What does it take to stage a legendary play? An elaborate set? Fancy lighting? Intricate sound design? This June, with a set that literally fits into one trunk, the Vagabond Acting Troupe proves once again that when a work is a true literary classic - all it really needs are the words, the actors and any old street - particularly when that Verona street is in William Shakespeare's ROMEO AND JULIET.

The Vagabond Acting Troupe, an experimental and educational ensemble-based company, returns to their ensemble roots, following the critical success of Eric Singel's one-man tour-de-force, THE WEDDING CONSULTANT (hailed by Variety Magazine as "Best in Festival" for the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia's First Annual New Play Festival). Directed by Marcia Hepps, ROMEO AND JULIET features a cast of eight actors, each playing multiple roles.

"Vagabond's production of ROMEO AND JULIET is bred out of the violence on our city streets," says the company's founder and Executive Artistic Director, Aileen McCulloch. "With 160 murders recorded in Philadelphia in just the first quarter of the year, violence is a way of life for our community. Children suffer daily because of that violence. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like we've progressed very far since Shakespeare penned R&J over 400 years ago."

ROMEO AND JULIET closes the troupe's 06/07 season, which featured several Shakespeare-influenced works. Last November, as part of Vagabond's season-long collaboration with the Winterthur Museum, Vagabond presented WRITING THREADS, five monologues based on original works by writers throughout history including an appearance by William Shakespeare himself. In March, Vagabond toured three original pieces to their week-long residency at the Kenan Art Center in Lockport, New York. ON A WOODEN GLOBE, the newest of these plays, used Shakespeare's words to explore the arguments and beliefs of the Elizabethan time.

With these Shakespearean touring explorations fresh in their repertoire, and after presenting a few performances of the play on the road as well, the Vagabond Acting Troupe returns home to Philadelphia's Second Stage at the Adrienne Theater, where it will present William Shakespeare's ROMEO AND JULIET from June 7th through the 24th.

On Thursday, June 21st, architect Alvin Holm presents his controversial research on the architectural structure of the original GLOBE THEATER. "Mr. Holm has researched the architectural structure and hypothesized a very different GLOBE structure than the current GLOBE reconstruction that is in existence in England," says McCulloch. "As we are always envisioning the possibilities of theatre.we think his research is something that will intrigue other Shakespeare fans!" The presentation will follow the two-hour performance.