By Andie Arthur

	Married actors Antonio and Katherine Amadeo, two of the founders of the Naked Stage theatre company, who play star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet in the company’s first production

Everyone knows the story of Romeo and Juliet – two star-crossed lovers who take their lives. The goal of the Naked Stage, South Florida’s newest theatre company, is to surprise you into thinking you’re seeing the show for the first time.

By Any Other Name…Romeo and Juliet, the title of this adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic, appears to fit this ambition. However, Amadeo, who adapted the script and plays Romeo, was elusive on exactly how this version differs from Shakespeare’s.

“All I will say is that we at the Naked Stage are passionate about the idea that ‘change for the sake of change’ while doing Shakespeare is unacceptable,” he says.  “Everything we have done makes sense within the world we’ve created. We are so confident that we did our homework and made everything work, that many people may not even be aware of the changes, and the alterations will serve only to make the piece come to life.”

Amadeo was more forthcoming on how By Any Other Name…Romeo and Juliet was like the original.

“All of the language in the play is Shakespeare’s,” says Amadeo. “Our play just finds an original way of presenting the story while still emphasizing the original theme of Romeo and Juliet, extreme love amidst a world of blind hate.”

	Antonio Amadeo and Kameshia Duncan, part of the cast of By Any Other Name…Romeo and Juliet. The two appeared together in Intimate Apparel last March at GableStage Theatre. Photo: Mary Damiano

An adaptation of Romeo and Juliet wasn’t the original plan for the Naked Stage when its three founders Amadeo, his wife Katherine Amadeo, and John Manzelli tried to pick a play for the inaugural production.

“When it came time to choose a piece for our first production, there were two guidelines we swore we would follow: First, that the play be a small one. Two or three characters. Second that I would not be in the play, so that I could devote all my time to my producing duties. We wanted to make sure that we didn’t overwhelm ourselves. That way, we would assure that the final product would be solidly produced. A week later, we chose Romeo and Juliet and Katie and I were playing the leads. Nice going. Way to stick to our guidelines,” Amadeo jokes.

As a decision that started out as a joke and then turned into a reality, Romeo and Juliet is an inspired choice for this fledgling professional theatre company. Until now, The New Theatre has been the only South Florida Theatre that regularly presented Shakespeare. The South Florida Theatre is ripe for a company that is going to produce classics, and the Naked Stage aims to fill that niche.

Still, the Naked Stage isn’t only interested in reinterpreting the classics.  While Amadeo wasn’t able to share exactly what’s next, he did mention children’s programming designed to “wow” kids and to “bring new pieces to the community that and bring a level of artistic quality that will enhance the theatre community as a whole.” 

Possibly the most refreshing aspect of this new company – beyond a dedication to reinterpreting classic work – is the company’s awareness of the audience. In the mission statement, the founders have stated that the Naked Stage shall “intrigue the non theatre-goer into the theatre” as well as “surprise and excite the lifelong subscriber.” 

Essentially, they want to take the stuffy pretentious attitude out of theatre.

“Most people who don’t have much experience attending live shows think of theatre as a stuffy and boring art form with overly theatrical performances,” says Amadeo. “We are extremely lucky to be a part of a theatre community that has so many incredible artists. The level of acting is improving rapidly and we plan to use the top talents of the South Florida to produce shows that pull the audience in and help them relate to the stories being told.”

	Katherine and Antonio Amadeo Photo: Mary Damiano

By Any Other Name…Romeo and Juliet does feature some of the strongest actors in South Florida, the majority of them are Carbonell winners or nominees including  Amadeo, a previous Carbonell nominee who won this year as Best Actor in a Play for his work in The Pillowman at GableStage Theatre.  Kameshia Duncan, David Perez-Ribada and Ken Clement, all 2007 nominees, are also in the show.

Because of its desire to work with the strong local talent, to put a contemporary edge on the classics, and a wish to “enhance the theatre community as a whole,” The Naked Stage seems like the type of company that will stay and make an impact on the South Florida theatre scene.