Help Produce The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet
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Who are we?
We are New Works SA; a new theatre group based out of San Antonio, Texas. New Works SA was founded by three Trinity University students who wanted to take what they learned in college and bring it to the real world.
Our mission is to create accessible, affordable, and entertaining theatre for a new audience. New Works SA was recently chosen as a finalist for the 2021 Louis H. Stumberg Venture Competition and will be competing for the top prize in the Fall. The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet is New Works SA’s first production and is being coordinated with the assistance of faculty from Trinity University’s Entrepreneurship, Communication, and Theatre Departments.
What is The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet?
We are New Works SA; a new theatre group based out of San Antonio, Texas. New Works SA was founded by three Trinity University students who wanted to take what they learned in college and bring it to the real world.
Our mission is to create accessible, affordable, and entertaining theatre for a new audience. New Works SA was recently chosen as a finalist for the 2021 Louis H. Stumberg Venture Competition and will be competing for the top prize in the Fall. The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet is New Works SA’s first production and is being coordinated with the assistance of faculty from Trinity University’s Entrepreneurship, Communication, and Theatre Departments.
What is The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet?
As the title implies, this is a comedic spin on Shakespeare's classic tragedy. Inspired by Saturday-morning cartoons, Mel Brooks, and The Muppets, this adaptation of Romeo and Juliet focuses on how young love can cause individuals to do some outrageous (and often very emo!) things. While Romeo and Juliet’s actions may have disastrous consequences for themselves and those around them, we believe that their misery should be your comedic enjoyment!
The ‘Stretch’ Budget
If we raise $6,000 we will be able to produce the designer’s complete vision!
Costume: $1,000
We will be able to fully costume every character!
Props: $800
We will be able to create all 63 props that we have designed. This all will gives our
Props Team some additional funds to set aside to construct props that are devised during the rehearsal process
Set: $500
We will construct 2 flats with a 1x4 frame that will be fitted with the scenic drops
Scenic: $800
We will purchase 171 yards of muslin and painting materials to paint 14 scenic drops
Marketing: $1,000
We will be able to purchase ad space and bring on an additional graphic designer
Video: $1,000
We will be able to purchase additional camera, lighting, and sound equipment needed to film The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet
Education: $1,000
We will be able to produce higher quality educational videos and will bring on an additional Education person
What does your support mean to us?
Any support you give us would mean the world to all of the young artists involved in the production. We are all college students who just want to produce something creative and entertaining. We believe that anyone can enjoy Shakespeare; so, we are using this opportunity to make Shakespeare’s play accessible to people who might not otherwise watch theatre.
Tangibly, your support will allow us to deliver a professionally recorded version of The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet, as well as supplemental educational material, that will be uploaded online for free in the Fall of 2021. These will be available as free resources for English and Theatre teachers who want to show and teach their students an accessible, diverse, and funny version of Romeo and Juliet, that still uses the original Shakespearean text!
How to support our campaign?
Any amount you are able to donate directly to this campaign would be greatly appreciated. Every cent that we raise will be put towards making The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet happen.
The names of everyone who donates to our fundraiser will be featured in the credits of the recording of The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet as a way to show our thanks.
In order to help get the word out, please consider sharing the link to fundraiser on your social media accounts!
Finally, follow our social media to stay up to date on NewWorks SA and The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet!
Instagram: newworks_sa
Tik Tok: @NewWorksSA
The aesthetic of The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet is basically a cartoon world brought to the stage. Everything is very silly and heightened in a very specific and stylized manner. Our costume and prop designer, Joelle MacDonald, noted that her designs for the production drew inspiration from Adventure Time, Scooby Doo, and Phineas and Ferb.
MacDonald notes that "most cartoon characters’ clothing is simplistic and have solid colors; so, I tried to keep the clothing simple and stick with solid-colored pieces.”
Set designer, Andrew Walker, designed the set to be “simple, consisting of a back wall divided by a curtained entrance that supports the many scenic drops we will use throughout the show.”
The scenic drops, designed by Megan McGuire, are “mostly inspired by the animated show Adventure Time.”
In order to emulate the show’s specific art style on scenic drops, they are using “minimal, thin line art, and adding lots of texture to the landscape. To keep the designs bright and colorful, I’ve been shadowing with purples and blues to avoid muddying up the colors.”
Another inspiration for McGuire was “Bojack Horseman. The animators always include little bits and jokes in the back of their backgrounds; I’m going to be doing something similar.”
The script is adapted from and retains Shakespeare’s original dialogue from Romeo and Juliet. However, instead of the large cast usually with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the production has 5 actors playing all 40+ roles. How do they do this? With greater speed, fast costume changes, and several puppets. This adaptation also asks: what if Romeo and Juliet wasn’t obsessed with the gender binary? In the spirit of Looney Tunes, The Muppets, and so much other animation, rigid gender binaries don’t matter. Both Romeo and Juliet are being played by non-binary actors and all references to gender have been amended in the script. Finally, in classic cartoon fashion, this is a highly musical production of Romeo and Juliet that will feature 6 original songs that each combine Shakespeare’s original text with additional lyrics written by the adapter, Anthony Tresca, and show’s musical director, Andrew Walker.
How much money do we need and how will it be spent?
Our design team has spent the past 3 months creating their initial design, researching material costs, and working with the director to create two different budgets needed to produce The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet: the $2,000 ‘skinny’ budget and the $6,000 ‘stretch’ budget. Our fundraiser ends on June 1st because that is the date that our design team needs to begin purchasing things in order to have everything ready for when we film The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet in July!
The ‘Skinny’ Budget
If we raise $2,000 dollars, then our designers will be able to produce a scaled down version of their original vision
Costumes: $550
We will be able to clothe our 5 actor actors with a base costume. We will also purchase some other (small) costume pieces to help distinguish the many characters that our 5 actors play
Props: $350
We will be able to purchase the materials needed to create the ‘essential’ props; or, props that are directly related to action in the script. This includes balloon swords, simple puppets, and materials to create the various styles of fake blood.
Set: $200
We will construct 6 flats with a 1x3 frame that will be fitted with 2 painted scenic pieces
Scenic: $250
We will be able to purchase 22 yards of Muslin and paint materials to complete 2 painted scenic pieces
Marketing: $200
We will execute a mostly earned marketing strategy; with a few strategy ad buys to increase our visibility
Video: $250
We will be able to purchase the minimal amount of equipment necessary to shoot the filmed version of The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet
Education: $200
We will be able to produce scaled down versions of educational videos and materials centered around making this production and theatre accessible to curious theatre students.
MacDonald notes that "most cartoon characters’ clothing is simplistic and have solid colors; so, I tried to keep the clothing simple and stick with solid-colored pieces.”
Set designer, Andrew Walker, designed the set to be “simple, consisting of a back wall divided by a curtained entrance that supports the many scenic drops we will use throughout the show.”
The scenic drops, designed by Megan McGuire, are “mostly inspired by the animated show Adventure Time.”
In order to emulate the show’s specific art style on scenic drops, they are using “minimal, thin line art, and adding lots of texture to the landscape. To keep the designs bright and colorful, I’ve been shadowing with purples and blues to avoid muddying up the colors.”
Another inspiration for McGuire was “Bojack Horseman. The animators always include little bits and jokes in the back of their backgrounds; I’m going to be doing something similar.”
The script is adapted from and retains Shakespeare’s original dialogue from Romeo and Juliet. However, instead of the large cast usually with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the production has 5 actors playing all 40+ roles. How do they do this? With greater speed, fast costume changes, and several puppets. This adaptation also asks: what if Romeo and Juliet wasn’t obsessed with the gender binary? In the spirit of Looney Tunes, The Muppets, and so much other animation, rigid gender binaries don’t matter. Both Romeo and Juliet are being played by non-binary actors and all references to gender have been amended in the script. Finally, in classic cartoon fashion, this is a highly musical production of Romeo and Juliet that will feature 6 original songs that each combine Shakespeare’s original text with additional lyrics written by the adapter, Anthony Tresca, and show’s musical director, Andrew Walker.
How much money do we need and how will it be spent?
Our design team has spent the past 3 months creating their initial design, researching material costs, and working with the director to create two different budgets needed to produce The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet: the $2,000 ‘skinny’ budget and the $6,000 ‘stretch’ budget. Our fundraiser ends on June 1st because that is the date that our design team needs to begin purchasing things in order to have everything ready for when we film The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet in July!
The ‘Skinny’ Budget
If we raise $2,000 dollars, then our designers will be able to produce a scaled down version of their original vision
Costumes: $550
We will be able to clothe our 5 actor actors with a base costume. We will also purchase some other (small) costume pieces to help distinguish the many characters that our 5 actors play
Props: $350
We will be able to purchase the materials needed to create the ‘essential’ props; or, props that are directly related to action in the script. This includes balloon swords, simple puppets, and materials to create the various styles of fake blood.
Set: $200
We will construct 6 flats with a 1x3 frame that will be fitted with 2 painted scenic pieces
Scenic: $250
We will be able to purchase 22 yards of Muslin and paint materials to complete 2 painted scenic pieces
Marketing: $200
We will execute a mostly earned marketing strategy; with a few strategy ad buys to increase our visibility
Video: $250
We will be able to purchase the minimal amount of equipment necessary to shoot the filmed version of The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet
Education: $200
We will be able to produce scaled down versions of educational videos and materials centered around making this production and theatre accessible to curious theatre students.
The ‘Stretch’ Budget
If we raise $6,000 we will be able to produce the designer’s complete vision!
Costume: $1,000
We will be able to fully costume every character!
Props: $800
We will be able to create all 63 props that we have designed. This all will gives our
Props Team some additional funds to set aside to construct props that are devised during the rehearsal process
Set: $500
We will construct 2 flats with a 1x4 frame that will be fitted with the scenic drops
Scenic: $800
We will purchase 171 yards of muslin and painting materials to paint 14 scenic drops
Marketing: $1,000
We will be able to purchase ad space and bring on an additional graphic designer
Video: $1,000
We will be able to purchase additional camera, lighting, and sound equipment needed to film The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet
Education: $1,000
We will be able to produce higher quality educational videos and will bring on an additional Education person
What does your support mean to us?
Any support you give us would mean the world to all of the young artists involved in the production. We are all college students who just want to produce something creative and entertaining. We believe that anyone can enjoy Shakespeare; so, we are using this opportunity to make Shakespeare’s play accessible to people who might not otherwise watch theatre.
Tangibly, your support will allow us to deliver a professionally recorded version of The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet, as well as supplemental educational material, that will be uploaded online for free in the Fall of 2021. These will be available as free resources for English and Theatre teachers who want to show and teach their students an accessible, diverse, and funny version of Romeo and Juliet, that still uses the original Shakespearean text!
How to support our campaign?
Any amount you are able to donate directly to this campaign would be greatly appreciated. Every cent that we raise will be put towards making The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet happen.
The names of everyone who donates to our fundraiser will be featured in the credits of the recording of The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet as a way to show our thanks.
In order to help get the word out, please consider sharing the link to fundraiser on your social media accounts!
Finally, follow our social media to stay up to date on NewWorks SA and The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet!
Instagram: newworks_sa
Tik Tok: @NewWorksSA
Fundraising team (11)
New Works SA
Organizer
San Antonio, TX
Scarlett Patino
Beneficiary
Wren Ramos
Team member
Andrew Walker
Team member
Mac Holt
Team member
Annabelle Hicks
Team member
