Matthew Bourne's Romeo and Juliet is a passionate and contemporary re-imagining of Shakespeare's classic love story. Bursting with youth, vitality and Matthew Bourne's trademark storytelling, Britain's brightest young dance talent joined the New Adventures company for this World Premiere production. Directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne, collaborating with his entire New Adventures Associate Artistic team; Etta Murfitt, Associate Artistic Director, set and costume design by Lez Brotherston; lighting by Paule Constable; sound by Paul Groothuis; and new orchestrations of the Prokofiev score by Terry Davies, played live by the New Adventures Orchestra and conducted by Brett Morris.
As part of New Adventures' ambition to support the next generation of on-stage talent and inspired by the success of Lord of the Flies in 2014, which combined professional dancers and young men with little or no dance experience, Romeo and Juliet featured the finest emerging male and female dancers from around the UK. The search began in April 2018 with a call-out for the next generation of young dancers currently in training aged between 16 and 19. Attracting over 1000 applications and following a UK-wide audition tour, six Young Cast members at each venue performed alongside the New Adventures company.
This timeless story of forbidden love, repressed emotions and teenage discovery is no better told than by the young, and I have been refreshed and inspired by what this team of young dancers and artists have brought to Shakespeare's classic tale of tragic conflict and young love.
Matthew Bourne
Continuing New Adventures' commitment to developing off-stage talent we recruited a team of Young Associate Artists to work alongside the Artistic team in the creation of this world premiere production. Rachel Goldberg as Young Associate Sound Designer and Alexander Ling as Young Associate Orchestrator, joined Arielle Smith as Young Associate Choreographer; Elin Steele as Young Associate Set & Costume Designer and Ali Hunter as Young Associate Lighting Designer.