BU School of Music: Opera Institute and School of Theatre Stage Roméo et Juliette at Booth Theatre
The well-known Shakespeare story of the warring families runs at Boston University's Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre from February 26 - March 1, 2026
BU School of Music: Opera Institute and School of Theatre Stage Roméo et Juliette at Booth Theatre
The well-known Shakespeare story of the warring families runs at Boston University’s Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre from February 26 – March 1, 2026
Boston University School of Music: Opera Institute and School of Theatre present their next joint mainstage show at BU’s Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre: Roméo et Juliette.
Running February 26 through March 1, the opera tells the well-known Shakespeare story of the warring families (Montague v. Capulet) in which Romeo and Juliette fall in love, and finds a grand dimension in composer Charles Gounod’s deeply romantic score.
The BU production is conducted by William Lumpkin, Associate Professor of Music at BU School of Music and Artistic Director of BU Opera Institute; and directed by Eve Summer, who returns to BU for her fourth production with the Opera Institute. Previous BU directing credits include La clemenza di Tito and Little Women.
“It feels amazing to be back at BU, like coming home! The faculty at Opera Institute always make me feel like part of the family. It’s a joy being in rehearsal,” says Summer. “Roméo et Juliette is a dream. It’s extraordinarily beautiful, and it’s so exciting to stage grand opera with these students – big chorus scenes, lots of dancing and sword fighting, a big orchestra – all the elements! The story, the text, and the stunning music make every moment working on it so powerful.”
Hailed as a star of stage directing, “whose approach to directing refreshes hope for the future of opera,” Summer expresses her gratitude for continuing to be able to return to BU and work with student artists.
“Watching the artists make such enormous strides in such a short period of time is so exciting – across the designers and the cast – they start from a place of enormous curiosity and excitement and you can see in real time each of their skills, not just the product, sharpen and grow in a way that is unique to directing at this time in their lives and careers.
I also love the way working at the University level helps me hone my own directing practice – so often working professionally, we just do something without thinking about why, but breaking down the reasons and the process keeps me constantly thinking of newer, clearer, more relatable ways to break down and share our artistry and the reasons we make the choices we do.”
For Summer, one of the reasons why Roméo et Juliette continues to resonate with modern audiences is how the story contains “the simplest, truest, and most unfortunately relatable situations in the world.”
“We relate to witnessing strife and violence and stubbornness, experiencing a desperation to stop it at the same time as we are battered with feelings of helplessness and inevitability,” explains Summer. “We watch our differences – sometimes profound, sometimes petty – drive people we care for as well as people we’ve never met, against each other down paths of cyclical violence.
Within those cycles, we also experience love and beauty and joy. Sometimes those beautiful things impact that cycle of violence, and sometimes the cycle of violence runs right over them. The simplicity of young love born out of instant chemistry and connection reaching through families and communities pitted against each other is a forever experience on this earth.
Audience members can expect to be transported, blown away, and deeply moved. And if they’re familiar with the play but not the opera… a few exciting differences (no spoilers!)”
General admission tickets are $20 + online fee. Free and discounted tickets are available to the BU community (see comp codes). Tickets are free with BU ID at the Box Office or door on the day of the performance, pending availability.
ROMÉO ET JULIETTE
Presented by BU School of Music: Opera Institute and School of Theatre
Composer • Charles Gounod
Librettists • Jules Barbier and Michel Carré
Conductor • William Lumpkin
Stage Director • Eve Summer
Show Dates & Times
Thursday, February 26 • 7:30pm
Friday, February 27 • 7:30pm
Saturday, February 28 • 2pm
Sunday, March 1 • 2pm
Location
Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre • 820 Commonwealth Ave, Brookline, MA, 02446
A coproduction between the School of Music’s Opera Institute and the School of Theatre, each spring, the BU community and beyond is invited to Booth Theatre to experience the exceptional talent of the students in the College of Fine Arts in this unique collaboration.
Tickets
$20 General Admission + online fee
Free and discounted tickets are available for Boston University students, faculty, alumni, and staff. BU login required to access codes.
Plan Your Visit
Street parking is available on and around Commonwealth Avenue. BU parking lots and garages are also available. Lot F is the parking lot at Booth Theatre. The garage entrance is at 148 Essex Street, Brookline, MA. This lot opens 90 minutes prior to performances. Rates vary. Visit bu.edu/parking for more information.
Taking public transit?
- Accessible by the MBTA Green Line. Take the B line to the Amory Street station.
- Accessible by the MBTA CT2 and 57 bus lines.
- BU Shuttle stop M2.
CURTAINS UP FOR BU SCHOOL OF THEATRE’S SPRING 2026 SEASON
The timeless and tragic opera Roméo et Juliette, a play based on the only surviving trilogy from ancient Greek theatre, and senior capstone events are part of the lineup of BU School of Theatre’s current season.