Romeo and Juliet

Conflicts flare up all over the world. Borders close, walls rise and people are reduced to their origins or religion. From a growing need for hope and connection, Char Li Chung shows with his Romeo and Juliet that Shakespeare's world-famous classic is more topical than ever. Shakespeare did not write this story to reassure us, he wrote it to wake us up. For how can you love in a world that has taught you to hate? Young Romeo and Juliet find themselves on opposite sides of a cultural and religious fault line. For generations, their families have lived in overriding conflict. But when Romeo and Juliet see each other, they instantly fall in love. Going against the grain, they choose love. Love as a refusal to take on hatred, as a radical alternative and as an ode to the possibility of choosing otherwise. Vulnerable, dangerous and necessary. Romeo and Juliet holds up a mirror to us. Not to ask which side you are on, but whether you are willing to let go of the role of enemy. Last season, director Char Li Chung, known for The Banana Generation and Cock, among others, very successfully took on Puccini's classic Madame Butterfly in collaboration with writers Vera Morina and Sun li. For Romeo and Juliet, Chung again collaborates with Morina, this time on a contemporary adaptation that stays close to the language of Shakespeare's original.

Prior to the performance, an introduction is available led by an introducer from Theater Oostpool. This will provide the audience with background information about the performance (about the creative process and background of the makers and writer) and a more in-depth look at the subject.

Credits text William Shakespeare | adaptation Vera Morina | direction Char Li Chung | acting Josephine Arendsen, Hamza Othman, Cystine Carreon, Fjodor Jozefzoon, Adam Kissequel, Tim Linde, Levi Vos and Bilal El Aoumar