Inside Melbourne Shakespeare Company’s ROMEO AND JULIET with Emma Austin and Natalie Calia

Picture the smoky intrigue of film noir colliding with Shakespeare’s timeless verses, complete with acoustic pop classics woven into clandestine alleyways and sun-dappled park lawns. This reimagined masterpiece is helmed by Emma Austin, whose previous staging of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING earned five-star accolades, and features a lush live soundtrack devised by Natalie Calia.

In this exclusive interview, the two collaborators shed light on everything from forging palpable tension in an outdoor venue to updating the Montague–Capulet feud for a post-war world brimming with secrets and sparks. They also discuss how an all-star cast—including Marlena Thomson, as Juliet and Oliver Tapp as Romeo, and John Voce of DOWNTON ABBEY fame—balances comedy and heartbreak under the wide-open sky. And if that isn’t enough, the pair reveal their commitment to sustainability, creating costumes and sets from reclaimed materials that blend vintage charm with forward-thinking innovation.

Let’s dive into the feverish romance, vibrant music, and sly humour of Melbourne Shakespeare Company’s exhilarating new production.

You’ve blended Shakespeare’s text with the atmosphere of 1940s Vienna. What inspired you to combine those elements, and how do they change the way audiences perceive the Montague–Capulet feud?

Emma: One of the main themes of Romeo and Juliet is violence. The ongoing feud between the two families has clearly been an issue for the town for years. Their tempers are clearly frayed and it boils over with deadly consequences. This sparked a link for me between the story and the political tension in post-war Vienna. Setting it in this world of intrigue, spies and deep trauma gives the audience a very clear reasoning behind the feud.

You’re reimagining pop classics in a setting that evokes film noir. How did you choose which modern songs to include, and what goes into transforming them so they feel at home in a Shakespearean romance?

Natalie: Emma and I work closely together to make sure that the lyrics of the song work with the intention of the scene that it is enhancing/supporting. This show was a little trickier in that many of the songs we’ve chosen have quiet a distinctive style and place in pop music history, so transforming them to fit into the show’s style was definitely a challenge. On top of that, much of it had to be done with limited
instrumentation, so I placed extra focus on rhythmic shifts and vocals to mimic the style of the 1940’s.

What has been the biggest creative challenge in ensuring this outdoor production remains cohesive and immersive, despite the open-air environment and the noir-inspired aesthetic?

Emma: Outdoor Shakespeare in itself creates a multitude of logistical challenges, from weather to wind and projection. Having performed in a few of these shows, I have built a solid understanding around how to deliver a clear story to the audience in any conditions. Ensuring that our unmic’ed cast are ready and building their vocal stamina as well as connecting with the audience to ensure a clear understanding for them. One of our company values is making Shakespeare accessible to all audiences, so ensuring that the designers and cast are working together to give the audience the clearest picture of the story is a huge part of the process.

Natalie: I work hard to make sure that the music seems easy and effortless (even though at times, it is quite intricate) so that it sits comfortably in the overall performance, rather than feel like it’s just music wedged in for the sake of it. We also focus on strong ensemble work, and this helps to make sure the audience feel included and immersed in the story.

ROMEO AND JULIET often hinges on intense emotion and youthful impulsivity. How do you direct actors to capture that urgency within a concise, 90-minute staging without losing the depth of character?

Emma: The first port of call for ensuring that the show works well in 90-ish minutes is to find a cut of the script that tells the story concisely and clearly. Our Artistic Director Jennifer Dean had created a base cut of the show and I worked with her from there to create a cut that worked. I also like to work with the actors to see if there’s any lines they feel they need added or cut to help their emotional
arc. Ensuring that we use the text and capture the emotions that Shakespeare has written into his piece is key. Marlena, Oliver and I have been working hard to create a version of each character that is grounded in reality and making sure that their logic is clear to both them and the audience.

Shakespeare’s poetry is already musical in its own right. How do you balance the rhythm of the original language with your own compositions so that each emotional beat is accentuated, rather than overshadowed?

Natalie: Emma and I have worked together on a number of shows, and developed a ‘rhythm’, so to speak, and we’re very familiar with one another’s style of direction and production development, so we work closely together to make sure that everything works together and not overshadowing. We are able to compromise if initial ideas don’t pan out, and we encourage the idea of play and collaboration with our cast and musicians.

There’s a rich tradition of modernising Shakespeare for contemporary audiences. In your collaboration, how do you decide which liberties to take and which theatrical traditions to preserve?

Emma: I believe strongly in creating an experience for the audience that they feel connected and included in. Shakespeare’s plays are timeless, but there’s only so many times you can see the same Elizabethan interpretation before it’s repetitive. We use music and more modern themes to create links and understandings for the audience, helping them to follow the story, even if they aren’t fluent in ‘Shakespeare’. Sometimes a 45-minute soliloquy is just too hard to follow for an 8-year-old… even an 80 year old! The tradition of good story telling and finding the truth in the text are always the aim.

The show features acoustic music and live singing. How do you work with the cast to ensure the musical elements enhance the dramatic tension—especially during scenes that lead to heartbreak?

Natalie: We focus on the use of rhythm and texture to support the dramatic intention of the scenes that include music. In scenes that lead to heartbreak, the instrumentation is minimalised and the singing is kept simple and intimate, so as not to distract from the moment and support the storytelling in a respectful way.

You’ve mentioned in the past that the play is “more than a tragedy.” What fresh moments of humour or hope have you uncovered in this adaptation, and how do you weave them into the darker themes?

Emma: Romeo and Juliet is actually a comedy! Well, until everyone dies, that is. There are many references to parts of male anatomy that are universally funny. Also who doesn’t love a Borat reference?!

The production is dedicated to sustainable theatre, using recycled materials for costumes and sets. How does that commitment influence your creative decisions and the overall design aesthetic?

Emma: For our overall design aesthetic, the sustainability aspect doesn’t come into play until we begin to look at logistics. Our costume designer Leah (who is amazing) comes up with a mood board/inspiration board then sources recycled/pre-owned clothes and materials to match the design for each character. Silvia our set designer works hard to ensure that as much of the set as can safely be made from recycled items will be. All items are repurposed and recycled for our future shows. Keeping all our design items as sustainable as possible is important for the company and we hope to create positive change in the industry through this.

If a newcomer to Shakespeare sees ROMEO AND JULIET for the first time with this production, what do you hope they’ll take away from the experience—about both the play itself and the power of live theatre?

Emma: This is our hope, that first-time Shakespeare goers come along and fall in love. I hope they leave the show understanding the story and the devastation that is wrought upon these two families. The play is so much more than just a love story, so much more than a tragedy. It’s a complicated, miscommunicated
wellspring. I hope they walk away feeling accomplished because they understood more than they thought they would, they fall in love with our characters and understand their choices and they find connection to their own experience through the show.

Natalie: Even though this is a tragedy, I hope they walk away seeing the joy that comes from ensemble theatre, and how a cast and crew of excellent, passionate and hard-working humans can come together to bring this very well know story to life in a new and interesting way.

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Tickets available HERE