ROMEO & JULIET ~ April 25-26, 2026
The Fitzgerald Theater, St Paul, MN
Don’t miss our 2026-2027 Season! Cinderella, Nutcracker and Swan Lake
Starring world-renowned dancers Skylar Brandt and Jake Roxander
Skylar Brandt, Principal at American Ballet Theatre
Skylar Brandt was born in Purchase, New York and began her training at age six with teachers Diana White and Christian Claessens at Scarsdale Ballet Studio. She also studied with Valentina Kozlova, Fabrice Herrault, Susan Jaffe, Irina Dvorovenko, and Maxim Beloserkovsky. She attended the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School from 2005-2009 under the direction of Franco De Vita. Brandt spent five summers at ABT’s New York Summer Intensive, was a National Training Scholar from 2006-2009 and also received the Bender Foundation Scholarship in 2009. Brandt was a silver medalist at Youth America Grand Prix in 2004 and 2008.
Brandt joined ABT II (now ABT Studio Company) in 2009, became an apprentice with the main Company in November 2010, and joined the corps de ballet in June 2011. She was appointed a Soloist in August 2015 and a Principal Dancer in September 2020.
Jake Roxander, Soloist at American Ballet Theatre
Jake Roxander began his dance training at the age of eight, studying with his parents at their school, Studio Roxander, in his hometown of Medford, Oregon. During his childhood, Roxander took gymnastics and voice lessons and performed in several musical theatre productions in southern Oregon. He was awarded full scholarships to Pennsylvania Ballet’s “Company Experience” workshop in 2017 and 2018, and to American Ballet Theatre’s New York Summer Intensive in 2019. He participated in the Youth America Grand Prix, receiving the Youth Grand Prix Award in 2016 and 2017 and the Grand Prix Award in 2018 and 2019. Roxander joined Pennsylvania Ballet’s second company in 2019 and was a featured dancer in PBII and main company productions.
Roxander joined ABT Studio Company in September 2020, became an apprentice with the main Company in May 2022, and joined the corps de ballet in September 2022. He was promoted to Soloist in March 2024.
ACT I
Scene 1 ‑ The Market place ‑ The scene is Verona. Romeo, son of Montague, tries unsuccessfully to declare his love for Rosaline and is consoled by his friends Mercutio and Benvolio. As day breaks the townspeople meet in the market place, a quarrel develops between Tybalt, a nephew of Capulet, and Romeo and his friends. The Capulets and Montagues are sworn enemies and a fight soon begins. The Lords Montague and Capulet join in the fray, which is stopped by the appearance of the Prince of Verona who commands the families to end their feud.
Scene 2 ‑ Juliet’s ante‑room in the Capulets’ house ‑ Juliet, playing with her nurse, is interrupted by her parents Lord and Lady Capulet. They present her to Paris, a wealthy young nobleman who has asked for her hand in marriage.
Scene 3 ‑ Outside the Capulet’s house ‑ Guests arrive for a ball at the Capulets’ house. Romeo, Mercutio and Benvolio, disguised in masks, decide to go in pursuit of Rosaline.
Scene 4 ‑ The ballroom ‑ Romeo and his friends arrive at the height of the festivities. The guests watch Juliet dance. Mercutio, seeing Romeo is entranced by her, dances to distract attention from him. Tybalt recognizes Romeo and orders him to leave, but Capulet intervenes and welcomes him as a guest in his house.
Scene 5 ‑ Outside the Capulets’ house ‑ As the guests leave the ball Capulet restrains Tybalt from pursuing Romeo.
Scene 6 ‑ Juliet’s balcony ‑ Unable to sleep, Juliet comes out on to her balcony and is thinking of Romeo, when suddenly he appears in the garden. They confess their love for each other.
~ Intermission (15 Minutes) ~
ACT II
Scene 1 ‑ The Market place ‑ Romeo can think only of Juliet, and as a wedding procession passes, he dreams of the day when he will marry her. In the meantime Juliet’s nurse pushes her way through the crowds in search of Romeo to give him a letter from Juliet. He reads that Juliet has consented to be his wife.
Scene 2 ‑ The chapel ‑ The lovers are secretly married by Friar Laurence who hopes that their union will end the strife between the Montagues and the Capulets.
Scene 3 ‑ The market place ‑ Interrupting the revelry, Tybalt fights with Mercutio and kills him. Romeo avenges the death of his friend and is exiled.
Scene 4 ‑ The bedroom ‑ At dawn next morning the household is stirring and Romeo must go. He embraces Juliet and leaves as her parents enter with Paris. Juliet refuses to marry Paris, and hurt by her rebuff, he leaves. Juliet’s parents are angry and threaten to disown her. Juliet rushes to see Friar Laurence.
Scene 5 ‑ The chapel ‑ She falls at the Friar’s feet and begs for his help. He gives her a phial of sleeping potion which will make her fall into a death‑like sleep. Her parents, believing her dead, will bury her in the family tomb. Meanwhile Romeo, warned by Friar Laurence, will return under cover of darkness and take her away from Verona.
Scene 6 ‑ The bedroom ‑ That evening Juliet agrees to marry Paris, but next morning, where her parents arrive with him they find her apparently lifeless on the bed.
Scene 7 ‑ The Capulet family crypt ‑ Romeo, failing to receive the Friar’s message, returns to Verona stunned by grief at the news of Juliet’s death. Disguised as a monk he enters the crypt, and finding Paris by Juliet’s body, kills him. Believing Juliet to be dead, Romeo drinks a phial of poison. Juliet awakes and, finding Romeo dead, stabs herself.
ARTISTIC STAFF
Metropolitan Ballet Founder & Artistic Director: Erik J. Sanborn
Metropolitan Ballet Assistant Director: Karena Casey
Composer: Sergei Prokofiev
Choreography: Erik J. Sanborn
Lighting, Sets & Costumes: Erik J. Sanborn
Costumer: Thereasa Bremer
Stage Manager: Dylan Stover
CAST
Juliet: Skylar Brandt
Romeo: Jake Roxander
Harlots: Martina Fanelli, Lily Griffith, Makaiah Krueger
Rosaline: Sydney Kooda
Tybalt: Erik Sanborn
Nursemaid: Brenda Bird
Count Paris: Aaron Davies
Benvolio: Carlos Quintuña
Mercutio: Richel Ruiz
Lord and Lady Capulet: Michael Ginzburg and Emily Kooda
Lord and Lady Montague: James Schollett and Inessa Dorofeeva
Prince of Verona: Serhii Nechytailo
Priest: Andrew Taft
Village Ladies: Karena Casey, Dora Ciacca, Lily-Anna Crocker, Ludamilla Dorfman, Brenna Friesen, Kiera Friesen, Alarica Hassett, Rachel Jungmann, Louisa Kang, Emily Leslie, Sarah Weber, Violet Wilson
Village Boys / Girls: Aurelia Bremer, Josephine Carlisle, Summer Vickerman, Bella Zimmerman
Swordsmen / Gentlemen at the Ball: Russel Alliev, Alex Herbst, Todd Long, Konstantine Pirpiridis, Ebander Quintuña, Alec Trelstad, Hans Vroege, Andrew Wilson,
Juliet’s Friends - Ballroom: Martina Fanelli, Brenna Friesen, Lily Griffith, Alarica Hassett, Makaiah Krueger, Violet Wilson
Juliet’s Friends - Bedroom: Karena Casey, Dora Ciacca, Lily-Anna Crocker, Ludamilla Dorfman, Kiera Friesen, Rachel Jungmann
Ladies at the Ball: Brenda Bird, Karena Casey, Dora Ciacca, Lily-Anna Crocker, Ludamilla Dorfman, Kiera Friesen, Rachel Jungmann, Louisa Kang, Emily Leslie, Sarah Weber
METROPOLITAN BALLET is a Twin Cities organization founded in 1998 by Artistic Director/Producer Erik J Sanborn with a mission of uniting the communities of dance, music and theater. The Ballet Company focuses on staging high impact works with an emphasis on accessibility, diversity and affordability. Learn more at metroballet.org