Romeo y Julieta

Directed by: Sandra Ruiz

Translated by: Sandra Ruiz

Southwestern Summer Shakespeare Festival (Chula Vista, CA) - 2024

Romeo y Julieta (2024)

by Sandra Ruiz

The bilingual Romeo y Julieta was inspired by the code switching that is a significant part of many children’s lives in the United States, and as I noted, “We speak to our parents with one language and then we go to school and speak to our peers and teachers in another language.”[1]

This element was a key component of our production, with Spanish and English integrated within the dialogue. To showcase different types of speakers, words that are the same in both languages, such as “Romeo,” were pronounced differently by characters based on their linguistic backgrounds.

The setting was a modern-day Verona, which we re-created as a southwest bordertown. Both houses were privileged economically. The Capuletos have generational wealth, hold strong to their traditions, and their lineage dates to when the land they live on was Mexico, not the United States. For this reason, they speak Spanish at home. The Montagues are newer money, having accumulated their wealth during the telecommunications boom of the early 1980s. The Montagues, “know and understand Spanish but English is their first language because that's what they grew up speaking in this border town.”[2]

Our production made the premise of the feud a desire for power. This played out across differences in customs and language.

[1] Sandra Ruiz, as quoted in ErinMarie Reiter, “Interview: Sandra Ruiz of 'ROMEO Y JULIETA' at The 2nd Annual Southwestern Summer Shakespeare Festival,” Broadway World, 10 July 2024.

[2] ibid.

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AUGUST 2024

All images courtesy of Southwestern College Theatre Arts
Photography by Daren Scott