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THERE’S MORE TO LOVE THAN MEETS THE EYE

 

They say that love is blind – and with blindness comes the freedom to open the mind’s eye to a world of limitless possibility. Likewise, the challenge of staging the world’s most famous love story, Romeo and Juliet, in a time of physical distancing brings with it the opportunity to explore modes of theatrical presentation that are both unexpectedly novel and as old as the art of storytelling itself. 

 

Intended for blind, low-vision and sighted audiences alike, this radically reimagined version of Shakespeare’s beloved romantic tragedy invites you into an up-to-the-minute modern world of sound and music, a world that challenges the identities we construct when we use only our eyes, a world in which the entrenched hostilities of an older generation are challenged by the passions of young people who only want to love.

This project is part of Why Not’s MAKE stream of activities. MAKE projects are created and produced by us, often touring across the country and the world.

 

R+J is produced by the Stratford Festival in collaboration with Why Not Theatre.

R+J ran from Thursday, August 12, 2021 to Sunday, September 26, 2021 at the Festival Theatre Canopy.

If you missed the show live, R+J will be streaming virtually on STRATFEST@HOME from October 7 to November 27. Find more details and book your virtual streaming tickets here.

R+J is accessible to blind, low-vision and sighted audiences through an open, integrated audio descripton. 

Click these links to learn about your visit to the Stratford Festival:

Written by William Shakespeare

Adapted by Ravi Jain, Christine Horne, and Alex Bulmer

Directed by Ravi Jain

Produced by Stratford Festival in collaboration with Why Not Theatre

 

Starring:
Alex Bulmer as the Friar
Eponine Lee as Juliet
Dante Jemmott as Romeo
Beck Lloyd as Lady Capulet and Tybalt
Lisa Nasson as Benvolio
Sepehr Reybod as Mercutio
Rick Roberts as Capulet
Tom Rooney as the Nurse.

 

Assistant Directed by Christine Horne
Stage Management by Alice Ferreyra
Assistant Stage Management by Neha Ross
Apprentice Stage Management by Erin Cunningham
Set and Costume Design by Julie Fox
Sound Design by Thomas Ryder Payne
Lighting Design by André du Toit
Coaching by Tim Welham and Paul de Jong
Why Not Theatre Producer: Kevin Matthew Wong

 

Youth Advocate and Equity Consultant: Maggie Blake
Blind and low-vision access consultants: Bruce Horak, Ed Martin and Mala Naraine

 

Creative Enabler and Access Support for Alex Bulmer by Leah Cherniak
Youth Supervisor for Eponine Lee provided by Kim Cunik

 


 

Spring 2021 Workshop Crediting:

Workshop cast: Alex Bulmer as the Friar, Dante Jemmott as Romeo, Diana Tso as Mercutio, Eponine Lee as Juliet, Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah as Tybalt and Benvolio, Rick Roberts as Capulet, Sarah Dodd as Lady Capulet, and Tom Rooney as the Nurse.

Buddies in Bad Times Head of Production: Jacqueline Costa
Workshop Support for Eponine Lee provided by: Derek Kwan

 

Trailer by Wale Sholubi, Wale’s World Media
Trailer Technical Support by Luke Dobson and David Campbell
Special thanks to: Steph Raposo, Daniel Carter

 

Production photography by David Hou

Antoni Cimolino

“I first spoke to Ravi Jain about R+J in January 2020 and it’s a delight to see his exciting ideas becoming reality. His work on Shakespeare over time has been strikingly innovative and I look forward to his unique perspective on this great story this summer.”

Antoni Cimolino | The Stratford Festival, Artistic Director

“I like thinking of Shakespeare as a collaborator rather than an authority. Working “with” Shakespeare instead of working “on” his plays. The R+J we’re creating is very much a collaboration. Shakespeare’s play is the raw material, but it’s being put into the hands of storytellers who are not often involved in the production of his plays and a new story is emerging. A story with Romeo and Juliet at its core, reframed and reimagined from the perspectives unique to the extraordinary artists making our show. If we’re going to continue working with Shakespeare, this, for me, is the way forward.”

Christine Horne | R+J Assistant Director