Romeo and Juliet
There are no #spoileralerts when it comes to Romeo and Juliet. Two feuding households with two young lovers who take their lives. It’s the story that everyone knows. How exactly can a story written in the late 1500s relate to audiences in 2016? Due to its timeless themes — hate, tension, love, fate — Romeo and Juliet is harmonious with our society today. By telling this story now, we are making a specific theatrical choice in response to our current social and political climate. We have chosen to adapt Romeo and Juliet in 2016 because the Black Lives Matter movement, police brutality, political drama, and same-sex relationships are today’s history.
Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Cameron Knight
Lead dramaturgy by Hannah Greenspan
Assistant dramaturgy by Ben Claus
The Theatre School at DePaul University — Chicago, IL
November 4-November 13, 2016
As the lead dramaturg on this production, I felt that the best way to communicate our modern adaptation of the world of play in conversation with Shakespeare's classic text was through an online dramaturgy packet which unpacks themes: the Black Lives Matter movement, gender bending, Presidential Campaign chaos, police brutality, krav maga, homophobia, heightened text crash course, and scene breakdowns.
Photos by Michael Brosilow