Thank you so much for joining us at Grant Theatre.
Whether you are a fresh face or a seasoned theatre-goer, we want you to walk away from this performance knowing a little bit more about Shakespeare than you did before.
Our performances have been crafted around young people, to help them understand these complex stories in accessible ways. The language can be confusing and the plots can be complicated. Flip to page 8 and you’ll find handy summaries on plot, character, and themes, for you to bring back to your classrooms.
Think boldly, stay curious, and enjoy the show.
We acknowledge the Dharug people who are the traditional custodians of the land on which Grant Theatre operates. We pay respects to the Elders past and present, and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Always was and always will be Aboriginal land.
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Rachel O’Sirideain
Set Designer Harrison Burton
Costume Designer Gayeon Min
Lighting Designer Claire Seymour
Sound Designer Justin Dinh
Intimacy & Fight Director Kirby Salinger
Company Manager Juliana Montag
Stage Manager Rivka Weisberg
Assistant Stage Manager Olivia Brenner
With Brennan Ashworth & Jessica Ly
Supported by: Western Sydney University.
This performance includes depictions of suicide, violence, murder, and drug use.
Director’s Note
RACHEL O’SIRIDEAIN
The classic love story. Boy meets girl. Girl’s family hates boy’s family. Boy’s family hates girl’s family. Chaos ensues.
I am thrilled to join the team at Grant Theatre for their production of Romeo and Juliet. The tale of the star-crossed lovers is one of Shakespeare’s most celebrated plays, making it an exciting challenge to bring my own flair to the bard’s work for the stage. As we embark on this journey, I invite you to be curious and let yourself wander in this world.
William Shakespeare penned Romeo and Juliet in a vastly different world to our own. A different time. A different culture, a whole continent away. Rather than move into a modern setting, I would love for the audience to get to know the world in which these characters existed and understand how Shakespeare’s context influenced his work.
Our production finds us in the illustrious city of Verona, where the young and impulsive Romeo and Juliet find themselves the throes of love. Their sudden and passionate love stretches the tenuous relationship of their two families and threatens to snap it. Their untimely deaths are tragic and frustrating but ultimately bring together their families and put the feud to an end. Was it always meant to be? Would anything the Capulets and the Montagues had done bring a better result? Shakespeare, as the storyteller, might suggest it was always written in the stars. As a director, I love exploring fate in stories of tragedy and I greatly appreciated the opportunity to bring it to this production.
Brennan Ashworth brings an unparalleled charm and authenticity to the role of Romeo that is matched without effort by Jessica Ly’s Juliet, who fills every performance with grace and vulnerability. The whole cast and creative team have put tremendous effort into creating a show that is exciting and a perfect entry point for students being introduced to Shakespeare.
Together, let’s bridge the gap between the two worlds and celebrate Shakespeare’s legacy. This performance of Romeo and Juliet promises to be a thrilling and moving experience, filled with passion, strife, and a little bit of love.
Enjoy the show!
PerForMers & creAtiVe teAM
Rachel O’Sirideain Director
Rachel is an award-winning playwright, director and actor from Western Sydney. She is best known for writing and directing for Radiance in Neon, Skyshore, and The Sparrow Serenades. She has directed productions of The Crucible, Othello, The Merchant of Venice, My Fair Lady, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Jasper Jones, Ruby Moon, Antigone, Albion, and The Rasputin Affair. As an actress she has appeared in Hamlet, The Glass Menagerie, The Secret River, Switzerland, and The Removalists.
Jessica Ly Juliet
Jessica Ly has worked extensively in the theatre industry as an actress and choreographer. She is most recognised for her choreography in productions of Hairspray, Into the Woods, and Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. As an actress, she has appeared in Mother Courage, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Threepenny Opera, All’s Well That Ends Well, Ladies in Black, Mardi Gras, Forgetting You, Looking for Alibrandi, Albion, Picnic at Hanging Rock, and Summer Rain.
BRENNAN ASHWORTH Romeo
Brennan is a NIDA alumnus with a BFA (Acting) from Sydney. He has performed in Waiting for Godot, A Streetcar Named Desire, Into the Woods, Jasper Jones, The Bleeding Tree, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Long Day’s Journey into Night, Vibrant Dissonance, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Removalists, Fragments Over, Pomona, On Love, The Honest Whore, and A Woman Killed with Kindness, Les Miserables, and Goodbye Charles.
RORY DEARNLEY Friar Laurence
Rory has appeared in numerous productions across Australia since his graduation from WAPPA in 2016. He has appeared in Toy Symphony, A Christmas Carol, Stuff Happens, 1984, The Comedy of Errors, Accidental Death of an Anarchist, No More Shall We Part, Remembering Pirates, King Tide, Forever Until Death, The Histrionic, King Lear, A Man With Five Children, The Hanging Tree, and The Emperor of Sydney.
Isabelle Arancon Nurse
Isabelle is a talented actress from Western Sydney who joined Grant Theatre after working with the travelling theatre group Bards on Buses, where she appeared in productions of Much Ado About Nothing, Othello, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, The Winter’s Tale, and Antony & Cleopatra. She has also appeared in independent productions of When the Rain Stops Falling, The Laramie Project, Albion, Life Without Me, Alice in Wonderland, and The Removalists.
BRODIE VENTURA Mercutio, Paris
Brodie has a BA (Acting) from NIDA and spent the beginning of their acting career in the Melbourne independent theatre scene. They have appeared in productions of Jasper Jones, Children of the Black Skirt, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Oedipus Rex, Angels in America, Two Weeks with the Queen, Love and Information, Waiting for Godot, Hedda Gabler, What the Butler Saw, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, and The Golden Age.
CHANSE MACINTOSH Tybalt, Friar John
Chase Macintosh is a WAPPA-trained actor before moving to Western Sydney. He has directed for King Lear and Treasure Island, and has acted in productions of Cymbeline, Hamlet, The Taming of the Shrew, Ruby Moon, Toy Symphony, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Antigone, Sharp Darts, The Comedy of Errors, The Importance of Being Earnest, The School for Scandal, and Volpone.
Marco Garza Benvolio
Marco has been acting with Grant Theatre since their graduation from Western Sydney University. He has appeared in our productions of Macbeth, King Lear, The Comedy of Errors, Julius Caesar, Pericles, Prince of Tyre, Henry VIII, Titus Andronicus, and Love Labour’s Lost.
samuel nyugen Lord Capulet
Samuel is a well-seasoned actor, having graduated from NIDA with a BA (Acting) in 2009. He has performed in productions of Skyshore, The Crucible, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Secret River, The Removalists, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Fragments Over, Goodbye Charles, Mardi Gras, The Emperor of Sydney, The Laramie Project, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Waiting for Godot, Volpone, 247 Days, LUCID, Miracle City, Ich Nibber Dibber, The Little Prince, Polar Bears, The Sugar House, King Lear, Silent Disco, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Drover’s Wife.
Emma van Blair Lady Capulet, Additional Characters
Emma is an actress that has specialised in Shakespeare since 2014. For Grant Theatre, she has appeared in The Comedy of Errors, Macbeth, and Love Labour’s Lost. She has also appeared in productions of Hamlet, The Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest, Othello, Richard III, As You Like It, Henry V, The Winter’s Tale, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, All’s Well That Ends Well, Henry VIII, Measure for Measure, Julius Caesar, The Merchant of Venice, and Cymbeline.
PerForMers & creAtiVe teAM
Noah Henwood Lord Montague, Additional Characters
This is Noah’s first production with Grant Theatre. Noah is an actor from Melbourne who has acted in productions of Death of a Salesman, Our Town, Switzerland, Let the Right Ones In, Ruby Moon, Honey Pot, Albion, Henry VI Part II, Antigone, The Seagull, A Streetcar Named Desire, Old Times, An Oak Tree, A Doll’s House, Private Lives, Happy Days, Life is a Dream, Norm and Ahmed, Away, and The Book of Everything.
STEFANIA FLEIDERMAN Lady Montague, Additional Characters
Stefania is an actress and director for theatre and film. She has directed such independent films as A Breath Over the Ocean, Five Days in Tuscany, Bells & Perfume, Beyond the Hills, Daisy & Garrett, and Beaks Bloody. She has appeared on stage as an actress in productions of The Removalists, The Bleeding Tree, Three Little Words, Parramatta Girls, Dead White Males, Death and the Maiden, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Small Island, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Cymbeline, and A Day at the Beach.
Oscar Dooley Prince, Chorus, Additional Characters
Oscar is an independent actor and playwright based in Western Sydney. He has written and acted in Eighth Time’s the Charm, Reunion, Eviction, As Is Above So Is Below, The Breath of Two Loners, and Sunburn. He has also performed in Titus Andronicus, Blabbermouth, The Chapel Perilous, The Wardrobe, Who’s Afraid of the Working Class?, Animal Farm, The Sugar House, Beautiful Words, Hotel Sorrento, Antigone, The Venetian Twins, Falling Petals, My Name is Rachel Corrie, Don’s Party, The Cherry Orchard, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Watchlist, Teenage Dick, The Glove Thief, and The Bad Seed.
Gayeon Min Set & Costume Designer
Gayeon is a NIDA trained set and costume designer for theatre and film. Her credits include Kidney, Twelfth Night, The Great Fire, A Christmas Carol, Angels in America, Three Little Words, The Aspirations of Daise Morrow, 247 Days, The Boat People, Great Falls, Women of Troy, The Waiting Room, 24/7 in New York, HART, The Magic Pudding, LUCID, Another Bite, Miracle City, Ivanov, and Ich Nibber Dibber.
Claire Seymour Lighting Designer
Claire is a lighting designer with a BFA (Technical Theatre and Stage Management) from NIDA. Her professional lighting credits include The Rookie, Venus in Fur, Albion, A Comedy of Errors, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Hay Fever, Much Ado About Nothing, Jasper Jones, Fool For Love, The Lighthouse, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Twelfth Night or What You Will, Lake Disappointment, The Little Prince, and Polar Bears.
Justin Dinh Sound Designer
Justin is a sound designer who has worked on productions such as Theodora, Much Ado About Nothing, Les Miserables, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1818, Switzerland, Let The Right Ones In, Mother Courage and Her Children, The Sugar House, Single Asian Female, and A Ballet of Neverending Torment.
Rivka Weisberg Stage Manager
Rivka has been a Stage Manager for Grant Theatre since the beginning, working for productions of Macbeth, King Lear, and The Comedy of Errors. She has also stage managed for Calamity Jane, The Government Inspector, 15 Heroines, Honey Pot, The Drover’s Wife, Jasper Jones, Hitler’s Daughter, and Silent Disco.
Olivia Brenner Assistant Stage Manager
Olivia is a NIDA alumni with a BFA (Technical Theatre and Stage Management). She has worked at Grant Theatre on productions of King Lear, and The Comedy of Errors. She has also worked as assistant stage manager on The Government Inspector, Honey Pot, Jasper Jones, Hitler’s Daughter, Where the Streets Had a Name, The Black Sequin Dress, Albion, and Rapture.
Kirby Salinger Intimacy & Fight Director
Kirby has been working as an intimacy and fight director for stage productions in Sydney since 2016. He has overseen productions of The Removalists, Norm and Ahmed, Macbeth, Antigone, Albion, Let the Right One’s In, As You Like It, Breathless, A Deep, Poetic Journey Into Something, Dracula, The Dread Pirate Sadie, Funhouse, Macbeth, Treasure Island, The Boys, Deceptive Threads, and The Seagull.
Juliana Montag Company Manager
Juliana is Grant Theatre’s head company manager who oversees the majority of our productions. She has managed Grant Theatre’s productions of Macbeth, King Lear, The Comedy of Errors, and Love Labour’s Lost. Before this, Juliana was the resident stage manager for Two Face Theatre, where she managed productions such as Long Tan, Deceptive Threads, Holy Day, Richard III, Dinkum Assorted, The Visit, Mr Incredible, Dracula, Decade, All The Little Lights, Seventeen, Red Sky Morning, and The Kid.
tHestorY
Act oNe
The Montague and Capulet families at war AND THE YOUNG LOVERS MEET.
The feuding families start a public fight and the Prince threatens death for anyone who starts another. The nobleman Paris asks Lord Capulet for his daughter Juliet’s hand in marriage but Lord Capulet feels she is too young. He decides to invite Paris to a ball instead so he can win Juliet over. Romeo, son of Lord Montague, learns of the ball and that his unrequited love Rosaline will be in attendance. His cousin Benvolio encourages him to go. Romeo attends the ball but Juliet’s cousin Tybalt sees him and is so offended he vows to seek revenge. Romeo and Juliet meet and are instantly attracted to each other. They kiss and Juliet is called away by her mother, but the couple soon discover who the other truly is.
Act tWo
ROMEO AND JULIET DECLARE THEIR LOVE AND MARRY in SECRET.
After the ball, Romeo sneaks into the Capulets’ garden. Juliet appears at her window and he listens while she talks about him. He reveals himself and they declare their love for each other. They decide to meet the next day to be married.
Romeo visits Friar Laurence to ask the Friar to marry him and Juliet. At first Friar Laurence refuses but does agree, believing the marriage might help end the feud between the two families. The Nurse asks Romeo what his intentions are towards Juliet. He assures her they are honourable and that Juliet should visit Friar Laurence that afternoon. The Nurse shares the news with Juliet.
Romeo and Juliet get married in secret, with Friar Laurence blessing the union.
Act tHree
Romeo is banished and juliet is bethrothed to paris.
A fight breaks out between Tybalt and Romeo’s friend Mercutio. When Romeo tries to stop it, Mercutio is stabbed and dies, cursing the Capulet and Montague houses. Romeo kills Tybalt in revenge. The Prince arrives and banishes Romeo from Verona.
Juliet is distraught by Tybalt’s death and Romeo’s banishment. Romeo is hiding at Friar Laurence’s cell. The Nurse arrives with news from Juliet and the Friar convinces Romeo to run away to Mantua but tells him to visit Juliet first. Romeo and Juliet say goodbye to each other and he leaves for Mantua.
Paris asks Lord Capulet for Juliet’s hand in marriage again and Lord Capulet agrees to a wedding in three days’ time. When Juliet refuses to marry Paris, Lord Capulet threatens to disown her. Juliet decides to visit Friar Laurence.
Act FoUr
JULIET FAKES HER DEATH.
Juliet tells Friar Laurence that she will kill herself rather than marry Paris. They plan to fake her death with a potion that will make her appear dead. Friar Laurence will send for Romeo to collect her when she wakes.
Juliet apologises to Lord Capulet for disobeying him, who is overjoyed and moves the date of the wedding forward. Because of this, Juliet takes the potion a night early and immediately appears dead. The Nurse discovers Juliet’s body and she is taken to the Capulet family tomb.
Act FiVe
THE YOUNG LOVERS KILL THEMSELVES.
Romeo discovers Juliet has died. Devastated, he buys some poison and returns to Verona to visit Juliet’s tomb. Friar Laurence learns that Romeo did not receive the message about Juliet’s death being fake.
Romeo goes to Juliet’s tomb where he finds Paris, who is mourning for her. They fight and Paris is killed. Romeo takes the poison and dies. Friar Laurence arrives and tries to get Juliet to leave with him. Seeing Romeo dead, she refuses and the Friar is frightened off by a noise. Juliet kills herself with Romeo’s dagger.
Friar Laurence tells the Prince, Lord Capulet, and Lord Montague what has happened. After so much death, Capulet and Montague agree to end the feud.
cHArActerstHe
The Nurse is a servant in the Capulet household and has looked after Juliet since she was a baby. Juliet tells the Nurse about her feelings for Romeo and she delivers messages between the two lovers throughout the play. Despite helping them, she continually tries to convince Juliet to marry Paris.
TYBALT
Tybalt is the nephew of Lady Capulet. He is offended by Romeo’s presence at the Capulets’ ball and searches for Romeo to get revenge but gets into a fight with Mercutio. He kills Mercutio and is then killed by Romeo.
LORD & LADY CAPULET
Lord and Lady Capulet are Juliet’s parents. They arrange for Juliet to marry Paris and Lord Capulet threatens to disown her if she refuses.
JULIET
oUse MoNtAGUe
Romeo
Romeo is the only child of Lord and Lady Montague. He meets Juliet at a party and they instantly fall in love. The pair are separated after Romeo kills Tybalt and is banished. A plan to reunite them goes wrong when Romeo believes Juliet is dead. At the end of the play, Romeo kills himself.
BENVOLIO
Benvolio is Romeo’s cousin. At the start of the play he tries to stop the street brawl between the two households but is quickly drawn into it by Tybalt. He discovers that Romeo is upset because Rosaline doesn’t love him and tries to cheer Romeo up by convincing him to go to a party, where he meets Juliet.
LORD & LADY MONTAGUE
Lord and Lady Montague are Romeo’s parents. They are both concerned about their son’s behaviour and how withdrawn he has been.
iMPortANt cHArActers
Friar Laurence
Friar Laurence is a monk who Romeo goes to for permission to marry Juliet. Later in the play, when Romeo is banished for killing Tybalt, Friar Laurence sends him to Mantua. He also gives Juliet the potion that will make her appear dead.
THE PRINCE
The Prince is the authority of Verona. He warns both houses that they will be punished if they continue fighting. He banishes Romeo from Verona after he kills Tybalt.
mercutio PARIS
Mercutio is a family member of the prince and best friend of Romeo. He challenges Tybalt to a fight which ends in his death and, as he dies, he calls down a ‘plague’ on both houses.
Paris is a family member of the Prince and a nobleman. He asks Lord Capulet for permission to marry Juliet. When Juliet is believed to be dead, Paris visits her tomb to mourn but is interrupted by Romeo. They fight and Paris is killed.
Romeo
tHeMes
Running through many of the themes in Romeo & Juliet is the concept of duality, two opposing ideas that coexist and influence one another. Here are some ways Shakespeare explores contrasting themes.
LoVe & HAte
Love blossoms between the titular characters, despite their feuding families. At its core, this is a story about the power of love in the face of hatred. However, it is not pretty or idealised love. It is sudden, impulsive and dangerous. It is violent, overpowering and addictive. It is the force that brings the couple to defy their roles in society.
With love comes hate. Romeo and Juliet’s efforts to be together seem only to worsen the tension between their two families. Their pervasive hatred of one another leads to not just the tragic demise of the young lovers. Characters like Tybalt, Mercutio, and Paris demonstrate how vastly this hatred impacted the people of Verona.
Love leads to tragic consequences but ultimately is the force that brings the feud to an end.
SCENES TO LOOK OUT FOR:
• Act 1, Scene 5
Romeo and Juliet meet and kiss
• ACT 2, SCENE 2
Romeo and Juliet profess their love
• Act 2, Scene 6
Friar Laurence warns Romeo
• Act 3, SCENE 1
Mercutio curses the two houses
• ACT 5, SCENE 3
The Prince learns of Romeo and Juliet’s death
FAte & Free WiLL
The play tells the audience from the beginning that Romeo and Juliet are “star-crossed” lovers, their fate written in the stars themselves. They are doomed by the narrative to a tragic ending. When they attempt to rebel against their place in society, they are punished with unfortunate outcomes.
The mechanisms of fate are seen throughout the events of the play: the unexplained but undeniable feud betwen their families, the horrible series of events that transpire after Romeo and Juliet wed, and the tragic timing of Romeo’s suicide and Juliet’s awakening.
Why couldn’t he have just waited a few more minutes? Because the lovers were never meant to have a happy ending.
SCENES TO LOOK OUT FOR:
• Act 1, Prologue
The Chorus tells the story of Romeo and Juliet
• Act 1, SCENE 4
Romeo shares his concern before attending Capulet’s ball
• ACT 3, SCENE 1
Romeo kills Tybalt
• Act 5, SCENE 1
Romeo learns of Juliet’s “death”
YoUtH & AGe
Romeo & Juliet juxtaposes the impulsive, passionate love of the leading couple, in the bloom of their youth, with the politically entrenched feud and standards of their parents’ generation.
Shakespeare invites us to contemplate the clash between impulsive, youthful idealism, and the wisdom and clarity of age. The lovers are inexperienced and overcome with emotion, in contrast to their elders who can offer wisdom and warnings.
However, despite being young and naive, Romeo and Juliet pushed through the generational hatred that plagues their families that their “wiser” parents could not.
SCENES TO LOOK OUT FOR:
• Act 1, SCENE 2
Lord Capulet speaks of Juliet’s youth
• Act 2, Scene 6
Friar Laurence warns Romeo
• Act 3, SCENE 2
Juliet waits for Romeo
• Act 3, SCENE 3
Romeo laments after killing Tybalt
Lost iN trANsLAtioN
MATCH THE ORIGINAL QUOTE TO ITS MODERN TRANSLATION
Now art thou what thou art, by art as well as by nature.
Ask for me tomorrow, and you’ll find me in a grave.
Wherefore art thou Romeo?
Oh, good, a knife! My body will be your sheath.
For this alliance may so happy prove to turn your households’ rancour to pure love.
My only love sprung from my only hate.
Now you are what you’ve learned to be and what you naturally are.
Why do you have to be Romeo?
For stony limits cannot hold love out.
This marriage may be lucky enough to turn the hatred between your families into pure love.
Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man.
The only man I love is the son of the only man I hate.
O’ happy dagger, this is thy sheath. Stone walls can’t keep love out.
Ye oLDe crossWorD
ACROSS
The Prince decides to ______ Romeo for killing Tybalt.
In order to see Romeo, Juliet pretends she is going to __________.
What is the setting of Romeo & Juliet?
What does Romeo use to kill himself?
Who is the woman Romeo is in love with at the start of the play?
What is Juliet’s family name?
Romeo is able to sneak into the ball because he is wearing a ____.
How many acts are in Romeo & Juliet?
What does Juliet use to kill herself?
DOWN
In the prologue, Romeo and Juliet are referred to as ___________ lovers.
Who is juliet supposed to marry?
Who swears revenge on Romeo when he crashes the ball?
Who is Juliet’s trusted servant?
What is Romeo’s family name?
Who curses “a plague o’ both your houses!”? The potion Friar Laurence gives Juliet puts her into a _________
Riley
directed by Peter
Post sHoW q&A’s
We invite all our young theatregoers to join us for post-show Q&A sessions following any of our Wednesday and Friday performances, included in the price of your ticket.
These sessions offer a unique opportunity to delve deeper into the world of the play, gain insights into the creative process, and engage in thought-provoking discussions with our talented cast and crew. Don’t miss out on becoming a part of the Grant Theatre conversation!
creAtiVe tALks
We are excited to announce our series of enlightening talks with our creative staff, designed to support teachers and educators in their mission to share Shakespeare with high school students. These engaging sessions will provide invaluable insights, teaching strategies, and behind-the-scenes glimpses into our productions, equipping you with the tools to make Shakespeare come alive in the classroom. Join us in this enriching dialogue between theatre and education, as we work together to inspire and empower the next generation. Don’t miss out - reserve your spot today!
coMPANY stAFF
Artistic Director Kit Suesskow
Executive Director Ernest Robinson
Senior Producer Michelle Khong
Board
Cecillia Waters, Ellen Jennings, Hyun Lee, Declan Simmons, Ridley Woodham, Natasha Yang
Administration
Office Manager Natalie Costanzo
Executive Assistant Rouzana Demir
Education
Head of Education & Programming Rujah Ibrahim
EDUCATION Manager Grace Anderson
EDUCATION Coordinator Patrick Eisner
Teaching Artists Jacinta Perez, Gladys Wellington, Mateo Murphy, Nellie Grant, Edgar Cremen, Stella Xiao, Elizabeth Papadakis
Teacher Advisory Council
Minnie Clay, Joseph Borley, Lorna O’Brien, Parminder Kapoor
