Torgelow News
Going to the theater to see “Romeo and Juliet”
Schloss Torgelow Boarding School on the road: Pompous wigs, fancy clothes packed into an oversized flower on a stage… Sounds like a kick-off event for Carnival, right? In fact, it’s just a “normal” trip to the theater.
In mid-November, classes 9b and 9c traveled to Neustrelitz with Ms. Bolle and Ms. Schnepf to see the play “Romeo and Juliet,” staged by David Czesienski, the new artistic director of Theater- und Orchester GmbH. The first photos on the theater’s website promised something interesting: pompous wigs, extravagant clothing, a boxing ring as the stage set, and the original assignment of the colors red (pink) for the man’s combativeness and (sky) blue as a sign of Mary’s virginity.
As the only group of students occupying the theater, we were always able to keep track of what was going on and were even included in the famous “balcony scene” with Juliet, or at least the name “Annegret” was. For as Juliet asks in the second scene of the second act: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet” (Radvan, Florian/Steiner, Anne: William Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet. Berlin 2015, p. 46). The interaction with the audience was very convincing – a particularly risky move given the large number of young people in the theater. By mixing original formulations with elements of youth language, the play was successfully transformed into the here and now, making it easier to understand the classic literary work, according to the feedback from the students. There was a moment of shock when the curtain suddenly fell, apparently due to an incident on stage. But the teachers remained calm, knowing that Mercutio’s death was indeed intended by Shakespeare.
Opinions varied greatly regarding the stage design, costumes, props (especially the oversized birds and snails), and the musical accompaniment in the second part of the production. Praise and positive feedback were accompanied by critical comments and incomprehension. As we all know, there’s no accounting for taste, but it is something to talk about. And that’s what we did – we exchanged ideas, questioned intentions and explored different perspectives – both on the bus ride (many thanks to Mr. Meyer!) and in the subsequent lessons.
Thus, the conclusion on Schloss Torgelow is positive: a play with considerable potential (for discussion).
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