Shakespeare did not write this story to reassure us — he wrote it to wake us up. Because how can you love in a world that has taught you to hate? Young Romeo and Juliet find themselves on opposite sides of a cultural and religious divide. For generations, their families have been locked in an all‑consuming conflict. But when Romeo and Juliet meet, they fall in love instantly. Against all odds, they choose love. Love as a refusal to inherit hatred, as a radical alternative and as an ode to the possibility of choosing differently.

Vulnerable, dangerous and necessary, Romeo & Juliet holds up a mirror. Not to ask which side you are on, but whether you are willing to let go of the role of the enemy.

Last season, director Char Li Chung — known for De Bananengeneratie and Cock — successfully reimagined Puccini’s Madame Butterfly in collaboration with writers Vera Morina and Sun Li. For Romeo and Juliet, Chung once again teams up with Morina, this time creating a contemporary adaptation that stays close to the language of Shakespeare’s original.

• text William Shakespeare adaptation Vera Morina direction Char Li Chung performance Josephine Arendsen, Hamza Othman, Cystine Carreon, Fjodor Jozefzoon, Adam Kissequel, Tim Linde, Levi Vos & Bilal El Aoumari