Playbox Theatre stages Romeo and Juliet this Valentine season

Sam Almond will play Romeo. Photo courtesy of Playbox Theatre.

Romeo and Juliet at The Dream Factory, Warwick, from Thursday 12 to Saturday 14 February 2026. Directed by Mary King.

Preview

Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy is re-imagined for a new generation.

Playbox Theatre opens its 2026 season at The Dream Factory, Warwick with a bold new production of Shakespeare’s ageless love story, Romeo and Juliet.

Launching the company’s 40th anniversary year, Founding Director Mary King revisits the story of two young people in the first flower of youth, caught in a world of conflict, parental control, and catastrophic misunderstanding.

Staged in a new traverse format — which will be retained across the season — the production places audiences at the heart of a contemporary Verona. The action unfolds in a single shared space, creating an intense, close-up experience that brings the tragedy into sharp and immediate focus.

16-year-old Sophie Rhodes and 17-year-old Sam Almond play the teenage lovers, Romeo and Juliet, in a company cast aged appropriately for the story.

Sophie Rhodes will play Juliet. Photo courtesy of Playbox Theatre.

Mary King says: “Playbox has staged Romeo and Juliet several times over the years, including productions in Japan and at the Edinburgh Festival, but this will be my first time directing the play. Sudden, simple, and devastating — everything happens over just a few days. We are in Verona, in summer, in the heat. Tempers rise and emotions explode. It is today. The challenge with this play is to tell the story honestly, and as if for the very first time.”

Playbox Theatre invites audiences to return to Verona this Valentine season and to consider who — if anyone — should take responsibility for the tragic events that unfold over the play’s relentless two-hour journey.

Tickets from £10 please visit the Box Office: www.playboxtheatre.com/whatson