Play, performed by students Grades 6-9
In this comedy based on the book by Avi, eighth-graders Pete Saltz and Anabell Stackpoole are in love, but so shy they can't even look at each other, let alone speak. To bring the two together, their classmates decide to stage a performance of Romeo and Juliet, with the reluctant couple voted into the title roles. An abridged script (leaving out everything they don't understand), only two weeks of rehearsal, a set left over from the seventh-grade production of Washington Crossing the Delaware, and a classmate's villainy threaten the well-meaning endeavor every step of the way. When the big day finally arrives, lines are dropped, costumes rip, scenery tumbles, potions spill, and Juliet's bier nearly blows up. Yet, in spite of everything—or maybe because of it—true love triumphs in the end.