This weekend, Drake Park at dusk will become even more romantic.

Hoop-skirted women and men in waistcoats will recite the poetic lines of Shakespeare in an outdoor performance of “Romeo and Juliet,” Bend’s second annual Shakespeare in the Park production.

Thursday night saw the first of three evening performances that will continue tonight and Saturday on the concrete stage in Drake Park (see “If you go”).

Shakespeare in the Park is a joint effort between Bend’s Lay It Out Events and Cat Call Productions, and Portland’s Northwest Classical Theatre Co. After last year’s production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” sold roughly 1,800 tickets over three shows, Cat Call producer Tifany LeGuyonne said partnering with Northwest Classical Theatre for the second time was an obvious choice.

“We loved what (NWCT) did last year, they understand every line of Shakespeare,” said LeGuyonne. “It’s as good as it gets.”

“Romeo and Juliet,” the story of two star-crossed lovers whose deaths bring together their feuding families, is arguably one of Shakespeare’s most famous works.

“Last year we did a comedy, so this year we wanted to do a tragedy,” said LeGuyonne of why “Romeo and Juliet ” was chosen.

While the play was written to be staged during the Italian Renaissance, guest director Jon Kretzu chose to set his rendition against the background of Italy during the 1860s — a time of revolution similar to the social and political climate of 14th-century Italy.

Audiences can expect period pieces such as chandeliers and an Italian fountain — and the iconic balcony for Romeo and Juliet’s famous scene — to adorn the stage, said LeGuyonne. Otherwise, the setting will be kept fairly simple, according to Kretzu, associate artistic director of Portland’s Artist’s Repertory Theatre.

Kretzu, who has directed more than 40 productions for ART, said he does not want the set to distract from the “gorgeous natural setting of Drake Park.”

This production marks Kretzu’s fourth time directing “Romeo and Juliet,” although the previous three were set in contemporary times. Each one “was like a movie from the 1970s with Armani suits, motorcycles and rock music,” said Kretzu of his previous experience directing the play.

In contrast, said Kretzu, Italy in the 1860s was “romantic and beautiful.”

A handful of local opera singers will set the tone for this weekend’s plays with a pre-performance program of Italian arias from the 1860s, a popular art form of the time “when opera was at it’s height,” said Kretzu.

The program of arias, created by vocal coach Eileen Heaton, is the perfect transition into the play, according to Kretzu.

The cast is composed of seasoned performers, many of whom have experience in classical theater. Among the cast is Portland actor Vana O’Brien, a founding member of ART who plays Juliet’s nurse.

“The role fits her like a glove,” Kretzu said.

Steve Vanderzee and Melissa Whitney take on the roles of Romeo and Juliet, respectively.

While the story is rather simple, said Kretzu, it is also timeless.

“Everybody knows what happens, but always hopes it will turn out differently,” he said.

This year’s Shakespeare in the Park offers audiences the opportunity to see “Romeo and Juliet” through a different lens.

“So many lines (of Shakespeare) are well-known,” said Kretzu. “We try to make the audience forget how it ends by engaging them (in the story).

“It is a youthful, spontaneous, romantic and elegant version of the play,” he said.

The production will also contain more heated debates and intimacy between characters than most “Romeo and Juliet” performances, according to LeGuyonne.

“It’s pushing the envelope,” she said.

Each performance seats about 800 people, and while Lay It Out Events reports that tickets are going fast, there are still plenty of spots available for those who want to catch the show.

“It’s a way for the community to come out and see a really high-quality production,” said LeGuyonne. “What better way to see a love story than in Drake Park at sunset?”

If you go

What: Shakespeare in the Park “Romeo and Juliet”

When: 6 tonight and 6 p.m. Saturday, doors open at 5 p.m.

Where: Drake Park, 777 N.W. Riverside Blvd., Bend. Chairs will be provided; no outside food or beverages permitted.

Cost: $20 to $75 plus fees, available at the website below

Contact: www.shakespearebend.com or 541-323-0964