Emily Fritz | a&e editor

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, the most popular and romantic of Shakespeare’s plays is arriving at the Benedum Center, but without the iambic pentameter.

This time, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre will be performing Jean-Christophe Maillot’s version of the Elizabethan classic, combining contemporary and classical ballet to tell the tragedy through the memory of Friar Lawrence.

For a fair number of the 600 students in attendance, this will be their first exposure to ballet.

The education program at PBT allows for schools of all grade levels to see their shows, with ticket prices on special dates determined by what percentage of their student body receives free and reduced school lunches.

Districts that have more than 50% of their population on free and reduced lunches are eligible for $7 tickets, while other groups (including home school and college-aged students) can purchase tickets for $14.50 a piece for the 11 a.m. Valentine’s Day matinee.

Duquesne alum Michael Gulino, ’02, teaches at Carmichaels Area School District, which is an hour away in Greene County. Many of his students are being exposed to the Steel City for the first time.

“It’s a special thing for a lot of these kids” he said. “Here we are in the big city, seeing a professional production.”

Of his 40 attending students, Gulino said that several come from outside the theater and drama crowd.

“We do have a lot of our athletes that attend, and they are just enamored by the athletic ability of these dancers on stage.”

For other students, the performance of “Romeo & Juliet” lands differently.

Cinda Maxwell, an educator at Monessen School District, usually teaches her Shakespeare unit at the end of the year, but rearranged her plans to fit the timeline of their trip to the Benedum.

“This ballet unit, in and of itself, is about a three-day introduction to the ballet,” Maxwell said.

More importantly though, the tale of “Romeo & Juliet” hits closer to home in Monessen.

“We had a student here four years ago [who] was killed by another student,” she said.

The two teens — who were best friends — got into an altercation over a video game and later wrestled over a handgun. The firearm went off, killing one of the boys, TribLive reported in 2024.

“There are factions on either side, so almost the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues,” Maxwell said.

Throughout the story, both sides are combative and expressive, and as the story goes, to a fault. Like most Shakespearean tragedies, the plot is littered with death and misunderstanding.

In his role as Benvolio — Romeo’s fun-loving cousin — PBT artist Kurtis Sprowls prepared for rehearsals by revisiting the original text. It was important that the biggest emotions shined through the show, sans dialogue.

To his surprise, there were no weapons, no swords and a lot of improv during fight season.

“This production uses a lot of symbolism,” Sprowls said. “It really lends to, I feel a more creative choreographic process.”

Similarly, as an Apprentice II, PBT artist Emory Amoky takes on the role of Mercutio, Romeo’s charismatic, goofy friend who, in the original Shakespearean text, is known to instigate the rival Capulets.

“It’s always my goal to draw people towards the stage,” Amoky said. “This is the first time that I’ve ever done a role of this magnitude. … If I was to zoom in on just Mercutio, I would have [a] full story right there.”

Anyone familiar with the work will be able to clearly track the characters, and their inevitable fates. But even those who experience it for the first time will be able to feel the tragedy through the movements and the music.

PBT holds a conservative age recommendation of 13 and up for the production, according to public relations and media manager Laurie Rieger. However, the performance is open to all ages, despite some of its intimate or intense fight scenes.

Both Sprowls and Amoky are eager to introduce a new generation to the ballet.

“It will break down a lot of barriers,” Sprowls said. “Seeing the story play out in front of [them], I hope that it gives students a new appreciation for these older stories.”