"I ne’er saw true beauty till this night”
A powerful and explosive new production of Shakespeare’s immortal tale of an all-consuming love.
Risking everything, a young couple defy their feuding families and find love on the streets of Verona.
This unforgettable production, directed by The Watermill Theatre’s new Artistic Director, Paul Hart, features live music and an outstanding new ensemble of actors bursting onto The Watermill stage.
Paul’s directed for Propeller and The Donmar. He also directed The Essay for BBC Radio 3 and productions including Great Expectations, Heroes, Journey’s End and The Tempest for The Watermill Theatre.
The Watermill’s previous Shakespeare productions have toured the world from Buenos Aires to Singapore, New York to China and from Bangladesh to Japan. Be sure not to miss this imaginative take on an all-time classic!
The theatre will be transformed into the round for this production.
Workshops are available. For more information, please click here
Running Times
Act One: 1 hour 15 minutes
Interval: 20 minutes
Act Two: 1 hour 15 minutes
Directed by Paul Hart
Designed by Katie Lias
Lighting designed by Tom White
Sound designed by David Gregory
Assistant Director Mona Khalili
With music by Johnny Flynn
Victoria Blunt
Benvolio
Romeo and Juliet is Victoria’s professional stage debut. Victoria graduated from the Oxford School of Drama in 2015.Credits whilst in training include Ratchet (Soho Theatre), Mark Antony in Julius Caesar (North Wall), and Three Sisters.
Lucy Keirl
Juliet
Making her professional debut at The Watermill as Juliet, Lucy recently graduated from Rose Bruford College, with a BA (Hons.) in Actor-Musicianship. Whilst at Rose Bruford, theatre credits include Punk Rock, All My Sons, Measure for Measure, Today, Songs for a New World and Britain Ltd. with Theatre Ad Infinitum.
Rupert Lazarus
Tybalt
Rupert trained at RADA. Theatre includes: As You Like It, Mrs Warren’s Profession, New Labour, Pericles, The Changling, August Osage County, Twelfth Night (RADA).
Rebecca Lee
Friar
Rebecca recently made her professional debut in The First Man (Jermyn Street Theatre) after graduating from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2015. Theatre credits during training include Her Naked Skin, A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Cherry Orchard. She directed two plays while at the University of Manchester that were performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She worked for Punchdrunk Theatre Company on productions including It Felt Like a Kiss at the Manchester International Festival.
Peter Mooney
Mercutio
Peter trained at Rose Bruford, graduating from its Actor-Musicanship course in 2014. Theatre credits include The Commitments (Palace Theatre, West End) and The Ballad of Rudy (Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre).
Samantha Pearl
Lady Capulet
Samantha trained at The Oxford School of Drama.
Theatre includes: Brave New World (Northampton Royal and Derngate & UK tour); St Joan (Pascal Theatre Co. International Tour); The Seagull and Other Birds (Pan Pan, Project Arts Centre & International tour); Brendan at the Chelsea (Lyric Belfast, Theatre Row NYC); Venus/Mars (Old Red Lion); Clean (Traverse Theatre/ Oran Mor); Scarberia (York Theatre Royal); The Two Worlds of Charlie F (West End & UK Tour); Sixty Six Books (Bush Theatre); Dream Pill (Soho Theatre); Dancing Bears (Soho Theatre); How To Be An Other Woman (Gate Theatre); Twelfth Night (National Theatre).
TV includes: Peep Show (Channel Four); Lee Nelson's Well Funny People (BBC 3); What Shall We Do Today? (Disney Channel); Snuggletime (Disney Channel).
Film includes: Legend (Working Title Pictures).
Lauryn Redding
Nurse
Theatre credits include: Dreamers (Oldham Coliseum), Tall Tales (Theatr Clywd), Comedy of Errors (Shakespeare’s Globe), Horrible Histories – Awful Egyptians (Birmingham Stage), King Lear (Red Rose Chain), Shhh (Theatre503), Wind in The Willows (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Numb (Arcola), Six (SevenArts Leeds), The Enough Project (Slung Low / DepArts), Horrible Histories – Barmy Britain (Birmingham Stage, UK Tour and Australian Tour), An August Bank Holiday Lake, She Stoops to Conquer, The Winter’s Tale (Northern Broadsides), Alice Underground (Les Enfants Terribles) a site specific production in the Vaults of Waterloo Station.
Television credits include: Emmerdale 3Eps (YTV)Lee Nelson's Well Good Show (BBC) and the Channel 4 Pilot Regulars (Silver River Productions).
Lauryn has also worked on a number of short film and radio productions
Ned Rudkins-Stow
Paris
Ned graduated from Rose Bruford in 2015 with a BA in Actor-Musicianship. He has recently completed work on Jack and the Beanstalk at Stafford Gatehouse Theatre. His theatre credits whilst training include: Songs For A New World, The Water Engine and The Broken Heart.
Mike Slader
Capulet
Mike trained at the Rose Bruford College and graduated with a BA (Hons) in Actor-Musicianship
Theatre credits include: Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood (City Varieties Music Hall), Dreamboats & Miniskirts (UK Tour), Delirium Show 6 (Workshop, St James Theatre), Dick Whittington (City Varieties, Leeds), Carnaby Street in Concert (UK Tour), Tiny Tempest (Brighton Dome) Dave in Carnaby Street (UK Tour), Derek in Dreamboats & Petticoats (UK Tour), Ovid's Metamorphoses (Pleasance Dome), On the Third Day (The Mill Studios), Close (The Cockpit Theatre), Grimethorpe Race (The Arcola Theatre), Twelfth Night (UK Tour), The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe (Chichester Festival Theatre), Dr Faustus (Chichester Festival Theatre).
Other work includes: Cruzier (Short Film), HTC Online Phone (Commercial) and Who Is In Control (Photography Stills).
Stuart Wilde
Romeo
Theatre credits include: Shakespeare in Love (Noel Coward Theatre, West End) Long Story Short (Squint), A Real Man’s Guide To Sainthood (Milk Presents), Catching Father Christmas (Gomito Productions), Flor de Muerto (Gomito Productions). Stuart was part of the National Youth Theatre repertory company in 2013/14 - credits include: Private Peaceful *Best Leading Actor nomination*, Selfie, Macbeth, Grown Up, The Class, White Boy.
Television includes: Kerching! (BBC TV), Whatever! (Monkey Kingdom)
'...a fresh and richly coloured take on a timeless tale...' **** The Stage
'...the band scenes prove effective at crucial moments: a raucous Hives number at Capulet's party contrasts with Mumford and Sons' White Blank Page sung during the delicately ritualistic marriage ceremony.'**** The Stage
Read the full Stage review
'Hart's use of the Watermill's shared intimate space is exhilarating and sending cast members into the balcony among the audience adds to the dynamism.' **** Whatsonstage
'The ensemble work...is especially effective...' ****Whatsonstage
Read the full Whatsonstage review
'The cast perform some electrifying rock music, composed by Johnny Flynn, which is enough to set the heart racing before the show starts.' The Reviews Hub
'A cast of young actors and recent drama school graduates prove their mettle in this production.' The Reviews Hub
'...they truly are a vibrant, energetic and seriously talented group of actors...' Muddy Stilettos
'...this is such a great production for teenagers to come and see, as it stays faithful to the text ... and it really will make them realise Shakespeare was like not boring...' Muddy Stilettos
'The Watermill is probably the most romantic theatre you’ll ever visit.' Muddy Stilettos
The youthful energy of the cast pervades the production and gives it a very fast pace. Newbury Theatre