By Bryson Carter and David Slifer

As the school year comes to an end, so does the Greensboro College Theatre season. “Two Gentlemen of Verona” was the last show performed on the Huggins stage this semester and was a huge hit. This show is a William Shakespeare piece that was adapted by John Guare and Mel Shapiro, with music by Galt MacDermot. Additionally, in 1972, the original Broadway production won Best Musical as well as Best Book of a Musical at the Tony Awards. With stats like that, this show was destined to be put on the GC stage.

This show was originally going to be directed by William Perry Morgan Hall. However, after his passing, the department was able to get a dear friend of Hall’s, Lon Church, to come in and direct this production. Church and Hall originally met working on the show together, so Church coming in was perfect.

Coming from Minnesota, Church has a plethora of directing credits in both children’s theatre and community theatre. He brought an outside perspective and excitement to the production that truly helped everything come together.

“I love his passion for this production,” said sophomore Laiken Skinner, who plays Lucetta in the production, when asked her favorite part about working with Church. “It is very clear this show and this cast are very important to him and it really improves the experience.”

The cast also really enjoys how much creativity Church has and allows them to have with their characters.

“He gives us a lot of freedom to make our characters and moments onstage our own,” said sophomore Azariah Surratt, who plays Silvia. “He gives guidance when needed, but he really wants to see what you bring to the table.”

The show follows many different characters of many diverse backgrounds. For a good majority, though, we follow the two gentlemen themselves, Proteus and Valentine — two friends who have vastly different wants for their life — one after honor and one after love. We also follow characters like Julia and Lucetta traveling to Milan to find Proteus for Julia to give him some important news.

This show, like many of Shakespeare’s works, follows many groups of characters dealing with and on their own journey of love, lust, and purpose, but with a 1970s twist.

“It really is about love,” said junior Jalen Troublefield, who plays Proteus. “Love is what the world needs.”

Not only is it the last show in the season, but it also is the largest. Even with a huge cast, you can still always feel the love everyone on stage has for each other.

“My favorite part of Verona is all of the connections I have made with everyone working on the show,” added Troublefield. “The memories I have made will last a long time and I am so thankful to be able to perform with the people I can call a family.”

The show’s cast consisted of Troublefield as Proteus, Bryson Carter as Valentine, Briana Bostic as Julia, Surratt as Silvia, Skinner as Lucetta, Jahia Joof as the Duke, John Dibbins as Thurio, Ash Christian as Speed, Will Hoard as Launce, Ethan Kring as Eglamour, Jackie Deane as Antonio, Lexi Chester as the Milkmaid, Troy Poole as the Innkeeper, and the ensemble consisting of John Michael Mottola, Cameron Mackey, Alexus Mabes, Izzy Surles, Jacklyn Glass, Josh Hughes, Chandler Pointdexter, Demari Jackson, Shayla Beulah, Jessa Beard and Casey Johnson. With this large cast, you really can feel the energy on stage and hear a wonderful blend of voices with every song.

“I hope audiences got a good laugh and felt the love,” said Surratt. “We put a lot of love into the show, and I hope it came across.”