Theatre Production Excursion

March 15 marked an exciting occasion for Year 8 Theatre Production students as they attended " & Juliet" at the Regent Theatre. For some students, this was their first time experiencing a live theatre performance, making it a truly wonderful opportunity. At Shelford, Theatre Production is a breadth subject offered to Year 8 students. This subject aims to educate them on the technical aspects of live performance, as well as cultivating an appreciation for the intricacies of theatre. 

& Juliet is a musical that reimagines the ending of Shakespeare's famous play "Romeo and Juliet". It follows Juliet as she decides to leave Verona with the help of her friends and Shakespeare himself. The story explores what might have happened if Juliet had not died, and instead goes on a journey of self-discovery, questioning traditional gender roles and societal expectations. The musical features modern pop songs from renowned songwriter Max Martin, including hits like "Baby One More Time", "Roar", and "Love Me Like You Do". 

The students thoroughly enjoyed watching the production, with the musical elements being a particular highlight for them. Throughout the performance, they demonstrated excellent audience etiquette, showing respect and consideration for the performers and other spectators. 

Below are some reflections from the day, written by the students: 

On Wednesday, March 15th, Ms. Holden's Theatre Production class took a tram to the Regent Theatre to see "& Juliet." "& Juliet" is a jukebox musical, which means it had no original songs. The musical revolves around the story of Romeo and Juliet and explores what would have happened if Juliet had decided not to kill herself and instead escaped her parents to go to Paris. My favourite part of the show was when Juliet's fiancé, her fiancé's dad, her fiancé's true love, William Shakespeare, and Romeo performed "Everybody" by the Backstreet Boys. I would definitely recommend "& Juliet" because it was very funny, kept you entertained, and had a great selection of songs you could sing along to. - Claude R 

This performance was a retold version of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet and was told in a modern setting. The music and songs of the show were very thought out and were told in a way that the characters were communicating and expressing how they felt through singing. The production areas of the performance were incredible and very specific, in some intense dance scenes, the lights would flash to the music and the colours were very specific to the emotions of the scenes. I enjoyed this show and would 100% recommend the show to others. - Sophie N 

I enjoyed watching the re-imagined version of Romeo and Juliet and going to the city to watch it with my class. The music and songs in & Juliet were great and mixed in with the performance well. I didn't have a favourite character in the musical as all of them were great and showed individual qualities. My favourite scene from the show is when Juliet realises she doesn't need Romeo in her life, and confronts him, for this part of the performance Juliet sang Problem by Ariana Grande and Iggy Azalea, and it was also mixed with Romeo singing Can't Feel my Face by the Weeknd. The areas of production in the performance were amazing and created a fantastic production. Some of the themes in & Juliet were self-discovery and the power of self-expression, identity, love and romance. I would definitely recommend this performance to everybody as it was amazing, and I enjoyed it heaps! - Teannah P 

Kelsey Holden

Drama Teacher