RSC's Romeo and Juliet to be added to BBC iPlayer and broadcast on BBC Two

The RSC's production of Romeo and Juliet will be presented on the BBC next week.

Directed by RSC's deputy artistic director Erica Whyman, the production features Bally Gill as Romeo, a role for which he won the Ian Charleson Award in 2019, as well as Karen Fishwick as Juliet.

After premiering in Stratford in spring 2018, the piece played at the Barbican later that year and then toured across 2019.

Erica Whyman, deputy artistic director of the RSC, said: "I'm delighted that our production of Romeo and Juliet is getting another showing on BBC Two as part of the BBC's Lockdown Learning Shakespeare Week.  Here at the RSC we know that seeing Shakespeare brought to life on stage is crucial for anyone studying his plays. 

"Sadly, our theatres are currently closed, but I hope that this broadcast (which will also be on BBC iPlayer for 60 days) will inspire students and offer them a deeper understanding of Shakespeare's revolutionary love story. We were so struck by Shakespeare's timeless understanding of all the ways adults can let their young people down, and that seems even more urgent now. The broadcast adds to the vast range of resources the RSC is offering to students currently learning at home, and to teachers looking to create lesson plans to deliver online."

The professional cast also includes: Afolabi Alli (Paris), Donna Banya (Gregory), Stevie Basaula (Sampson), Ishia Bennison (Nurse), Katy Brittain (Friar John/Apothecary), Raif Clarke (Peter), Beth Cordingly (Escalus), Paul Dodds (Montague), Josh Finan (Benvolio), Andrew French (Friar Laurence), Mariam Haque (Lady Capulet), Michael Hodgson (Capulet), Charlie Josephine (Mercutio), John Macaulay (Cousin Capulet), Tom Padley (Balthasar), Sakuntala Ramanee (Lady Montague), Raphael Sowole (Tybalt) and Nima Taleghani (Abraham).

The show will be broadcast on BBC Two on Tuesday 9 February, and will then be on BBC iPlayer for 60 days.

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