Romeo and Juliet encourages public discussion
Shakespeare's iconic play Romeo and Juliet may have been written more than 400 years ago, but despite its age it continues to raise a variety of relevant social issues.
In light of these important youth-related concerns, a Community Forum will be presented on Sunday 2 March as part of the University of Southern Queensland (USQ)'s 2008 Shakespeare in the Park Festival.
The Forum will feature a panel of expert local practitioners including psychologists from Magnolia House, John Henry and Catherine Ketton, USQ Lecturer in (Psychology) Counselling Gavin Beccaria and DISCO Youth Support Co-ordinator, Jennifer Nothdurft.
Festival Producer, Dr Rebecca Scollen, said this year's production created new opportunities for audiences.
'Our choice of Romeo and Juliet brought with it a responsibility to offer our audiences an opportunity to openly discuss some of the issues presented on stage.
'Art is all about communication and about presenting ideas that help us reflect on the way we live our lives and interact with each other. The play, Romeo and Juliet, is still as relevant today as it was hundreds of years ago, and as such it shows that our emotional lives as humans on Earth haven't really changed that much.
'The forum allows us the space to think further about the ideas presented in the play and to directly consider them in relation to our real lives.
'They will provide the community with a safe, friendly and informative environment to discuss the personal and social issues embedded within Romeo and Juliet such as relationships with peers and family, young love and sexuality, decision-making and life choices and suicide.
'It will be interactive, inviting questions and comments from the floor.'
Cast members from Romeo and Juliet will be on-hand to perform a handful of relevant scenes from the play to further highlight issues being discussed.
'Many of our young cast members have been personally touched by suicide, so this small sample seems to demonstrate how widespread suicide is within the youth culture. We hope that as a community we can talk together and work toward finding ways to support each other to slow suicide rates right down.'
Tea and coffee will be provided after the forum which will finish before the start of the evening performance of Romeo and Juliet.
Entry to the Forum is $2 which will be donated to the local Branch of Lifeline. Bookings are not necessary and those wishing to attend are encouraged to bring a blanket or chair to sit on and a hat.
The Forum will be repeated at 4pm on Wednesday 5 March especially for school groups attending the evening performance of Romeo & Juliet.
The forum will also be presented by a panel of Fraser Coast practitioners on Saturday 15 March from 4pm at Seafront Oval, Hervey Bay.
The Community Forums are sponsored by the Myer Foundation.
For more information please contact visit the Festival website www.usq.edu.au/shakespeare or call USQ Artsworx on 07 4631 1111.
Media Contact: Connie-Louise Alexander 4631 2977 or 0421 516 123