Manawatū Summer Shakespeare Presents The Twentieth Anniversary Season OfRomeo & Juliet

Directed by Rhian Firmin
FEB 24th - MAR 4th
(No shows Sunday or Monday)
Celebrating 20 years of outdoor Shakespeare for everyone!

If love be rough with you, be rough with love!

Manawatū Summer Shakespeare is thrilled to announce our anniversary season of Romeo and Juliet, this February in the Victoria Esplanade Rose Gardens. Celebrating twenty years of high-quality, outdoor theatre, by the community, for the community and presented for Koha entry, the only Summer Shakespeare in the country to have never set a fixed ticket price. We believe Shakespeare is for everyone and we are proud of our commitment to this ethos, and to continue this 2-decade-long local summer highlight. After three wonderful years in the wild worlds of comedies, we set our scene in Palmy North with Romeo and Juliet!

"Audiences already know the love story. Why not explore the raw reality that runs alongside it, let's uncover the bloodshed, the struggle of family and the heartache of how bitter ignorance can destroy lives. Let’s highlight how both lovers’ parents’ drive for vengeance and societal gain blinded them to the truth about their own children. Romeo and Juliet lost their lives due to their own parents’ sheer obliviousness and inattention." – Rhian Firmin

Manawatū Summer Shakespeare is a community collaboration between Massey University and PNCC, local funding bodies, and corporate sponsors and is supported by our Visiting Artist Scheme, which contracts a professional practitioner every year to direct the project. We aim to enrich and upskill our local theatre community and provide highly entertaining work to be enjoyed equally from our local Tamariki to our most erudite Professors. This year our cast of 26 ranges from ages 18-76 and includes first-time participants as well as regular local favourites and icons with crossovers from all corners of our creative community; including teachers, community leaders, musical theatre and cover band rockers, support workers, civil servants, graduates, students, and of course, palmy theatre royalty Mr Mark Kilsby joining us for his 16th production! Emerging, established and curious creatives come together to create an explosive and energised team nailing stage combat, intensive vocal training, iambic pentameter, passion, fury and rockin’ waiata harmonies, in a localised and gently contemporise production. We’re grassroots Shakespeare but aim to have high production values and world-class interpretations. Our 2023 show is teeming with both.

“With this production, we’ll bring to life a gritty but vibrant take on Romeo and Juliet. A tino rawe aesthetic of glam rock meets grunge rock, waiata, combat and more. There will be carnage and beauty, joy and sorrow all rolled into a kick-ass package brought to life by a magic ensemble both onstage and offstage.” -Rhian Firmin

Community, Connection, and collaboration are the heart of Manawatū Summer Shakespeare and with director Rhian Firmin we bring this to the fore in our process and production for 2023. Firmin explores and invests in the values and concepts of Te Ao Māori in positive and vibrant ways in her production (Rhian is of Te Ati Hau nui Apāpārangi/ Ngāti Ruaka descent), with a bicultural, bilingual and inclusive cast, including Mana Whenua in leading and pivotal roles. She promises a Dark, Edgy, and Rock n Roll show. Collaborating with local indie/ grunge legend Dave Boyack (Rusty Frames, Light Years) on live music, Waiata Kaiako by nationally recognised kapa haka leader Reremoana Hokianga, dance choreography by award-winning, advanced Ceroc dancer Trent Pedley, fight direction led by David Ladderman (Rollicking Entertainment), and an award-winning team of designers. All centred in the ātaahua and iconic Rose Garden. Our 2023 production promises to be a visual feast, an explosive and dynamic exploration of families in a feud with a rich and engaging tragedy at its centre.

Did my heart love til now?

Romeo and Juliet

Directed By Rhian Firmin

24 Feb- 4 March, 7 pm / Saturday 25 Feb 5 pm 
No Shows Sunday/ Monday 
Koha Entry

Manawatū Summer Shakespeare is a grassroots community theatre performance for the Manawatū community with a 20-year history of producing enjoyable productions for all ages. Presented in partnership with Massey University and supported by Square Edge Community Arts Trust, Central Energy Trust, Eastern and Central Community Trust, Legacy Performing Arts Trust Palmerston North, and Palmerston North City Council.

Manawatu Summer Shakespeare supports a pay-as-you-can Koha system to increase the accessibility of the arts in the city, allowing participants to come or go as they do throughout performance.

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