The RSC is joining forces with media company Mudlark to create Such Tweet Sorrow, an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet presented via Twitter.

The story has been adapted to be as modern as the media. Capulet is a property developer, a widower with three children: Juliet, Tybalt and Jess (known as Nurse). His wife was killed in a car driven by the artist Montague. Once a collector of the artist’s work, Pere Capulet will no longer allow them in his home. The famous feud has begun.

Thus the virtual stage is set for the forbidden love between @Julietcap16 and the artist’s son, @Romeo_mo.

Over the course of five weeks, six actors will unfold this story through improvised tweets. They will be following a basic framework, loosely based on the Shakespeare classic, and will incorporate audience responses and current events, like the upcoming British elections. These are real people living this story in real time, and inviting a Twitter audience to experience it with them.

For a live timeline and a recap of the story so far, visit www.suchtweetsorrow.com.

For those interested in a more face to face meeting with these characters, Juliet (played by Charlotte Wakefield) has released a YouTube video introducing herself.

— Gemma Wilson