ROMEO AND JULIET by William Shakespeare

ROMEO AND JULIET

by William Shakespeare

Director: Dimitris Karantzas

From 4 March 2023

The Shakespearean couple that have been the ultimate personification of doomed love for more than four hundred years need no introduction. Although the roots of the story can be traced back to the 2nd century AD, it is Shakespeare who made it famous. With his unparalleled mastery of language and character development, he created a thrilling tale that stays with us long after we have left the theatre.

Verona is riven by the deadly rivalry of its two most powerful families and is in a state of social unrest. In a dystopian society in which men are trained to kill and women are brought up to submit to their will, Romeo and Juliet resist their fates, constructing their own world of poetry and fantasy and pursuing love as an escape from an enmity can last for centuries, even up to the present day. When they meet, the lyricism of the encounter creates a haven that is maintained until the end. Love and spirituality are their way out of a decaying, patriarchal society that arranges religious festivals, debauched revels and deaths with equal ease. The deaths of Romeo and Juliet are the ultimate act of resistance and union in a society that has died and cannot accept its end.

This experimental staging of parallel narratives begins in a wild party setting which, over the course of the play, becomes both the tomb of a decadent society and also the monument to a love that was able to blossom and overthrow a seemingly unshakeable regime.

Production team

Translation: Dionysis Kapsalis

Director: Dimitris Karantzas

Sets: Maria Panourgia

Costumes: Ioanna Tsami

Movement: Tasos Karahalios

Music: Giorgos Poulios

Lighting: Dimitris Kasimatis

Dramaturg: Eri Kyrgia

First directing assistant: Kelly Papadopoulou

Second directing assistant: Marios Kakoulli

Set design assistant: Sofia Theodoraki

Cast (in alphabetical order)

Konstantinos Avarikiotis, Aris Balis, Iro Bezou, Giannis Dalianis, Haris Haralambous-Kazepis, Ioannis Harkoftakis, Anna Kalaitzidou, Giannis Klinis, Antonis Kolovos, Ioannis-Rafail Koravos, Ektor Liatsos, Aris Ninikas, Manos Petrakis, Reni Pittaki, and others.

Recommended seats for best surtitles viewability: central seats in the stalls & the lower circle