Join us for Shakespeare's R&J
Four college students.
One night.
The greatest love story ever told.
Feb. 20 to Feb. 28, 2026
West Village Theatre | 2007 10 Ave SW, Calgary
Presented by:
with the support of:
About the show
An adaptation by Joe Calarco
Presented by The Shakespeare Company and Sage Theatre
with the support of Calgary Young People’s Theatre
Four young students, in a repressive college environment, decide to vary their very governed lives. After school, one breaks out a copy of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and they all take turns reading the play aloud. The Bard’s words and the story itself are thrilling to the boys, and they become swept away, enmeshed in the emotion so much so that they break school rules in order to continue their readings. The rigidity of their lives begins to parallel the lives of the characters in the play: roles in the family, roles in society, and the roles played by men and women soon seem to make sense.
Tickets and showtimes
At Sage Theatre, we’re committed to accessible theatre through tiered ticket options. You can support our show and our vibrant arts community with three price levels.
Ticket tiers:
- $60
- $30 – standard ticket price
- $15
Enjoy the show with many showtimes to choose from!
Meet the Cast & Crew
Jaime Cesar
Student
Jaime Cesar is a theatre performer, singer/songwriter, and scientist. For his role in “Static, a party girl’s memoir” (Inside Out Theatre and Chromatic Theatre), Jaime received a Betty Mitchell Award in 2025. Other theatre projects include “The House of Bernarda Alba” (Sage Theatre), “The SpongeBob Musical” (StoryBook Theatre), and “Por los que tuvieron que partir” (Hispanic Arts). Jaime has also ventured into playwrighting with Verb Theatre and Sage Theatre. Jaime has performed with RAW Artists Canada, Youth Singers of Calgary, and Cantares Foundation; his songs are available for streaming. The fascinating intersection of science and arts is what makes Jaime’s work shine.
Find him on social media @jaimecesarofficial.
Brett Dahl
Student
Brett Dahl is a Queer theatre maker. Primarily a director, Brett also works as an actor, writer, drag performer, producer, and educator across Alberta and is the Artistic Director of Theatre Outré. Selecting Acting Credits: The Hooves Belonged to the Deer (In Arms Collective); The Tempest, Romeo & Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Measure for Measure, Twelfth Night (Freewill Shakespeare); A Christmas Carol (Theatre Calgary); Like Orpheus (OUTstages, International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, Theatre Outré); Chariots of Fire (The Grand Theatre); King Lear, Twelfth Night (Canadian Stage); The Circle (Alberta Theatre Projects); All’s Well That Ends Well and Twelfth Night (The Shakespeare Company); A Thought in Three Parts (Theatre Outré); Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare in the Park/Theatre Calgary); The Soul Collector (Catalyst Theatre). Brett is the recipient of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award and the RBC Emerging Artist Cultural Leader in Calgary Award.
Joel David Taylor
Student
Joel David Taylor is an alumnus of Mount Royal University and holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Alberta. Select credits: Liars at a Funeral (Alberta Theatre Projects), Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night (2025 Betty Mitchell Award Nominee), Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Love’s Heavy Burden, Othello (The Shakespeare Company); Beautiful Man (Downstage, Verb, Handsome Alice), Smoke (Downstage). Select Film & TV credits: Heartland (CBC), Tribal (APTN), Do Us Part (Bald Arch Inc.), Lockbox Trails, Keys to the West (Numera Films).
Joel would like to thank his family, friends, and Helene for their constant love and support.
Bernardo Pacheco Sosa
Student
Bernardo is an Albertan actor and musician honored with the opportunity to work again with the Shakespeare Company and to collaborate with Sage Theatre for the first time!
Select credits include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The 70’s Musical (Citadel Theatre); The Play That Goes Wrong (Theatre Calgary/ Citadel Theatre/ Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre); The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (Vertigo Theatre); With Bells on (Lunchbox Theatre); Little Women, Forgiveness (Theatre Calgary).
Bernardo would like to dedicate this performance to Michael: “You’re going to love this one.”
Ben Gaudet
Universal Understudy
Ben Gaudet is an emerging YYC-based theatre artist. Acting credits include He Leaves No Trace (Mind the Gap Collective), The House of Bernarda Alba (Sage Theatre), Heartache (Reckless Daughter Creative), and The Cows (Canadian Academy of Mask and Puppetry). Sound design credits include Friends of Mine/The Tuesday Crew, A Little Princess, Real Boi, Clue Jr., and Someday (CYPT), as well Heartache (Reckless Daughter Creative), as well as backstage work for Romeo and Juliet (CYPT/The Shakespeare Company) A More Sparkling Version of Ourselves (Verb Theatre), and USS Artemis (Boathaus Studios).
He hopes you enjoy the show!
Tauran
Lighting Designer
Tauran is a disabled queer designer born and raised on Treaty 7 territory in Mohkinstis (Calgary). She loves working with technology to make art that is both engaging and thought-provoking. Selected credits include: Sound Design and Mix for Echoes of the Land (Ghost River Theatre), Lead Programmer for STRUCK (Ghost River Theatre), and Lighting Designer for Mary Stuart (Sage Theatre), each of which were nominated for and/or won multiple Betty awards. She also loves mentoring the next generation of theatre artists, working with CYPT and multiple Calgary high schools as an instructor and mentor in tech theatre and design. In the (rare) moments when she isn’t working on art she fences foil, makes electronic gadgets, and reads and re-reads all the books she can.
Jeffrey Olynek
Fight Director
Jeffrey Olynek is a fight director, actor, and special skills performer. His fight directing credits include Misery (New West Theatre), The Circle (ATP), Head over Heels (Caravan Farm Theatre), Night of the Living Dead (Workshop Theatre), and Romeo and Juliet (The Shakespeare Company touring production). Theatre credits include Fiddler on the Roof (Stage West), The Wizard of Oz (Alberta Theatre Projects), and Kung Fu Panties (Ground Zero).
Javier Vilalta
Director
Javier is a Mexican-Canadian visual performance creator, stage director, movement coach, and translator. He has collaborated with companies such as Vertigo Theatre, Theatre Calgary, Sage Theatre, Downstage, Lunchbox Theatre, The Shakespeare Company, StoryBook, CYPT, Jupiter Theatre, One Yellow Rabbit, Chromatic, Calgary Opera, Guild Hall (Whitehorse), Prairie Theatre Exchange (Winnipeg).
He is a four-time Betty Mitchell Award nominee, winning once for Outstanding Director.
He is co-founder of the visual performance ensemble 8ROJO, along with Black artist Norma Lewis. With 8ROJO he has toured as far afield as Mexico, Czechia, Sweden, France, Taiwan, UK, and Iceland. With 8ROJO, he was awarded the ‘Innovation in Performance’ award at the 2016 STOFF Festival in Stockholm, Sweden; and he was a finalist for a 2021 Off West End Award in London, UK for Outstanding Production.
He has translated the texts ‘100 Love Poems and a Song of Despair’ by Pablo Neruda and Federico García Lorca’s ‘Rural Trilogy’. He translated and adapted the Mexican modern opera ‘Anjou: A Tale of Horror’ for Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS.
Anastasia St Amand
Intimacy Director
Anastasia St. Amand (she/her) is a queer, Certified Intimacy Director and a founding member of Principal Intimacy Professionals from Mohkinstsis (Calgary) on Treaty 7 Territory. For Sage Theatre: Mary Stuart. Select credits include: Madama Butterfly (Calgary Opera), The Handmaid’s Tale (Interplay Opera Banff Center), Dial M for Murder, Legally Blonde, Beaches The Musical, Selma Burke, Escape to Margaritaville (Theatre Calgary), Silent Sky (Fire Exit), Austentatious (Forte Musical Theatre), Girl on the Train (Vertigo), Hurry Hard (Western Canada Theatre), Genesis: The Mary Shelley Play (Edinburgh Fringe). Special thanks to her PIPs Pals and loved ones for their ongoing support.
Kristin Eveleigh
Sound Designer & Composition
Kristin is the Executive Artistic Director at Calgary Young People’s Theatre, and has been working with the company as a director with the company since she was but a wee sprite. She is also a frequent CYPT playwright and sound designer, as well as the facilitator of the Outpatient Collective, a writing ensemble made up of each year’s graduates who team up to create a show for the following season. Outside of CYPT, Kristin is a performer, creator, and sound designer who has worked for companies like Verb Theatre, Vertigo Theatre, StoryBook Theatre, and The Calgary Opera. She is an ensemble member 8ROJO, an award-winning Canadian visual performance ensemble.
Tonisha Kroger
Costume Supervisor
Tonisha Kroeger is a Stage Manager, Costume Designer and CYPT alumni with a diploma in Theatre & Entertainment Production from Red Deer Polytechnic. Her summers are spent calling cues under fireworks at The Grandstand Show. The rest of the year she proudly works with many youth performing arts companies in the Calgary community, where she strives to inspire the next generation of leaders and artists! Stage Manager: The Grandstand Show (Calgary Stampede),The Smoking Gun (CYPT), The Frozen Deep (CYPT), Someday (CYPT), The Poison Squad (CYPT), Gloom Town (Alberta Dance Theatre), Go for Gold Audrey Pham (Lunchbox Theatre). Costume Designer: Mary Stuart (Sage Theatre), A Monster Calls (Calgary Young Peoples Theatre).
Jake Rose
Set Design & Build
Jake Rose is a scenic designer, carpenter, playwright, and director. Their approach to design is centred around their enjoyment for creation, and appreciation for architecture and fine woodworking. Most recently they have done scenic design and construction for ten of the Calgary Young People’s Theatre’s productions (2022-2025), as well as scenic construction for Mary Stuart (Sage 2025). They work as the shop manager for the CYPT Community Dreamshop, developing a new space for scenic construction and education. Jake has over 30 design and construction credits under their belt. They hope to use that experience to inspire the next generation of designers and technicians to step into the theatre industry.
Richard Beaune
Producer, Text Coach
Richard is the Artistic Producer for The Shakespeare Company. He has been creating theatre across Canada for nearly 40 years as an actor, director and collaborator. He trained at Toronto Metropolitan University, George Brown College, the Great Lakes Michael Chekhov Consortium (Ohio) and received his MFA in Theatre from York University. He was the Artistic Director of Toronto’s Simple Truth Theatre, the award-winning Keystone Theatre (Toronto) and Red Deer’s Prime Stock Theatre. He has performed in every province and territory in both English and French and his shows have garnered rave reviews and multiple awards including a Dora Mavor Moore Award and a Canadian Comedy Award. He has worked in a wide variety of styles and in venues ranging from Canada’s largest festivals (Stratford and Shaw) to parks and unexpected found spaces. He loves to defy expectations, but ultimately his goal in life is to make you smile.
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