Private Romeo

Private Romeo is an adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet by Alan Brown made in 2011. The film is a reenactment of the play exclusively spoken in an all-male high school military academy called McKinley Military Academy. Amidst this recitation is a gay love blossoming between the two cadets, Sam Singleton / Romeo played by Seth Numrich and Glenn Mangan / Juliet played by Matt Doyle. The film was Brown's take on Don't ask, don't tell, the official United States policy on gays serving in the military from December 21, 1993, to September 20, 2011 (the law was repealed after the production of the film). The scenes of the cadet school and the lessons of the play "Romeo and Juliet" are filmed in desaturated colors, gray, khaki, and pale, whereas the scenes depicting the actual Shakespearean scenes are shown in saturated colors. The film project was previously known as "McKinley" and as "The Shakespeare Project". Brown was inspired to write the script after seeing Joe Calarco's play Shakespeare's R&J in 2008 wherein four senior students in blazers, discover Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and become intrigued by it while reciting excerpts, and act out key scenes from the play intermingled with their own personal realities. All four play various roles in a minimalist stage setting.