Romeo and Juliet
Delve further into the story and explore the themes and choreography in
Matthew Bourne's Romeo and Juliet.
If you are a teacher, student, or just can't get enough of Romeo and Juliet, you can find detailed exercises and downloadable resources below. Our New Adventures Dance Artists and Resident Artists will guide you through selected sections of choreography directly from the show.
Our exercises are adapted for GCSE, A Level & BTEC students and those with a general level of dance experience, however anyone can try them at home!
Downloadable Resources
Plot Synopsis
Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet is a passionate and contemporary re-imagining of Shakespeare’s classic love story. The exact location and time period in which Romeo and Juliet is based is left purposefully non-specific. The audience are left to make up their own mind about ‘where and when’ this story exists. The story unfolds within a time-period of about three weeks. The characters that exist within this ‘world’ are faced with a society in which love is forbidden.
Continue onwards to uncover the story of our Romeo and Juliet, but beware of spoilers!
Themes
Romeo and Juliet is perhaps the best-known love story in the English literary tradition. William Shakespeare’s tragic tale from the late 1500’s has often been associated with the real-life events of two lovers who tragically died for each other in 14th century Verona, though there’s no official record of this event. Whatever the motivation behind it, Romeo and Juliet remains one of Shakespeare’s most enduring pieces of writing, with universal themes that are still relevant today. Directors from all four corners of the globe have since produced their own interpretations of it.
Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet reimagines the era, setting, characters and to some extent, the plot, though the core notion of two young people whose forbidden love causes them to pay the ultimate sacrifice remains central to his production.
The Documentary
To celebrate our passionate and contemporary re-imagining of Shakespeare’s classic love story bursting with youth, vitality and Matthew Bourne’s trademark storytelling, we documented our journey with the young talent who were part of the creation of this unique production in 2019.
From the 80 Local Cast members to our team of Young Associate Artists, we followed their experience throughout the tour. We were proud to have had sixteen young artists make their debut with New Adventures with this production, including two Lord of the Flies young cast participants and five third-year dance students who completed their training whilst on tour with the show. They all joined nineteen members of the New Adventures company to complete the full casting for Romeo and Juliet.
Creating the Local Cast by TEAfilms is available to watch worldwide.
Virtual Reality Workshop
In 2019, New Adventures collaborated with Reality Check Productions to create an interactive virtual reality experience that allows audiences all over the globe to participate in a choreographic workshop based on Romeo and Juliet, perform on the Sadler’s Wells stage and watch an extract of the show from a unique, front-of-the-stage perspective.
Captured in 4k 360 Video with 3D spatial sound design and interactive features utilising Copernic360, a cutting-edge AI-driven technology, participants can, for the first time, move with complete freedom within the experience – a world first for any dance company!
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