Romeo & Juliet

Romeo and Juliet has often been referred to as timeless.  The main story of lovers from feuding families is found in many different cultures and religions, which is why it is hard to establish the origins of the story that Shakespeare modelled his version on.  Because of its universal appeal it works in so many different places and times, we chose to focus on the future.  The world is advancing in so many ways and yet we still struggle with acceptance, tolerance and inclusion, I personally don’t see that changing until we can get past the current state of dissemination of misinformation our species struggles with today.  One of the places where this can be seen the most is in religious ideology.  Even the religions that claim to espouse concepts of love are filled with hateful rhetoric and the marginalization of “others”.  This is the core struggle we are examining in this production.  We have created a world that is very recognizable to our audiences, civil strife based on long held beliefs and hatreds.  The hate each household has for the other is palpable and the rest of society is getting fed up with the constant violence.   Too often we focus solely on the love between Romeo and Juliet and forget about the why.  Why they can’t be together, why their families create an environment that causes their deaths and why they so desperately need to have these hatreds in the first place.  At its core this is a story of forbidden love, a true love, a love based on the impetuousness of youth and the desire for something other than what is planned for them.  One of the most beautiful elements in this story is that both Romeo and Juliet are trying to break the bonds of hatred and the past, but it’s only with their sacrifices that the community can find a way forward.  I believe whole-heartedly in the concept of hope and although this is truly a tragedy, I trust we will leave our audiences with a sense of hope for the future.

PJ Escobio | March 20th 2023