Romeo and Juliet

"Thou can’st not speak of that thou dost not feel...”

It takes a village to kill a child.

Experience this much-celebrated production of this incredible play for young audiences from Sport for Jove Artistic Director, Damien Ryan.

The existential crisis facing our world today has triggered a deafening chorus of ‘how dare you!’ screamed from the heart of our planet’s youth. And it’s not just about climate issues. What can children teach us in their struggle to be heard?

Characterised by a true vision of today’s youth, Sport for Jove’s furiously energetic new production of Romeo and Juliet dazzled and moved thousands of students in 2022, with some of Australia’s most exciting young actors of Shakespeare taking on Juliet, Romeo, Paris, Mercutio, Benvolio, and Balthazar. Surrounded by an extraordinary group of experienced players, the young cast give this production an authenticity and honest rawness, a sense of danger and the genuine awkwardness of youth.

The production takes on the spirit of a filthy Italian opera, driven by love and heat, fights and fevers of the mind, and of course, by Shakespeare’s soaring poetry. We are carried to backcountry Verona, a profoundly insular town, trapped in cycles of tradition and vendetta, staring out at the future with moral pollution at its heart. Only its children’s courage to express themselves will bring change. With the mad blood stirring, two young lovers meet and set in motion the most iconic love story of all time, that of Juliet and her Romeo.

A thrilling introduction to Shakespeare for young audiences and such an important work for students to experience live.

Image credit: Seiya Taguchi