EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

MERELY THEATRE 2017

ABOUT MERELY THEATRE

Merely Theatre is committed to performing classical works and selected pieces of new writing. Known for a stripped-back style that puts the focus on crystal clear storytelling, Merely aim to make theatre as accessible, entertaining and thrilling as possible.

Merely Theatre is a genderblind repertory company, with men and women playing every role in any and all potential combinations, creating five-hand Shakespeare plays with immense energy, pace and clarity.

First created by Artistic Director Scott Ellis in 2010 perform classical works, the company produced Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and , together with newly published play Last Man Standing.

In 2014 the company introduced Merely Shakespeare. Stripping away costumes, sets and props, they performed full-cast productions of Shakespeare's best-known works for one night only, once a month, every month, in eight rehearsals. This venture was a huge success, and saw sold out audiences and standing ovations.

In 2016, Merely Theatre embarked on their first national tour, supported using public funding by Arts Council England. Performing over forty shows in over twenty different venues throughout England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, they mounted critically-acclaimed productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream and , beloved by audiences.

Now, Merely embarks on its latest adventure with two of Shakespeare’s most celebrated plays, Romeo & Juliet and .

CLICK HERE to watch an interview with the cast – What Merely Means to Me

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THE COMPANY

FRIAR LAURENCE/PARIS/MONTAGUE/SAMPSON FFION JONES Trained: Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts Roles for MT: Luciana, The Porter, Poins, Rosalind, Portia, Bianca, Hermia, Puck Other Theatre: Ugly Lovely (Old Red Lion), Pint Size (Laughing Horse) TV and Film: Stella, SkyOne ROBERT MYLES Trained: Shakespeare & Screen Acting at LAMDA Roles for MT: Bottom, Oberon, Bedford, Nym, Banquo, Douglas, Brutus, Petruchio Other Theatre: (RIFT), A Winter's Tale (Lion & Unicorn), Alice (Sheffield Theatres) TV and Film: Museum Secrets (History Channel/National Geographic)

ROMEO/PRINCE/GREGORY SARAH PEACHEY Trained: Shakespeare & His Contemporaries at LAMDA Roles for MT: Friar Francis Other Theatre: Pretty Ugly and Our Victorians (Powerhouse Theatre), Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth and Crimes of the Heart (Bridewell Theatre) LUKE BARTON Trained: The Oxford School of Drama Roles for MT include: Henry V, Mistress Quickly, Orleans, Prince Hal, Feste, Ross Other Theatre includes: After Three Sisters, Echoes and Reunion (Living Record), Misterman (Liverpool Playhouse), L'Etranger (Liverpool Everyman), That Is All You Need to Know (New Diorama and UK Tour), Teach Me (Hope Theatre)

BENVOLIO/NURSE TAMARA ASTOR Trained: Ecole Philippe Gaulier Roles for MT: Helena, Egeus, Fairy, King of France, Bardolf, Alice Other Theatre: The Affair (Suffolk tour), Armageddapocalypse (Ed Fringe), The Pied Piper and Cat on a hot tin roof (ADC Theatre), Mira Mira (Watermill YC) TV and Film includes: Chubby Funny (Harry Michell), Refugees In (music video) STEPHEN LEASK Trained: LAMDA Roles for MT: King of France, Alice, Bardolf, Falstaff, Antipholus Other Theatre: Robin Hood & Rumpelstiltskin (The Egg), I Killed Rasputin (Riverside Studios/Ed Fringe), One Man, Two Guvnors (Theatre Royal Haymarket) TV and Film: Our World War (BBC), The Intern (Boundless/Channel 4)

JULIET/TYBALT EMMY ROSE Trained: Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts Roles for MT: Hero, Hermia, Puck, Snug, Katherine, Boy, Canterbury, Montjoy, Celia Other theatre: Freya’s Christmas Adventure (The Woodville), Hamlet (The Omnitorium), D&G (Arts Theatre), The Rivals (Panache Theatre Company) TV and Film includes: Casualty (BBC)

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SIMON GRUJICH Trained: LAMDA Roles for MT: Hamlet, Dromio of Ephesus, Puck, Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius, Romeo, Canterbury, Katherine, Boy, Cassius Other theatre: Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience (Charing Cross Hotel), Much Ado About Nothing (Bridewell Theatre), Joy/All Change All Change (Etcetra), The Importance of Being Earnest (Theatre Royal Haymarket)

MERCUTIO/CAPULET/APOTHECARY HANNAH ELLIS Trained: The Oxford School of Drama Roles for MT: Lady Macbeth, Mistress Quickly, Audrey, Antonia, Exeter, Constable, Pistol, Titania, Hyppolyta, Quince Other theatre: Gulliver's Travels, Much Ado About Nothing and Macbeth (The Pantaloons,) The Winter's Tale and Much Ado About Nothing (Lion and Unicorn) and The London Cuckolds (Teatro Technis.) DAVID GERITS Trained: East 15 Acting School Roles for Merely Theatre include: Hotspur, Macduff, Titania, Quince, Exeter, Pistol, Joe (Last Man Standing) Other theatre credits include: Much Ado About Nothing and Troilus and Cressida (Rainbow Shakespeare), Platform (Old Vic Tunnels)

CLICK HERE to watch an interview with the cast – The Twinning System

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STRUCTURE OF A THEATRE COMPANY

THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR They are the boss and decide the artistic vision for the company. The Artistic Director would decide what shows the company will do and what the aims of the company are.

SCOTT ELLIS Trained: LAMDA Merely Theatre credits include: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Henry V, Much ado About Nothing, Hamlet, Last Man Standing, , , Henry IV part I, . Other directing includes: The Snow Queen (TheatreN16), D&G (Arts Theatre), Macbeth (Lion and Unicorn), Burying a Stranger (Old Red Lion), Henry V (Work Bard Play Bard) Women Redressed (Arcola) Associate Director credits include: Fool for Love (Found 111), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Southwark Playhouse) www.theproductionexchange.com

THE PRODUCER A Theatre Producer effectively does everything that enables the show to happen. This includes putting together a budget, finding funding, casting the actors, writing up contracts, engaging designers, overseeing the marketing, contacting press, paying invoices and making sure everyone is meeting their deadlines. In a larger theatre company there will be departments that will do each job, but in a smaller company they have to do everything!

EMMY ROSE Trained: Stage One New Producers Alumni Merely Theatre credits include: 2016 national tour of A Midsummer Night’s Dream & Henry V Emmy is mentored by Colin Blumenau at The Production Exchange and was longlisted for the 2016 Old Vic 12 Producers. Previous work experience includes Learning & Development, Workshop Design and Facilitation. www.theproductionexchange.com

THE DIRECTOR They take the play from the paper script to the stage. The will work with the actors on their performances and with the designers on what the show should look like. They take all the different ingredients or performance, movement, sound, lighting, set and make sure it all ties together to create a great piece of theatre.

SCOTT ELLIS (DIRECTOR)

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TATTY HENNESSY (ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR) Trained: LAMDA Merely Theatre credits include: Macbeth (Shakespeare Shuffle) Other directing includes: Acorn (The Courtyard), Glitter Punch (The Bunker), Shiver (Southwark Playhouse) All That Lives (Ovalhouse), In Soft Wings (Tristan Bates) www.tattyhennessy.com

THE DESIGNER Designers create the world of the play from the sound & lighting to the costumes & set.

FLORENCE HAZARD (SET & COSTUME DESIGNER) Training: Rose Bruford College Design credits include: The Magic Paintbrush (Springs Dance Company), The Incredible Inspection of Inspector Spector (The Watermill Theatre), Punk Rock, Bad Girls and (London College of Music), Dial M for Murder, The Farndale Avenue Murder Mystery, Whose Life is it Anyway?,The Memory of Water, Shirley Valentine and Fallen Angels (Frinton Summer Theatre), A Christmas Carol, Dickens’ Ghosts, A Well Remembered Voice and The Snow Spider (Io Theatre Company) www.florencehazard.com

Here is a model box image of the set created by the designer.

CHRISTOPHER NAIRNE (LIGHTING DESIGNER) Theatre includes: Lionboy (Complicite - Tricycle Theatre & world tour), Around the World in 80 Days (New International Encounter - Cambridge Junction & UK tour), Sense and Sensibility (Watermill Theatre, Newbury), Beauty and the Beast (Watford Palace Theatre), Speech & Debate, BU21 and Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises (Trafalgar Studios), Cargo, After Independence and Octagon (Arcola Theatre), Last of the Boys, This Will End Badly, Teddy, Johnny Got His Gun and Our Ajax (Southwark Playhouse), The Buskers Opera (Park Theatre), Home Chat and Coolatully (Finborough Theatre), and Little Light (Orange Tree Theatre). He was also Re-lighter for The Globe’s 2015 UK tour of Romeo and Juliet. www.christophernairne.co.uk

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GENDER IN THEATRE - ”O sweet Juliet,. Thy beauty hath made me effeminate.” Romeo 3.1

Actors playing characters of different genders from themselves, as a concept, is not new. In the 1500s there were no women onstage (apart from Gwyneth Paltrow if Shakespeare in Love is to be believed!)*. The role of the Nurse, therefore, would have been played by one of the established male clowns and Viola, by a boy whose voice had not yet broken. In Viola’s case this would have compounded the swapping of genders as the audience would have seen a boy, playing a girl, who is pretending to be a boy. If one looks at the ratio of male to female characters in Shakespeare’s plays, it is hugely imbalanced in favour of men. Out of the top twenty characters, number of lines-wise, Cleopatra is the only female character who makes it onto the table… at number 17.

How does one redress the balance?

Enter Curtain Centre: gender fluidity. Gender reversal in playing Shakespearean roles is a hot topic in contemporary theatre. This is reflective of wider societal shifts; the growing awareness of issues relating to gender equality, or lack thereof.

There are many recent examples of gender- bending in theatre. Some companies may change the gender of the character for the actor, as is the case in the National Theatre’s 2017 production of Twelfth Night; Tamsin Grieg will play Malvolia (as opposed to Malvolio). The fact that this popular female actor is playing a big, traditionally male character is a mega selling point; it is all over the publicity. In the 2016 Globe production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Emma Rice decided to portray Helena as a man, Helenus, thus creating a homosexual relationship between him and Demetrius. Such a decision provides a platform for the LGBTQIA community. Then there are the female actors that play male parts as men. Sarah Bernhardt, a much-loved Victorian actor claimed that Hamlet should always be played by a woman. In 2014, Maxine Peake joined the venerable line of female and The Observer claims that she,

‘is a stripling prince, almost pre-sexual, who glides, without swagger and without girlishness. Straightaway, Maxine Peake knocks on the head one of the paradoxes of Hamlet. The speeches that come out of the prince’s mouth are about dissolving, yet the person who delivers them has to be the most distinct, intense character on stage. Peake’s delicate ferocity, her particular mixture of concentration and lightness, ensure that you want to follow her whenever she appears.’

From this we may deduce that the journalist admires the skill of Peake’s portrayal of this arguably androgynous character in its own right, rather than as a female playing a male. Michelle Terry also recently (2016) played Henry V at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. The director gave his reasons for

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casting her, elucidating that she ‘has the compassion, the wit and the imagination that mark out the really great Shakespearean actors. [He’s] thrilled by what she’ll bring to Henry. There’s no one [he’d] like to see play this part more.’ This is very promising in terms of feminism, that is, striving for equal opportunity no matter one’s gender.

Merely Theatre are very much of the opinions displayed above. In our system of employing a male and a female actor as ‘twins’, playing the same roles be they male or female, we take gender out of the equation. Occasionally, such as the case of Capulet, we may change the character’s gender depending on who is playing Capulet for any given show. However, this is rare. The vast majority of characters are played by both actors as the genders in which they are written. The audience may interpret suggestions of homosexual or heterosexual relationships between lovers by the fact that the actor is of a different gender from the character. It is up to each individual to interpret at will. It also may not be something that pre-occupies audiences at all. We found this at a post-show Q&A with school children. They were unfazed by a male Titania and thought it strange - insulting even - that we should suggest that they might have had cause for confusion, let alone consternation. Essentially, Merely Theatre purport the idea that gender is a construct and merely one aspect of the character onstage.

*Merely Theatre take no responsibility if students believe that Shakespeare in Love is a reliable documentary, without a jot of artistic license employed.

CLICK HERE to watch an interview with the cast – Genderblind

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SHAKESPEARE AND ORIGINAL PRACTICE EXTRA, Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564. He was 35 years old by EXTRA! the time his theatre company, The Lord Chamberlain's Men, gained such fame and reputation that they opened one of the most successful theatres in London, The Globe, in 1599. The Globe was the largest theatre on Bankside and thrashed all of the local competition. Rich and poor were able to visit The Q. Look at the Globe and witness some of the best plays in history. Only 17 years after The pictures. Discuss Globe's opening, Shakespeare died at the age of 52. But, during these golden with your class the years, Shakespeare achieved much and The Lord Chamberlain's Men even key differences became The King's Men - King James I's personal acting troop. The between equivalent of going from a street performer, earning pennies, to a Hollywood Shakespeare's star. Globe and a modern theatre. How might these differences change the performance of the plays?

MERELY THEATRE’S STYLE Merely Theatre adopt similar practices to how Shakespeare's plays would have been originally performed. One of our main principles is connecting with an audience. You may have noticed in the above pictures of The Globe that the plays would have been originally performed in an open-air environment with the audience placed all around the stage. This means that, surely, the actors can and would have communicated directly with the audience, making eye contact and asking them questions. Performers can access the stage via the auditorium and may have talked and improvised with the people in the crowd as they did so. However, Merely

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Theatre never wishes to undermine the plays or change the story, which could EXTRA, happen with too much audience interaction. The plays are hugely successful EXTRA! and their truth and humanity has stood the test of time and so it is important that we try not to make the audience uncomfortable and do our best to tell the story. Q. Have a look at We also believe that it's important to do the plays in contemporary clothes. our production Shakespeare's plays were originally performed in modern dress. Even plays photos and discuss about ancient Rome were done in Elizabethan clothes with only a suggestion the clothing that of a toga thrown on top! You could tell the status of a character by what they we've chosen to wore, for example Lord Capulet in Romeo and Juliet may have worn rich silks, represent the an embroidered doublet and hose, and expensive dyes of blacks and reds. characters. Bear in Whereas the Nurse may only be wearing basic linen and wool. In a similar way the mind that we can tell by simply looking what the status and position of a character is. actors can play We can signify through clothing whether a character is a Montague or multiple roles and Capulet, 'rich' or 'poor', a servant or priest. so minimal Finally, in costume is Shakespeare's essential. How time there might you choose was sadly no to dress these luxury of characters in having female modern dress? performers.

Being an actor at this time in history could be seen as being dishonest, the work of a trickster and anti-Christian. Therefore, Shakespeare would have never seen a female performer playing his most famous female roles and The Lord Chamberlain's Men was made up entirely of males. Merely Theatre adopt a similar ethos of disregarding the gender of the performers - being 'gender-blind' - and allowing the company to tell the story as best and as truthfully as they can. It doesn't seem as though, in Shakespeare's time, having a boy playing Juliet was funny - Romeo and Juliet was a well-regarded tragedy. Similarly, having a female Hamlet today doesn't detract from the sadness, revenge and philosophy of that character. Luckily, in our modern society, we can accept same-sex love stories and we can also understand that certain jobs and positions can be played by men and women, as opposed to 400 years ago. And so, we can relax and enjoy a modern day representation in the same way they would have accepted a play performed only by men in the original circumstances.

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THE PLOT

THE TWO HOUSEHOLDS PRINCE MONTAGUES CAPULETS

Lord Montague Lady Montague

Lord Capulet Lady Capulet

Romeo

Paris Juliet Nurse Mercutio Benvolio

Friar Lawrence Tybalt

TASK

Task: Whilst reading the story, write on the family trees the relationships between characters.

APPENDIX #

SCENE-BY-SCENE

Act 1 - "My only love sprung from my only hate"

Scene 1

• The play begins in a street in Verona. Capulets and Montagues fight - this is a continuation of an ancient feud which is now becoming war. Prince breaks them apart and threatens death to

anyone that begins a brawl again. 10

• Romeo arrives, having just missed the fight, heavy hearted because he is in love with Rosaline who doesn't love him back. Benvolio, his cousin, advises him to move on. Scene 2

• Paris, a wealthy County, asks Lord Capulet (again) for permission to woo his beautiful young daughter, Juliet. Capulet agrees that he can try to get her attention at the feast he is holding tonight but Paris must attempt to get her consent. • Capulet gives a servant a list of people to invite to the party and sends him off but the servant can't read. • Whilst on his errand, the servant asks Romeo and Benvolio to help him read the invitations, not knowing that they are Montagues. Romeo and Benvolio discover that Rosaline is invited to the party and Benvolio decides to take Romeo there to help him get over his unrequited love by showing him other women. Scene 3

• Lady Capulet (under the irritating supervision of the Nurse) asks Juliet if she could love Paris. Juliet isn't sure, being fourteen, she hasn't considered marriage. Her mother asks her to consider him at the feast tonight and Nurse is overjoyed at the prospect. Scene 4

• Mercutio and Benvolio persuade Romeo to fight against his heavy heart and go to the Capulet feast with them in disguise. Mercutio, using a tale about the mystery of Queen Mab, reminds him that his love for Rosaline is nothing but a fantasy and it can change tomorrow. Romeo agrees to go and dance. Scene 5

• Romeo and Juliet meet eyes at the Capulet feast and they instantly fall in love. • Tybalt, Juliet's cousin, sees Romeo and threatens to kill him. Lord Capulet stops him to avoid another brawl and Tybalt agrees to withdraw. Tybalt still harbors the need for revenge. • Romeo and Juliet meet. They kiss without knowing that they are from rival families. Benvolio takes Romeo away just as he discovers that Juliet is a Capulet and Nurse tells Juliet that Romeo is a Montague.

Act 2 - "Holy church incorporate two in one"

Scene 1

• Romeo climbs the Capulet's orchard wall to speak with Juliet again. • Mercutio and Benvolio try to find him but assume that he is still in love with Rosaline and has hidden himself away in darkness. Scene 2

• Romeo sees Juliet at her window. She speaks to herself, complaining that she has fallen in love with a Montague. • Romeo surprises her and says that he would forfeit his name for her if he could. They exchange their vows of love. • Under the pressure of being discovered by the Nurse, who is calling her, Juliet tells Romeo that she'll send someone to him tomorrow to arrange their marriage. • Romeo decides to go to Friar Lawrence immediately to ask him to marry them as soon as

possible. 11

Scene 3

• Romeo tells the Friar that he has now fallen in love with Juliet and asks for him to marry them that night. Friar Lawrence agrees but only in the hope that it might solve their family's hatred. Scene 4

• Benvolio tells Mercutio that Tybalt has written a letter to Romeo to challenge him. Romeo arrives and Mercutio makes fun of him for running away after the party. • The Nurse comes asking to speak to Romeo. She asks on behalf of Juliet whether he still intends to marry her. Romeo tells her that he has arranged it with the Friar and that she should come that afternoon to be married. Scene 5

• Juliet is frustrated with waiting for the Nurse. Nurse arrives and makes Juliet wait even longer before finally telling her that Romeo has arranged their marriage. Juliet will go to Friar Lawrence's cell whilst Nurse gets a ladder to allow Romeo to secretly stay with her afterwards. Scene 6

• The Friar marries Romeo and Juliet in secret.

Act 3 - "A plague on both your houses"

Scene 1

• Tybalt finds Benvolio and Mercutio in the street and is itching for confrontation with Romeo. Romeo arrives and tries to appease Tybalt (now that he is married to his cousin). Tybalt is offended by Romeo's offer of love, Merutio draws his sword and a fight breaks out. Mercutio is fatally wounded by Tybalt and quickly dies of his injury. Tybalt returns and Romeo kills him in revenge. Romeo runs away. • The Prince and the heads of both families arrive at the bloody scene. Benvolio describes what happened. The Prince judges that Romeo must be punished with banishment from Verona. Scene 2

• Juliet waits with excitement for Romeo to sneak into her room after their marriage. The Nurse enters with sad news of death. Juliet thinks she means Romeo but the Nurse unveils that Tybalt is dead, murdered by Romeo, and now Romeo is banished. • Juliet, now beside herself with woe, would rather die than hear this news. The Nurse decides to find Romeo at the Friar's cell to come and comfort her. Juliet gives her a ring to give him as a token of their last goodbye. Scene 3

• Friar Lawrence tells Romeo the good news that he is banished and not sentenced to death. He is shocked to find Romeo would rather die than be banished and separated from Juliet. • The Nurse arrives and gives Romeo the ring and asks him to come and comfort Juliet. The Friar decides that Romeo should go and live in a nearby city, Mantua, until they can beg for his forgiveness and call him back again to Verona. Scene 4

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• Lord Capulet, in an attempt to cheer the grieving Juliet, tells Paris that he can marry his daughter that Thursday - in three days' time. Scene 5

• Now morning, Juliet pleads with Romeo not to leave. But he must, for fear of being caught whilst he is sentenced to banishment. He leaves through the window. • Lady Capulet enters, thinking that Juliet is still weeping for Tybalt's death. She tells her that she is to marry Paris on Thursday. Juliet refuses, unable to tell her mother that she is already married to Tybalt's murderer. • Lord Capulet enters and, when met with Juliet's refusal, he threatens to disown her unless she agrees to marry Paris. • Juliet decides to visit the Friar to ask for help, telling her parents that she is going to confession.

Act 4 - "Take thou this vial"

Scene 1

• Juliet bumps into Paris at Friar Lawrence's cell, who reminds her of the wedding. She plays along until he leaves and then she threatens to kill herself with a knife unless Friar Lawrence has a solution. • The Friar devises a plan. He gives Juliet a sleeping potion that she should drink tomorrow, the night before the wedding. Everyone will think she is dead and bury her in the family tomb. Friar Lawrence will write to Romeo to tell him to come straight away and help to take her from the tomb when she wakes up. Then they will run away to Mantua together. Scene 2

• Juliet returns home happy. She agrees to marry Paris and Lord Capulet brings the wedding forward to tomorrow. Scene 3

• Now that the wedding is tomorrow, Juliet makes sure she is left alone in her bedroom for the night. She is scared to take the sleeping potion and is worried about being trapped in her family's tomb but she is left with no other option and therefore drinks it. Scene 4

• The next morning Lord and Lady Capulet prepare for the wedding. Paris is about to arrive and they ask the Nurse to wake Juliet. Scene 5

• The Nurse discovers the "dead" Juliet. Suddenly Lord and Lady Capulet, Paris and the Friar all arrive to discover her dead also and decide she must be buried in the Capulet tomb.

Act 5 - "Thus with a kiss I die".

Scene 1

• Romeo, now in Mantua, is visited by his friend Balthasar who tells him that Juliet is dead. He doesn't have a letter from the Friar. Romeo decides to return to Verona immediately even if to

die by her side. 13

• Romeo visits the Apothecary to buy some poison.

Scene 2

• Friar Lawrence meets with his messenger who tells him that he couldn't send the letter to Romeo. • The Friar realises that he must go and save Juliet on his own and keep her secretly hidden until he can send a letter to Romeo again.

Scene 3

• Paris visits Juliet's body at the Capulet Tomb. At the same time, Romeo arrives. Paris challenges him to a fight to avenge the death of Tybalt. Without realising who it is in the darkness, Romeo kills Paris. • Romeo lays with Juliet, rapt in sadness, he kisses her, drinks the poison and dies. • Friar Lawrence arrives to find Romeo and Paris dead. Juliet wakes up. • The Friar tries to call Juliet away from the terrible scene and is scared of being caught by the watchman. He leaves in fear. • Juliet finds Romeo dead with the poison in his hand. She tries to drink it but it is empty, she kisses his lips, then when she hears the noise of the watchman she kills herself with a dagger. • The Prince arrives with the Montagues, Capulets and Friar. They are shocked and confused by the carnage before them. The Friar explains everything that has happened. Lord Capulet and Montague agree that they are equally punished for their hatred and agree to live in peace.

DO YOU KNOW THE STORY?

As a warm up exercise take it in turns to play the teacher of the class. Nominate someone who rushes in late. The 'teacher' tells them off and demands an excuse. Whilst the teacher has their back turned, and is telling off the late student, the rest of the class need to act out a moment in the story which becomes the 'reason' why the student is late. If the teacher turns back to the class, they must immediately pretend to be working again. As soon as the late person guesses correctly then nominate someone else to play teacher and late student.

Here are some scenarios you could act out:

"Sorry I was late..."

I was at a party and I fell in love with my enemy...

I was sword fighting with Tybalt, Romeo got in the way and I got stabbed.

I was going to get married to someone that I didn't love, then I drank a sleeping potion and everyone thought I was dead.

Find more in the scene-by-scene breakdown!

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EXERCISES

The next games and exercise will all link in with on fo the 3 key themes:

LOVE CONFLICT FAMILY

"My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words of that tongue's utterance, yet I know the sound"

GAME: If you loved me Juliet. . Stand in a circle and nominate a Romeo (boy or girl) to go in the middle. Romeo must look around the circle and pick somebody to be Juliet (boy or girl). Romeo walks up to Juliet and says, ‘Juliet. If thou lovest me, wilt thou smile?’ and Juliet replies, ‘Romeo, thou knowest I love thee but I just cannot smile’. If Juliet laughs, smirks even… she becomes Romeo in the middle and Romeo takes her place on the outside of the circle. If Romeo fails to raise a flicker of a smile, or laughs himself, he must try somebody else around the circle. Everybody else is, naturally, free to laugh themselves silly.

EXERCISE: The Significance of Poetry

Romeo and Juliet is arguably one of the most poetic of Shakespeare's plays. This is possibly because of the unity of the two central characters. Sonnets were a tradition in Shakespeare's time. They were a style of poetry that was given as a love token to show the poetic unity of two lovers. If you are able to speak the same language as someone and finish each other's sandwiches sentences, then it brings you closer together.

Can you identify within this scene, where Romeo and Juliet first meet, the sonnet like nature of their conversation, how they share the same imagery (e.g. pilgrims and prayer) or rhyme with each other's sentences as a way of demonstrating their falling in love?

Highlight or circle these moments and discuss them with a partner.

ROMEO If I profane with my unworthiest hand This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.

JULIET Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, Which mannerly devotion shows in this;

For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, 15

And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.

ROMEO Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?

JULIET Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.

ROMEO O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do; They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.

JULIET Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake.

ROMEO Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take. Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged.

JULIET Then have my lips the sin that they have took.

ROMEO Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again.

JULIET You kiss by the book.

TASK: With your partner, write 4-6 lines of a conversation or poem where the last word of each line rhymes. It would also be great if you could compliment any thoughts or images. Person 1 writes the first line, person 2 writes the second line. Once you have your finished short piece then each pair take it in turns to deliver it to the class, reading as you wrote it (person1, person2). Feed back as a class the effect of this exercise. Did you two appear more unified? More friendly? Funny? "in sync"?

STRETCH QUESTION: Romeo is described as a "lover" in the play and the story begins with him being in love with another girl - Rosaline. Do these two factors strengthen or weaken Romeo's love for Juliet? Split the class into two halves and debate/discuss the case for answering 'yes' and 'no'.

"Thou art a Villain"

GAME: Exploring Character Relationships Resources: quotations showing character relationship APPENDIX #1 Insults and Declarations of love. Put them into two piles, Insults and Declarations of love, with enough slips of paper for each student to have one from each.

Clear a space in the room. 16

Each student must take an ‘Insult’ slip of paper and a ‘declaration of love’ slip. I have chosen ten of each, above, but of course students may find and pick their own. Students must SECRETLY pick somebody in the room to be the character to whom they declare their ‘love’ (characters in red) They must also SECRETLY pick somebody to be the character whom they dare insult (characters in blue) It should be stressed that this is a game and in no way reflects real feelings of love or hate! When the teacher says go, the class must try to keep their ‘love’ person as a shield in between them and their ‘insult’ person. This results in a strange game of chase around the room. (Nb. It is possible that one student may be the ‘love’ person for someone who has chosen them to be their ‘insult’ person… hilarity ensues.) There is a countdown at the end of which everybody must freeze. No cheating! Each student, in turn, says their lines to both their ‘love’ and ‘insult’ characters. If their ‘love’ characters are indeed between them and their ‘insult’ characters, they win. However, if their ‘insult’ character is closer, they must perform a dramatic death. Students must discuss why a character might love or hate another character at the point of the play from which the quotation is pulled. Some declarations may be ambiguous or in jest, or come from a place of passionate love although they are insults…

STRETCH QUESTION: Is it possible for a character to both love and hate another character simultaneously? To what extent does a character love or hate another, and does the relationship change over the course of the play?

EXERCISE: Decisions and Consequences

Go to Act 3 scene 1 from the moment Tybalt enters. As a class read this scene out loud (ideally on your feet) and call out "Stop!" when you notice a character making a decision that affects the story and potentially causes a bad result, perhaps even ending in death. What other decision could they have made? How would this have affected the story? e.g. MERCUTIO And but one word with one of us? couple it with something; make it a word and a blow.

TYBALT You shall find me apt enough to that, sir, an you will give me occasion.

Stop! Mercutio makes the decision to taunt Tybalt. Tybalt reveals that he is armed and ready to fight and now Mercutio could be a target. If Mercutio had decided to talk to Tybalt instead or perhaps apologised for any offence at the Capulet ball, then the conflict could have ended (or been less inflamed) before Romeo arrives.

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DEBATE: Who was to blame for the tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet?

Split the class into two sides. One side argue that 'fate or bad luck' was to blame and explain why, whilst the other team debate that the 'decisions of the characters' were to blame.

"Two households, both alike in dignity"

GAME: Supporting your Kin The whole group should break off into pairs. Each pair will play Rock, Paper, Scissors. (If you have a small group ask them to play three times and find the winner who is ‘best out of three’)

Whoever WON must stay on and find another partner to play Rock, Paper, Scissors with. Whoever LOST must now become the KIN of WINNER. They will then cheer and support the WINNER i.e. “Wahooo go team Jo!! Jo is the best!! Yeeahhh!!”.

Based on the outcome of this next match, whoever LOST and all their supportive KIN must now follow and support the WINNER.

At the end of the game there will be TWO players left with the rest of the group divided into supportive groups of competing families. Feel free to name the groups CAPULETS v MONTAGUES and create the atmosphere of an Olympic Final of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Allow the teams to celebrate and commiserate together.

EXERCISE: Parental Language

Explore the text compare the parental language used by the Nurse or Friar with the Parental language used by the heads of the Montague and Capulet households.

Taking on the role of EITHER Romeo or Juliet write to your family members about the following revelations. You may write a letter, email, transcribe a voicemail or text messages. Consider how you might adapt your communication style depending on the method of communication and who you are talking to.

Juliet: Write to your Mother and Nurse to tell them you do not want to marry Paris because you are in love with Romeo. Romeo: Write to the Friar and your Father to tell them you have falling in love with Juliet, the daughter of your great enemy.

STRETCH:

Does the parental behaviour of the Capulets make it more or less likely that Juliet will fall in love with Romeo? How does the Capulets’ behaviour impact the conclusion of the play? 18

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