What happens when two longtime ASC actors return to the Blackfriars Playhouse—this time to direct?
This season, K.P. Powell (Romeo and Juliet) and Aidan O’Reilly (The Two Gentlemen of Verona) sat down together at the Junction Bar & Lounge in downtown Staunton for a conversation about first impressions, onstage memories, and what it means to step into the Director’s chair at the world’s first re-creation of Shakespeare’s indoor theatre.
FIRST ENCOUNTERS & OLD FRIENDS
For Aidan O’Reilly, The Two Gentlemen of Verona is personal.
“Two Gentlemen of Verona was the first Shakespeare play I ever saw live. I was about seven, sitting outside in Sonoma. My dad was drinking wine, there was a basset hound playing Crab, and the guy who played Lance ended up being a dear friend of mine. His name was Mickey Martin.”
“It’s funny hearing Joe, who’s our Valentine, say all these lines. I have no memory saying that. That’s beautiful. It’s like rediscovering it all over again.”
K.P. Powell smiled and said:
“I was in that show, too—my first season here at the ASC. Romeo and Juliet, Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Our Town. I played Pantino and the First Outlaw. We partnered with the shelter on tour and helped real dogs get adopted. It was wild—and it worked.”
ROMEO, JULIET … AND THE JOY OF REDISCOVERY
Returning to direct Romeo and Juliet, Powell wanted to make sure the story met audiences where they are.
“I didn’t want anything that made them think, this isn’t for me. So I kept moving through decades until I landed on the early 2000s.”
“Back then, words were currency—rap battles, slam poetry, spoken word. Language was everything, like in Shakespeare.”
“Fashion changes, technology changes, but humans for the past couple thousand years are like, ‘No, yeah, we’re about the same.’”
GENTLEMEN WITHOUT GENTILITY
For O’Reilly, The Two Gentlemen of Verona’s controversy is part of its purpose.
“People call it messy, or say the ending doesn’t work—but I think it’s satire. It’s Shakespeare poking fun at a toxic ideal of male friendship that was beaten into him at school.”
“I hope people leave going, ‘Yeah, none of those. There are no gentlemen in Verona.’ And I think that’s the point of the play. You should laugh, but also get a little mad.”
“We need to talk about these things because that’s how we recognize the behavior in others or in ourselves.”
FINDING HUMANITY IN THE CHAOS
Both directors know what it means to live and die—literally—on the Blackfriars stage.
“If you’ve ever died on stage in any Shakespeare plays, he loves to give you a monologue right before… and then it ends up being 16 minutes of just laying there.” — K.P. Powell
“I had a cough once… I couldn’t cough. I remember being like, oh, this is hell not being able to cough.” — Aidan O’Reilly
“You’re going to have to be malleable enough to respond to the liveness that is doing it with the lights on in an audience that is a part of the play.” — K.P. Powell
WHEN THE SHOW ENDS, THE CONVERSATIONS BEGIN
“If any kids just watch this and feel like they want to talk to someone, we’ve done our job. If anyone does this and wants to stop picking on a kid, like we’ve done our job. Those little things are what change the world.” — K.P. Powell
“We can’t attack your social like the internet’s not real. We have to go for your actual heart. We have to make you want to not do that. We can’t attack the behavior; we have to attack the person. The person is the thing that needs to be changed and art can do that.” — K.P. Powell
“We all have movies and music that changed us, and I want everyone who comes to the show to have the possibility of being changed.” — K.P. Powell
“You should laugh, but also get a little mad.” — Aidan O’Reilly
“That’s what makes this place a conversation, not just a performance.” — K.P. Powell.
At the ASC, that conversation continues long after the final line—under Shared Light, where artists and audiences meet eye to eye. And you can be part of the conversation at Lights ON Blackfriars featuring live discussions with expert panels, immersive workshops, and behind-the-scenes insights into Shakespeare and theatre.
RAISE A GLASS TO RIVALRY
Before or after the performance, stop by Junction Bar & Lounge in downtown Staunton, and raise a glass to Shakespearean rivalries with a twist! Our friends at The Junction Bar & Lounge have created two signature cocktails inspired by Romeo & Juliet:
(Isabel Lee Roden and Nick Ericksen at The Junction Bar & Lounge in Downtown Staunton. Photo by Madison Patterson)
🍊 Capulet Collins – Gin, elderflower, rosewater, lemonade, and prosecco, finished with a dried blood orange. Light, floral, and refreshingly effervescent.
🌿 Montague Mule – Bourbon, ginger liqueur, lime, and fresh mint topped with soda. Bold, spicy, and full of character.
The Junction Bar & Lounge is just a few blocks away from the Blackfriars Playhouse and is open late Thursday–Saturday (Thursday 5–10 PM, Friday & Saturday 5–11 PM). It’s the perfect stop before or after a performance.
Catch K.P. Powell’s Romeo and Juliet and Aidan O’Reilly’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona in repertory with The Pirate Ballad of Bonny & Read this Fall Season through November 16 at the Blackfriars Playhouse—where art, laughter, and humanity meet under Shared Light.