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Julia He sank her teeth into producing and funding an independent production of Romeo and Juliet, reimagined as Shakespeare’s R&J by Joe Calarco and directed by J. Cody Spellman. She recruited former and current CMU Drama students, applied for and received multiple grants including the Opportunity Fund and the Further Fund, and successfully platformed the show as part of Pittsburgh’s regional theater season at City Theatre on their main stage.

Set inside a repressive academic institution, R&J follows four students who secretly rehearse Romeo and Juliet in defiance of strict rules about what they can and cannot read. What begins as playful experimentation, assigning roles and improvising costumes from school uniforms, quickly becomes something deeper. As they immerse themselves in Shakespeare’s language, the line between performance and reality blurs, revealing hidden desires, vulnerabilities, and shifting relationships. In this “vibrant, hot-blooded” (The New York Times) adaptation, the students ultimately face a choice to retreat into silence or take control of their own voices. In a world built on control, Shakespeare’s words become an act of resistance.

To manage the intensity of demands at the CMU School of Drama while producing a full-scale play outside of the conservatory’s season is an incredible undertaking for a full-time graduate student. Julia has shown sustained dedication, resourcefulness, and long-term commitment to this project without the formal support that the School of Drama offers its own season.

Julia is a fantastic awardee for the Maddy Varner Mastication Grant for Time and/or Teeth-Based Work, given the way she has truly chewed on this project over time and brought it to life through persistence and care.

The play debuts May 8 to 10 at City Theatre.