Here are some questions to help students get the most out of watching the production. It might be helpful to consider them before, during, and after your visit to the theatre.

Before

ITD’s production of Remember Romeo is described by the company as: 

‘Shakespeare’s enduring love story, remembered and relived by imitating the dog. Two older actors, former lovers, meet again after fifty years. She is living with memory loss; he carries the memories she struggles to hold. They have unfinished business and matters of the heart to resolve, life and death decisions to be made, raw emotions to be laid bare. When a lost 1960s TV version of Romeo and Juliet flickers back to life on the walls around them, starring the couple in their youth, their bittersweet past becomes inescapable. Live performance and film merge in a moving exploration of love, memory, and the stories we cling to as everything else fades.’

• What does this description lead you to expect from the show? What might it look, sound, and feel like?
• What do you already know about Romeo and Juliet? Which characters, moments, or lines from the play can you recall?
• What do you think it means to ‘retell’ a story as well-known as Romeo and Juliet?
• If you were going to reimagine Romeo and Juliet in a different time or place:
  • what would you change about the story?
  • would you focus on particular characters, or cut others altogether?
  • would you keep Shakespeare’s language, or replace it?
• Should classic stories be reinterpreted for audiences of today, or should they be kept exactly as they were written? Is any text sacred?
• What do you know about memory loss and dementia? What might it feel like to experience this from the inside, rather than as an outside observer?

During

Seeing ITD’s production of Remember Romeo, and utilising our free digital resources, will encourage GCSE Drama students to:

• What is your first impression of the set and characters?
• Does your impression change as the show develops?
• The production tells two stories at once: an older couple in a Leeds flat in the present day, and a 1960s TV version of Romeo and Juliet playing on the walls around them. How does the relationship between these two layers affect your experience of the story?
• What changes have been made to the story of Romeo and Juliet? Do you like them? Do they add to your understanding of the play?
• How does the production represent the experience of memory loss? What emotions does this produce in you?
• How, when, and why is technology used in the show?
  • Does it enhance the performance or help you understand it?
  • Does it add meaning to scenes or moments?
  • Does it help to highlight particular themes or relationships?
  • Does it surprise you, and if so in what ways?
• What is the effect of seeing the two performers alongside projected images of their younger selves?
• How, when and why are sound and music used in the show? What impact do they have?
• How would you describe the set, video, and costume design, and the overall look or aesthetic of the production?
  • Does it remind you of any films or TV shows you have seen?
  • Does the world feel familiar to you, or is it new and strange?
• What emotions do you experience as you watch the production?
• Which moments or characters do you respond to specifically?
• Do you think ITD are trying to present any particular message or messages?

After

• How do you feel after watching the show?
• What emotions have stayed with you?
• What was it like to experience this version of Romeo and Juliet?
• What did you think about the choices the writer-directors made? Did they add to your understanding of Shakespeare’s play?
• Did the production highlight or focus on any themes differently from the original?
• How did you feel about the two characters in this production? Did you care about what happened to them?
• How did you feel about the ending? What do you think happened?
• Did the ending feel earned? Would you have changed anything?

If you are attending a post-show discussion, the following questions may be helpful to consider before and after the Q&A:

Before

• Who would you like to ask a question of: the director, a performer, or someone else? What aspect of making theatre interests you most?
• What question would you like to ask? What do you want to know about how your area of interest works? Remember, there are no supid questions!

After

• Was your question answered? If so, did the answer surprise you, or confirm your own thoughts?
• What was the most interesting question asked by someone else?
• What was the most interesting or surprising answer?