Romeo and Juliet

The show raises the question: is it possible to love only in a world that is ending? Can love still be a promise, when everything around reminds of the coming end? In Shakespeare, disaster always happens in parallel with love. perhaps that is why his dramas resonate so strongly today.

“Romeo and Juliet” in this interpretation becomes a micronovel about love in an era of great loneliness. The action of the show is set in the raw space of a machine factory, among racks full of forgotten screws, worn parts, where a desperate need for closeness arises among the endlessly working mechanisms. It is here, in the world of late capitalism, that mature heroes face the exhaustion, anxiety and loss of meaning that block them from meeting authentically. The machines with which the heroes work begin to reveal images of the coming disasters: social, ecological and emotional. The factory becomes a place of waiting for the end. In this reality, love manifests itself as the last form of resistance. The show raises a fundamental question: is it possible to love only in a world that is ending?

“The staging concept of “Romeo and Juliet” prepared by Maciej Jaszczyński was chosen because of its expressive, contemporary interpretation of Shakespeare's drama. The author proposes to shift the perspective - the characters here are not teenagers, but people in their thirties, who, despite their adulthood, still remain dependent on their parents and live with them. Such treatment gives history a new dimension and makes it close to the experiences of the modern generation, faced with difficulties in achieving independence and a sense of agency. The project also attempts to demythologize the romantic tale of the Verona lovers, pointing to the systemic and social sources of the tragedy. In this interpretation, the mechanisms of oppression and violence inherent in family and social relations play a key role. An additional advantage of the project is its complementarity with the current repertoire of the Stefan Jaracz Theatre in Olsztyn. The proposed performance can complement our offer addressed to young people and adults.”

— Paweł Dobrowolski, Director of the Stefan Jaracz Theatre in Olsztyn

Maciej Jaszczyński is a theatre director and playwright, a graduate of Ravensbourne University London and Colegio Artes Liberales UW, whose performances have gained international recognition, including winning the Grand Prix at the Istropolitana Festival in Bratislava. His achievements include his debut at the Drama Theater in Warsaw, as well as the author's play “LUBLIXPOL” and the realization of video setting and dramaturgy in theaters in Rzeszów and Wałbrzych. He collaborated with Wojciech Faruga and Daty Tavadze.