Milwaukee’s New All-Women Theater Troupe The Ganymede Ensemble’s inaugural ‘Romeo and Juliet’

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The Ganymede Ensemble—named for the pseudonym Rosalind dons in As You Like It when she ventures into the forest of Arden disguised as a boy—is Milwaukee’s newest community theater troupe focused around high school-age performers. Co-founded by Amanda Marquardt and Kate Sarner, the group offers young, female classical actors the opportunity to play roles often performed by men. The ensemble’s debut performance is a lean version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, featuring a cast of 13 who will cover more than 20 roles, including the character of Rosaline (Romeo’s first love), in which co-director Marquardt says they “usurped lines from Benvolio and Mercutio to bring her to life.”

“The idea of an all-female theater troupe of young women, hearkening back to the Elizabethan tradition of all men with a progressive nod, was born in the most organic creative way possible,” Marquardt shares. “If you ask people to list a fact about Elizabethan/Shakespearean theater, many would say that the casts were all men and boys. So few roles were women in Shakespeare’s plays, and the men played them too. It’s nice to flip it to the other side.”

She adds, “The pace is rapid and energetically fueled by the characters’ immediacy and the cast’s boundless energy. Our girls, who are between the ages of 14 and 18, are smart. They intimidate us. They have deep clarity in their speaking of the text and as an ensemble work beautifully at weaving together the story. They get it: young love, feeling trapped. They have an unapologetic commitment to the story.”

The Ganymede Ensemble’s Romeo and Juliet takes place Sept. 5, 6 and 12 free of charge at the Selig-Joseph-Folz amphitheater at Kadish Park (adjacent to COA Youth and Family Center, 909 E. North Ave.). For more information, visit theganymedeensemble.com.