Directed by Joanna Sherman & Tsvete Yaneva
Music by Sean Nowell
Devised by the Bond Street Theatre & Theatre Tsvete ensembles

THE PRODUCTION

Theatre Tsvete, an award-winning puppet theatre company from Bulgaria, and Bond Street Theatre, known for its dynamic physical style, created a play built on images, using the power of symbols to tell the story. Live original music accompanies the play; dance, stilts, swordplay, and striking lighting and shadow effects bring the story to life. Ordinary objects are used in extraordinary ways to achieve compelling images and rhythms. Although the tale is tragic, moments of comedy interweave throughout.

The play vividly depicts the tragedy of neighbor against neighbor, and truly expresses the situation of people in many areas of the world today who are confronting the choice between love and violence. Our play ends with a sense of renewal; the
puppet spirits of Romeo and Juliet rise up from their bodies in a
delicate and ethereal blacklight dance, become one, and disappear. This message of hope has resonated with audiences throughout the Balkans and the USA.

The touring production of Romeo and Juliet also includes workshops in puppetry and physical theatre, video-lectures on Working in Areas of Conflict, work demonstrations and unique performances for children.

THE COLLABORATION

At the height of the war in Kosovo, Theatre Tsvete of Sofia, Bulgaria, and Bond Street Theatre of New York met in the refugee camps in Macedonia. Both companies reached out to this traumatized community to bring some creativity and laughter to the refugees. Their mutual mission brought them together and they decided to create a joint artistic project about conflict resolution for the Balkans.

In July 2000, the two companies met in Bulgaria to collaborate on the creation of a compelling, non-verbal version of the famous Shakespearean tragedy, Romeo & Juliet. Over the last four years, the play has traveled to war-scarred theatres throughout Kosovo, Serbia, Bosnia, Albania, Macedonia, Romania and Bulgaria, and toured the USA in 2003.

Romeo And Juliet has been presented at…

2003 US Premiere Tour:

• Baltimore Theatre Project – Baltimore, Maryland
• Theatre for the New City – New York, New York
• Takoma Theatre – Takoma Washington, D.C
• University of Rio Grande – Rio Grande, Ohio * Double Edge Theatre – Ashfield, Massachusetts

Balkan Tours 2000-2003:

• International Festival of Alternative and New Theatre – Novi Sad, Yugoslavia
• International Theatre Festival Skampa — Elbason, Albania
• Theatre Dodona — Prishtina, Kosovo
• Republic of Srpska Puppet Theatre — Banja Luka, Bosnia & Herzegovina
• House of Culture (Regional Theatres) — Leshkovac, Presevo and Bojanovac, Serbia
• Theatre of the Minorities — Skopje, Macedonia
• Sibiu International Theatre Festival — Sibiu, Romania
• National Theatre of Kosovo — Prishtina, Kosovo
• Teatri I Qytetit (Regional Theatres) — Podujeva and Gjilan, Kosovo
• Trade Union Opera House — Plovdiv, Bulgaria
  … and other venues.

FROM THE PRESS
“An instant hit… Laughter and applause punctuated the performance.” — Daniel Simpson, THE NEW YORK TIMES, USA

“Well done and surprising! How much effort, knowledge and talent were implemented to create this multicultural collaborative work. The Bulgarians were excellent.” — Vladimir Kopicl, FESTIVAL REPORT, Novi Sad, Serbia

“This popular interpretation of ‘Romeo and Juliet’… brought a message of peace and tolerance to the audience who filled the Plata Mare in Sibiu.” — Mariana Ciolan, FESTIVALS, Sibiu, Romania

“An inventive collection of theatrical techniques and skills — physical and dance-theatre, pantomime, acrobatics, circus, blacklght theatre, shadows, rituals and puppetry — attractive, spiritual and contemporary.” — Darinka Nikolich, DNEVNIK, Serbia

“Everything worked in perfect harmony: the physical staging, music, pantomime, jazz, comedy and other elements.” — FAKTI, Gjilan, Kosovo

“This Romeo and Juliet was an extraordinary human tragicomedy. …It gave the audience a special message of love, peace and tolerance between people.” — KOHA DITORE, Kosovo

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