Quality St will become the stage for a Shakespearean performance by Northland Youth Theatre members.
"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players" - the famous line from Romeo and Juliet is being taken literally by a group of young people bringing Shakespeare to the Whangārei CBD over the next few days.
The talented troupe has been working on a series of scenes from
Romeo and Juliet
to be performed flash
mob-style in Cameron and Quality Streets tomorrow, Saturday, Sunday. and Monday. During the performance the audience will be invited to follow the cast as the story unfolds, starting in Cameron St and moving through Quality St.
"Quality Street is the perfect setting for Shakespeare, as it feels like you've stepped out of Whangārei and into another time and place,'' Northland Youth Theatre manager Hayley Clark said.
''The directors and cast just blow me away with their dedication and passion and are already discussing future Shakespearean performances.
''We hope to make this a regular Summer Street Theatre, led by Northland youth.''
The performances have been shaped by three young theatre enthusiasts who won an award for innovation at the 2018 Sheilah Winn National Shakespeare Festival in Wellington in 2018.
They are Reagan Fielding, Georgia Harrold and Ayesha Simperingham who will direct a cast of students from Whangārei Boys' and Girls' High Schools, Te Kapehu Whetu and Tauraroa Area School in the street theatre.
Following the Sheilah Winn competition, Reagan Feilding was selected to head to London to perform at Shakespeare's Globe in July.
"It's great to see the whole cast experiencing their own enjoyment in Shakespeare, nutting out the meaning of the text and learning the craft of speaking it," theatre adviser (dramaturg) Jan Fisher said.
"Performing in the street creates its own energy, it's a space we're all familiar with but this makes us see the street and the play in a totally new way as the audience becomes part of the performance.''
Clark said Quality St businesses Fat Camel, Turmeric and Amici have helped make the event possible.
As the crowd chanted, Seymour walked back into the Beehive with his MPs.