UNO Theatre Creates Immersive Romeo and Juliet Production

April 17th, 2026

On the Dodge Campus of the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s, is a performance of a Shakespearian classic Romeo and Juliet. Crafted by the faculty and students at the university, this show aims to break the mold of what a typical production of Romeo and Juliet looks like and turns it into something that’s new, fresh and unique. Director Jack Zerbe, examines this 400 year old tragedy and looks at why it is still relevant in our modern times. “Most people think of Romeo and Juliet as this love story and this tragedy of love, and I think it’s actually a tragedy of violence,” says Zerbe, “And so what I’m interested in, in particular, is how the rivalry between the Montagues and the Capulets is reflected in our own world, polarization of our rivals in the political sphere.”

This rendition of Romeo and Juliet differs from your average production as it incorporates elements of immersive theatre to invite the audience into the world of the play. “They are arranged to be, to feel like they’re citizens of Verona that are involved in this ancient rivalry between the Capulets, in the Montagues, and indeed, every audience member will be given a bracelet which identifies them as either Capulet or Montague,” Zerbe says. Audience members are also encouraged to cheer their respective side during the show and even heckle their opposing counterparts on stage.

Being a professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Zerbe speaks more on his experience working with college performers. Playing Romeo and Juliet in this production are Trevor Larsen and Greta Hegarty. Zerbe speaks on his direction and mentorship of all his students stating, “And I’m looking around at what people are doing and by gosh, I think we’ve done that. Everybody has really outstripped my expectations and is doing really, really strong work.”

UNO Theatre’s production of Romeo and Juliet will be showing until April 26^th. More information can be found on unotheatre.com.