PORT TOWNSEND — “Give me my Romeo, and when he shall die/Take him and cut him out in little stars/And he will make the face of heaven so fine/That all the world will be in love with night.”
So emotes the teenage heroine in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” opening tonight for a two-weekend run at the Mountain View Center gym, 1925 Blaine St.
Two Port Townsend 16-year-olds, Keira DeLuna and Noah Phillips, play the title roles in this production, which brings together 21 elementary, middle and high school students in the OCEAN — Opportunity, Community, Experience, Academics, Navigation — independent study program within the Port Townsend School District.
They will take the stage together at 7 tonight and Saturday night as well as March 13-14; one matinee is also set for 2 p.m. Sunday, March 15.
Admission to the performances is a suggested $10 donation for adults and $5 for children, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds, said co-director Marc Weinblatt.
He and his co-director, Rowen DeLuna, are both parents of performers.
Keira is Rowen’s daughter, and Orion Weinblatt Dey, 13, portrays Benvolio.
The show’s crew also includes OCEAN teacher Liz Quayle, stage-combat choreographers Nathan Barnett and Sam Cavallaro and artist Lisa Doray.
“Our set, representing a dystopian near-future, incorporates wood scraps, fabric, old tires and other found objects along with a great deal of creativity,” Quayle said.
Keira has written original music for the show, and a live band will take the stage during the ballroom scene.
Surrounding Keira and Noah are students Thomas Kuykendall, 18, as Mercutio; Alex Kuykendall, 16, as Tybalt; and Sadie Palatnik, 16, as Lady Capulet.
Also appearing are Thierry Williamson, 17; Mimi Molotsky, 14, as the Nurse; Austin Krieg, 16, as Friar Lawrence; and Hunter Newton, 15.
Tanner DeLuna, 17, plays the Governor and also serves as assistant director and hair and makeup designer.
Playing multiple roles are Blu DeLuna, Zinnia Hansen, Reece Kjeldgaard, Dylan Tracer, Max Doray, Dante Deane, Salvera Deane, Cyra Hettle, Zoey Doray and Dylan Peterson.
Most of the seating for this show is on the gym floor, so audience members are encouraged to bring blankets and pillows, while some standard chairs and bleachers are available for those who need them.
The production is appropriate for children age 5 and older, Weinblatt added, though the stage combat and death scenes might be too intense for very young kids.
For more information about “Romeo and Juliet,” contact its co-sponsor, the Mandala Center for Change in Port Townsend, at 360-344-3435 or www.mandalaforchange.com.