Romeo and Juliet

ROMEO AND JULIET The age-old feud between two families, set against the backdrop of first love. Verona is scorched by the sun, and with it burns the age-old feud between two noble families. The heat, emotions, and tension all rise. Clashes in the streets are an everyday occurrence. Anything can serve as a weapon, even words. Time passes slowly and wearily… And then it happens: two young people from hostile families, who are almost still children, fall fatefully in love. Suddenly it no longer matters who “the other” is, because the other suddenly becomes everything. The world as it was ceases to exist. Time and certainties vanish, and everything around them changes. Events are rushing forward at an unbelievable, almost frenzied speed. Were it not for a few fateful mistakes and misunderstandings, it would almost feel like a comedy. However, everything is beginning to move inexorably towards tragedy. And words once spoken so lightly suddenly grow heavy when they must be turned into deeds. So who, then, builds the greater wall around themselves? And who prefers to strike first, in self-defence?

The Romeo and Juliet of the Švanda Theatre are unmistakably children of our own time. Yet the production never relies on contemporary props or heavy-handed reinterpretation to make its point. Instead, Shakespeare’s timeless story is brought vividly to life through theatrical imagination and a series of dazzling performances. This is a production with every prospect of enjoying the kind of long stage life once achieved by the theatre’s interpretation of Hamlet with Patrik Děrgel, directed by Daniela Špinar.
MARCELA MAGDOVÁ, Seznam Zprávy

In his lectures at the Faculty of Arts, Shakespeare scholar Milan Lukeš often spoke of the importance of what he called “creative continuity”: the ideal state in which every element of a production and every member of the creative team come together in perfect harmony to form a unified artistic whole.

That ideal has now been fully realised in the Švanda Theatre’s Romeo and Juliet. Norbert Závodský’s and Martina Kinská’s dramaturgy offers a clear and compelling contemporary perspective, while the direction celebrates the lyrical beauty of Shakespeare’s language. Outstanding performances, an inventive musical score, sharply conceived costumes and choreography charged with emotional and poetic intensity combine to create a production that is likely to secure its place in the annals of Czech stagings of Shakespeare.

Above all, this Romeo and Juliet speaks of a world in which young people bear the consequences of conflicts they did not create. That is why it resonates so powerfully today – and why the tickets are sold out.
VERONIKA BEDNÁŘOVÁ, Divadelní noviny

MARTIN FRANTIŠÁK (1974) Director, playwright and poet; artistic director of the Švanda Theatre in Smíchov since the 2019/2020 season. As a director, he has now directed some sixty theatre productions; as well as the theatres he has headed (Polárka, Petr Bezruč Theatre, and the drama section of the National Theatre in Brno), he regularly collaborates with professional theatres across the Czech Republic: the National Theatre, the Vinohrady Theatre, the Dlouhá Theatre, Klicpera Theatre in Hradec Králové, the South Bohemian Theatre in České Budějovice, the Zlín Municipal Theatre and the Slovácko Theatre in Uherské Hradiště. He received the Josef Balvín Award for his production of Bremen Freedom at the Kladno Municipal Theatre, and several times his productions have been named “Success of the Month” by Divadelní noviny. He also directed Česko jedna báseň, the well-known television series about Czech poetry.

ŠVANDA THEATRE presents a repertoire centred on productions by its resident drama ensemble, complemented by performances by a number of established guest companies, including Buchty a loutky, Ductus Deferens, Just! Impro, ProFitArt, Next Picture, and others. Beyond its theatrical programme, the theatre hosts the Stage Interviews series, bringing together leading figures from the Czech and international arts scene, as well as a regular programme of concerts spanning classical, world and cross-genre music. The theatre places a strong emphasis on work for children and young audiences. International collaboration is another key priority, with a growing number of projects developed in partnership with theatres and artists from abroad. In 2023, Švanda Theatre expanded its activities by opening Peškovka (Eliška Pešková’s Creative House), a new creative hub dedicated to amateur theatre, arts education and neighbourhood initiatives.