As you look through the photographs from past productions of Romeo and Juliet, think about:

• What choices the director and designer have made about the world of Verona. How have the sets captured the sense of conflict or divides? The feud is described in the play as an 'ancient grudge'; how many of the different interpretations hint at a history of violence in Verona?
• How they are different and why. In Michael Bogdanov's 1986 production, Verona is a modern world influenced heavily by the 'yuppie' lifestyle of the 1980s. Designer Chris Dyer created a youthful, modern Italian city using marble and chrome. What does this suggest about the feud and the world Romeo and Juliet are in?
• The similarities between them. Neil Bartlett's 2008 production is also set in an Italian city but in the 1940s/50s rather than a modern context. Neil Bartlett describes the play as being 'full of references to mid-day heat and short Italian tempers' and in his version of Verona, the set emphasises the heat of Italy as well as Catholic, or religious, influences. What evidence can you see of this in the images and how is this different or similar from the other productions?

What world would you choose to set a production of Romeo and Juliet in? What impact would this choice have on the production?

As you look through the photographs from past productions of Romeo and Juliet, think about:

• What choices the designer has made for both characters and what that shows you about them. Some of these images show Romeo and Juliet's first meeting and some show their farewell in Act 3 Scene 5, after they are married. In the images of their first meeting, what similarities do you notice? How is Juliet presented?
• How the relationship between these two lovers comes across in each production. Romeo and Juliet are very young in the text and productions like Peter Brook's 1947 production really emphasised this, casting lead actors who were 18 and 21 years old. What impact do you think this has on the audience? Is it easier to believe in Romeo and Juliet's love if the couple are young?
• What connects Romeo and Juliet. In Rupert Goold's 2010 production, Romeo and Juliet are the only characters to wear modern dress, while the other characters around them are in period costume. What effect does this have visually? In the images here you can see their first meeting; does this design choice help to show their connection? What does this choice suggest about other characters' attitudes towards their love?

How would you stage Romeo and Juliet and what choices would you make to help show what their relationship is like?

As you look through the images and photographs from past productions of Romeo and Juliet, think about:

• The choices the designer has made for the balcony. In Nancy Meckler's 2006 production Juliet stands at the top of a ladder, creating a height difference between her and Romeo, and the 1992 production uses a scaffold-like structure. How does this affect the way the actors interact with each other? What impact do you think it has on the scene, if Romeo has to overcome an obstacle to reach Juliet?
• How the relationship between Romeo and Juliet develops in the scene and how the way it is staged adds to this. What do you notice about Juliet's body language, particularly in the images where she is still apart from Romeo? Is this similar in each of them or are there any productions that stand out as different?
• The similarities in the way they are staged and the performance choices. Juliet is wearing white, even prepared for sleep, in several of the images including the 1996 production. What does this suggest about her and how does this compare to the way Romeo appears in these same pictures? In the 2010 production she is dressed in black, in the same costume she wore during the Capulet ball. Does this change your impression of her as a character?

What would the balcony be in your production of Romeo and Juliet? How would this change the scene?

As you look through the images and photographs from past productions of Romeo and Juliet, think about:

• What choices the designer has made for both characters and what that shows you about them. What kind of character do you think Friar Laurence is?
• How the relationship between these two men comes across in each production. Think about the fact that one is older but is of lower status than the other. How does this affect the relationship? How has it been dealt with differently? In the 1976 and 2000 productions you can see the Friar consoling Romeo. Do you think that the age difference between the two men helps to create this dynamic? What impact could it have if a younger actor was cast as Friar Laurence?
• What the similarities are. Are there elements of Romeo and the Friar's relationship that are always present? In all of these images the Friar is dressed in religious clothing that separates him from the other characters. Why do you think productions have kept this?

In what other ways could you portray Friar Laurence and show his relationship with Romeo? How would that change the feel of the production?