Olds thespian Aaron Casselman is doing double-duty performing in a pair of the Bard's plays taking to the stage in Red Deer from July 18 to Aug. 4.
A musical theatre arts program student at Edmonton's MacEwan University, Casselman won the lead role of doomed young lover Romeo in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet as well as Charles and Silvius in the comedy As You Like It.
Both productions play concurrently at the Prime Stock Theatre Company's Bard on the Bower.
For the past five summers, Casselman, who is at home in Olds over the summer, was involved in the Canadian Badlands Passion Play in Drumheller and decided he wanted to “branch out a bit more.”
He found an audition notice on Theatre Alberta's website for the outdoor Shakespeare festival and auditioned at Easter, hoping he would land at least a small part in Romeo and Juliet.
When he received the call that he was chosen to play Romeo, he was ecstatic.
“I wasn't expecting anything along the lines of that,” Casselman said. “I would have been happy if I got Benvolio, who is Romeo's cousin and also kind of his best friend.”
As a 20-year-old man, preparing for the role required “backtracking four years in my life” to the mindset of a 16-year-old, he said, adding he is trying to portray Romeo as someone who “grows up” during the course of the tragedy.
Romeo and Juliet runs on July 18, 19, 20, 24 and 28, as well as Aug. 1 at 7:30 p.m. and on July 27 as well as Aug. 3 at 2 p.m.
As You Like It runs on July 25, 26, 27, 31, as well as August 2 and 3, at 7:30 p.m. and on July 28 and Aug. 4 at 2 p.m.
Admission is free but donations are encouraged and the stage is located at the Bower Ponds.
