Romeo & Juliet

For Free Shakespeare in the Park's first production of Romeo & Juliet in nearly 20 years, Hudson Scenic Studios engineered a 72-foot wide border wall set of tilting, metal slats finished as weathered steel and built to withstand real wind and natural elements at the outdoor Delacorte Theater. One section of the wall opens like shutters for the play's famous balcony scene, while behind the wall, two 24-foot statues made of carved foam busts and plywood-and-truss bodies wrapped in painted fabric stand rigged and counterweighted. Across the stage, a weather-resistant show deck was textured and faux-finished to transform the Delacorte's stage into a harsh, dry desert, sturdy enough for a cast sprinting and fighting across it night after night.

Below the stage, Hudson engineered and automated a central lift system built around a high-speed chain-driven platform and a custom bi-parting sunroof, raising and lowering both actors and scenery smoothly into and out of sight, appearing as part of the rest of the stage deck when not in use.