This is something different and new... something you can do with powerful theater,” says Tyner who cites director Tim Burton as an influence. “He always takes these really risky approaches to what he does. I like to be a little bit progressive but you can’t do that with every show.”

            Tyner says there will be, “…a lot of swordplay in this production. We are trying to bring the cinematic quality to the fight scenes in this production.” And speaking of fighting, this production takes the phrase “Battle of the Sexes” quite literally. Two of the male roles in the show have been cast with female actors, including the part of Mercutio, who winds up being “worm meat.”

            Romeo and Juliet will have three free performances at Evansville Visitors Center Pagoda on July 25, 26, and 27 at 6:00 p.m.  Families are encouraged to bring picnic fare and their own seating. For more information go to www.civic.evansville.net/RomeoandJuliet.