Temporary sets, community actors, a band, drinks, and merriment. Sweet Tea Shakespeare is a one-of-a-kind experience that breathes new life into traditional theater. In honor of its namesake, Sweet Tea Shakespeare is a traveling company built on the passion of community actors, directors, set designers, and musicians. This season, they are opening with a retro ’80s spin on the classic Romeo & Juliet. The show runs from Sept. 19 to Sept. 28 at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 1601 Raeford Rd, in the outdoor area behind the church. Tickets are $22 for adults and free for children 6 and under. Military, Senior, and Student discounts are available and can be purchased at https://sweetteashakespeare.thundertix.com/events/249885. 

Attendees can expect to laugh, smile, sing, and feel nostalgia during this spin on the Shakespearean tragedy. Director, Claudia Warga-Dean, is leading the helm for this production, which is a bit Luhrmann-esque. Bazz Luhrman was the director of the ‘90s avant-garde film, starring Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio.  

Playing Juliet is Annabeth Clark, a 12-year theater veteran, who has been doing shows with Sweet Tea for 2 years. Traycie Kuhn-Zapata, normally filling the role of Artistic Director, is playing the doting and love-sick Romeo. Stepping off the stage for this production and behind the curtain in a new role as Stage Manager is Lexi Robinson, a Sweet Tea veteran. The company stages several shows each season, rotating locations to create a unique experience for each one. Each performance features a live band, pre-show merriment with the actors, and, of course, sweet tea. 

The company is also a nonprofit organization and, at its core, a collective of creative beings who want to make the medium of theater accessible to everyone in the community. Their website sends a clear message of inclusion, stating:

No matter where life has brought you, Sweet Tea Shakespeare welcomes you with open arms. Here, love is the strongest choice— the thread that unites us and reminds us of our shared humanity. Everyone has something to contribute and a place to belong in our inclusive community. Come as you are, bring your heart, and join us in celebrating stories that connect us all.

The theater company is a safe space for new and budding actors and directors, set designers, and everything in between. It’s a place to come, lean in, and learn, a place to spread creative wings and grow artistically. 

"Sweet Tea is a nonprofit organization, and we’re a theater company, but on our website, we say that we’re an acting and artist creative training ground. So basically, we love to collaborate, and the medium that we use just happens to be theater. But it’s important for us to tell diverse stories and use diverse communities for everything. In everything we do, we try to be as diverse as possible. And it doesn’t matter your skill set, your skill level, your experience. We bring everybody together to tell the story, and we try to highlight and train people from the ground up in every capacity of the word; people on our board, people on our tech crews, our actors, everybody in the marketing, we train everybody. And we try to do it in a very nurturing, safe environment,” Kuhn-Zapata said. 

This season’s lineup is packed with favorites and Shakespearean classics. 

Nov. 6, 2025 – Nov. 23, 2025

Dec. 4, 2025 – Dec. 6, 2025

Jan. 22, 2026 – Feb. 1, 2026

April 16, 2026 - April 26, 2026

Jun. 11, 2026 – Jun. 28, 2026

For more information on Sweet Tea Shakespeare, visit https://sweetteashakespeare.com/.