Romeo en Julia Theater Oostpool / Char Li Chung

Driven by a growing need for hope and connection, Char Li Chung shows with his Romeo en Julia that Shakespeare's world-famous classic is more relevant than ever. Shakespeare did not write this story to reassure us; he wrote it to wake us up. For how can you love in a world that has taught you to hate?

Young Romeo and Julia find themselves on opposite sides of a cultural and religious divide. For generations, their families have lived in an all-consuming conflict. But when Romeo and Julia see each other, they fall in love instantly. Going against the grain, they choose love.

Love as a refusal to adopt hatred, as a radical alternative, and as an ode to the possibility of choosing differently. Vulnerable, dangerous, and necessary.

Romeo en Julia holds up a mirror to us. Not to ask which side you are on, but whether you are willing to let go of the role of enemy.

Last season, director Char Li Chung, known for works including De Bananengeneratie and Cock, successfully tackled the classic Madame Butterfly by Puccini in collaboration with writers Vera Morina and Sun li. For Romeo en Julia, Chung is once again working with Morina, this time on a contemporary adaptation that remains close to the language of Shakespeare's original.