Ruckus Theatre Company Presents: William Shakespeare's ROMEO AND JULIET
2020

Shakespeare's timeless classic brought to you in an all new light. This production will show the star-crossed romance you know in its grittiest from. 

This production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is far darker than the usual romantic gaze. It may well be the grittiest production of this play you ever see. With grunge aesthetics and swarming soundscapes, Ruckus’ vision focuses on the violent entanglement between the houses, particularly in its effect on the play’s two lost youths. The action is explosive, the love, intimate. Ruckus dives head first into mental health, the loss of youth, and the psychic oppression of violent society. By embracing the violent potential of this play, we guarantee an engaging, and truly tragic, experience.

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DIRECTOR'S CONCEPT

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This production draws heavy inspiration from Kenneth Branagh’s 2016 production of Romeo and Juliet at The Garrick Theatre, mimicking its highlighting of the brutal nature of the text, and Romeo and Juliet in Baghdad by Monadhil Daoud Albayati, in which the ending of the classic play is re-imagined for a modern tragedy.

Following a gender-conscious casting process, we chose to re-imagine Romeo and Juliet with LGBTQ+ identities in mind, exploring themes such as mental health, loss of youth and the oppression of a violent society. In embracing the violent nature of the play, we explore the dichotomy of the body, and how it exists as a space for love and violence. In presenting this, the audience are confronted with the complexity of the human condition and are welcomed in to witness Romeo and Juliet’s innermost desires and fears. Through the scope of naturalism, we build on the characters presented in the text, whilst taking the time to focus on the duplicity and complexity of Shakespeare’s language. We work to highlight this through presenting the varied meanings found within the play, developing the intricacy of the scenes.

We hope that the audience both learns from and enjoys this performance of the play and can recognise contemporary anxieties in the classic tale.

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