Aritstic Director Michael Wicherek will be giving us regular updates about the happenings at Box Clever Theatre. To go along with the launch of our new website here is the first of his updates.

I’m developing our adaptation of Romeo and Juliet (aka The Boxed R&J). As it stands, we have a sixty minute mix of the authentic (The Shake) and the original ( the contemporary speak of the adaptor). The piece is driven by the invented character of the Narrator. The adaptation basically works with the Narrator challenging the strength of the love by asking the question, ‘Is this the real thing’ or is this just fantasy?’ (not a big Queen fan, honest). The recent Spring 2011 tour was a serious success but it got me thinking that there is more potential to develop the narrator role. I’m always keen to excite the audience with the power of the word and after working last year with the spoken Word Artist, OneNess, it got me thinking. What if the narrator was to be more of a poet? A character that still could comment on the action, could still challenge the protagonists, could still be the interlocutor between the action of the original play and the modern audience. But in addition, attempt to be more creative with the language, he/she uses as Narrator. With this is mind, I will be doing some development time with OneNess in a school in the autumn. Watch this space.