Theatre in Preview   

Talking with Damien Ryan, it soon becomes clear the intense passion he has for all things Shakespeare.

Sometime around 1994, Ryan directed a version of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and was immediately hooked on the material. “It had a huge effect on me, I loved it,” he says. “I found this bottomless well of possibilities in the work and I find Shakespeare extraordinary and inspiring to read. I’ve never lost this desire or energy and I literally can’t put it down.”

For Damien the classic tale of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and the encompassing storyline were what drew him to take on directing duties. “In terms of Shakespeare’s works, it’s obviously so popular but this play is quintessential Shakespeare and has everything you would want a play to have,” he says. “It’s the most romantic play you could imagine. But it’s also very dangerous and violent with a thrilling plot line and wonderful placement of physical action and yet it has this most divine poetry.”

Although Damien loves the material he admits there is some apprehension in dealing with such widely known material.
“There’s trepidation taking on a play that’s so well known to people but the key is always to go back to the text,” he says. “It’s incredibly good material and if you go back to the script and try to come up with a few original perspectives on how to bring the world to life, it all unfolds in an exciting way.

“You don’t see a production anymore that doesn’t bring something from the modern world and I think you have to applaud that. It’s important to place something that says something about who we are now,” he says. “The play is a different world to the original but it’s still a play about human beings and a brilliant portrayal about what first love feels like. It is also a brilliant portrayal of what loyalty and friendship is like among young people and what happens when kids are idle and inheriting a world that they didn’t make for themselves - a world that’s full of problems created by their peers.”

‘Romeo and Juliet’ plays at the Brisbane Powerhouse from Sept 20 - 24 as part of the Brisbane Festival 2011.