Women play star-crossed lovers in Shakespeare in the Park's Romeo and Juliet

When Shauna Thompson tells people that she's performing in a summer production of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, they inevitably ask what role she plays.

"I'm actually playing Romeo," she tells them.

Thompson is one-half of the star-crossed pair in Repercussion Theatre's 30thseason show, which it describes as "a contemporary,gender-benttake" on Romeo and Juliet.

"It's nice to explore it through the lensof me being a black woman and not the conventional idea of what aRomeoshould beor should look like," Thompson told CBC's All in a Weekend.

A recent graduate of the National Theatre School, Thompson said the gender-bending approach has opened doors for her that would previously have been closed.

"For me, it's been a nice challenge because, truly, I never thoughtnot only that I would ever play a Romeo, but that I would ever be considered as a Juliet because I'm not typically cast in a lover-type role."

Her Juliet isplayed byMichelleRambharose,a Guyanese-Canadian performer from Toronto.

She said she's excited to be bringing the updated story to such a wide arrayof audiences, as Shakespeare in the Park performances take place in parks across the city, and tickets are pay-what-you-can.

"For a lot of Montrealcitizens, it might be their only theatre experience for the whole year because it's right there in their backyard, and it travels through the city, and it's free."

Rambharosetold CBCthat while the gender and pronouns of some characters change Lord Capulet is played by a woman while Lady Capulet is played by a man in drag the core of the play remains.

"I think the tension that exists between the families is still the main obstacle," she said. "It's not necessarily that a homosexual relationship is forbidden, it's just that they hate each other.... [Juliet]can't actually be honest with her family and say, 'This is who Ilove.'"

Both actors are aware that the twist on the classic, branded by Repercussion as Romeo & Juliet: Love is Love,might cause some audience members to bristle.

But they are hopeful about using the stage to bring a modern love story to lifeone to whichpeople in the audience can relate.

"It's scary to confront people who might have more conservative values, but I think it's also a good opportunity to introduce it as the norm," saidRambharose.

A schedule of the performances can be found here.