Even audiences familiar with the tale of William Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet are likely to find something fresh in the Mississippi State University Shackouls Honors College production set for Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m. in Griffis Hall on campus.

As part of Shakespeare Week 2016, students will present “The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet,” based on the work by the English writer widely regarded as the world’s preeminent dramatist. Developed by Dr. Eric Vivier and directed by Dr. Donna Clevinger, the production promises audience participation, sword fights and Renaissance dance and music.

Various spaces inside Griffis Hall will serve as the backdrop for the story of an ill-fated couple caught up in their families’ feud. The innovative staging presents new opportunities.

“It gives you freedom to experiment with different possibilities, a different way of looking at the play and how it is to be delivered to an audience,” said Clevinger, senior faculty fellow in the Shackouls Honors College.

Honors and non-honors students majoring in disciplines including Business, Computer Science, Engineering, Music and Kinesiology are cast in the play.

MSU senior John Bowden of Sylacauga, Alabama, portrays Romeo.

“We’re doing this off a stage, which is very Shakespearean, very three-dimensional,” Bowden said. “It’s been very imaginative for us to create the atmosphere.”

Dramatic swordplay is one highlight of the production. Dr. Skye Cooley, assistant professor in the Department of Communication, choreographed the fight scenes and even accepted a character role.

Renaissance style vocal and instrumental music add to the audience experience. Students also learned period dance.

“We think we’ve done a really good job of interpreting Shakespeare,” said Thomas Paladino of Hazel Green, Alabama. The MSU freshman plays the antagonist Tybalt, Juliet’s quick-tempered cousin. “Even with the language (of Shakespeare), it’s interpreted in a way that anyone listening can understand what it means; we add the emotional context.”

How to go

The production is free and open to the public. It begins at 7 p.m. Feb. 18-19 on the first floor of Griffis Hall, located at 500 Bailey Howell Drive on campus.

For more information, contact the Honors College at 662-325-2522.

Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.