Anyone who has graduated from high school has likely read William
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet It has become part of the world's collective
literary consciousness and been put to music, danced, sung, filmed, filmed
again and, greatest of all, staged in high school auditoriums the world
over. Taipei is now no exception.
While many productions have veered wildly from the original, Taipei-European
School (TES) will retain not only the language of the bard's classic, but
also its original Italian Renaissance setting, with costumes and set design
developed through the joint efforts of Judith Paulin, the production's
director and an English teacher at TES, and Amanda Darling, a professional
dramatist. The performances will also feature live musical accompaniment.
According to Pauli "The most rewarding aspect of staging the [production]
has been how the school community has come together in support [of our
efforts]. The students have put a huge commitment of time and energy into
the play."
In addition, she said that while this is probably the students' first
experience reading < much less performing < Shakespeare, the play and its
theme of love resonates with the performers. "The students are really
enjoying the challenge," said Paulin.
Romeo and Juliet will be performed at TES' secondary school auditorium next
week, March 14 through March 16. The curtain for each performance will go up
at 7:30pm. The school is located on Yangmingshan and can be reached by
taking the MRT to Shihlin station. From there, ride bus 260 or 265 to Yangte
Ave.
Tickets are NT$100 each, and are available by phone at (02) 2862-2919 or fax
at (02) 2862-1662.
RSS