Romeo & Juliet Incursion

Complete Works Theatre Company: Romeo and Juliet incursion - short review

By Sarah Mollica & Raelyn Noble of Year 10

On 24 April 2017 from 9:00am -10:25am, all Year 10 EAL and English classes gathered in the Performing Arts Centre to watch the Complete Works Theatre Company perform a paired down version of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”.

The costumes that were worn were, to us, odd looking, in a way - not what we expected. Some of the fashion looked like it was from the 1500’s but the younger characters looked modern, grunge, almost.

The set was simple but effective, with graffiti-type scrawling on blackboards that could be moved around.  In class, Miss Kent had to play “When Doves Cry” to show this was a love song that also alludes to a relationship plagued by desire and love and hate and so is linked to the play’s main themes. Most of the other references we understood, like “Rosaline” with a cross through it.

The way the actors played their parts was very enthusiastic and passionate, especially during the love scenes. Their body language and approach demonstrated the powerful themes of love and hate.

Overall, the performance was intriguing, well presented and humourous.

We  liked how the performers well well organized and the play ran smoothly,  making sense and tying information together, and even the scenes they didn’t act out were explained.

We wanted it to be longer!

We believe the school should continue to retain this opportunity as an incursion as it gives us, Year 10’s,  a real live representation of the story and adds much to our understanding of the play through performance.

Thanks to CWTC and the English KLA.