About
- Duration: approximately 2 hours 50 minutes, including 2 intervals
- Show type: Ballet
- Music: Sergei Prokofiev
- Venue: Arena di Verona
- Festival: Arena di Verona Festival 2027
- Production: New production by Fondazione Arena di Verona
Romeo and Juliet will be presented as part of the 2027 Festival at the Arena di Verona in a new full-length ballet production.
After an absence of 34 years, ballet returns to the Arena with one of the world’s most famous love stories—performed in the very city in which Shakespeare set his tragedy.
Prokofiev’s powerful score, large ensemble scenes and intimate encounters between the two lovers find a remarkable setting on the vast open-air stage of the Roman amphitheatre.
Here you will find all performance dates as well as information on seating categories and booking options for Romeo and Juliet in 2027.
Ticket information
- Select your preferred date and seating category directly.
- E-tickets are sent by email after purchase (print@home).
Ballet Returns to the Arena di Verona
Romeo and Juliet marks the return of full-length ballet to the Arena di Verona after 34 years.
The new production brings together the Orchestra and Ballet of Fondazione Arena di Verona on the immense stage of the amphitheatre. The scale of the Arena provides a striking setting for the conflict between the Montagues and Capulets, while Prokofiev’s music preserves the emotional intimacy of Romeo and Juliet’s relationship.
The choice of this particular ballet has a special significance. Shakespeare placed the story in Verona, and locations associated with the two lovers remain among the city’s most recognisable landmarks. In 2027, their story returns to Verona in music and dance.
Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet
Sergei Prokofiev transformed Shakespeare’s tragedy into one of the most important narrative ballets of the 20th century.
The score moves between imposing orchestral passages, dramatic confrontations and tender scenes for the two lovers. Its best-known moments include the powerful Dance of the Knights, associated with the arrival of the Capulet family.
Through music, movement and theatrical storytelling, the ballet follows Romeo and Juliet from their first meeting to the tragic conclusion of their forbidden love.
The Story of Romeo and Juliet
The Montague and Capulet families are bitter enemies. Romeo Montague enters a ball at the Capulet residence in disguise, where he meets Juliet, the young daughter of the rival family. They immediately fall in love.
With the help of Friar Laurence, Romeo and Juliet marry in secret. Their happiness is short-lived: a confrontation between Romeo’s friend Mercutio and Juliet’s cousin Tybalt ends in Mercutio’s death. Romeo kills Tybalt in revenge and is banished from Verona.
Juliet’s family plans for her to marry Paris. To escape the marriage, she drinks a potion supplied by Friar Laurence that makes her appear dead. The message explaining the plan fails to reach Romeo.
Believing Juliet to be dead, Romeo takes poison beside her tomb. Juliet awakens and, finding Romeo lifeless, takes her own life. Their deaths finally bring reconciliation between the Montague and Capulet families.
Tickets for Romeo and Juliet at the Arena di Verona 2027
Tickets are available in different seating categories, offering a range of views of the stage and production.
Only four performances are scheduled:
- 18 June 2027 at 21:30
- 26 June 2027 at 21:15
- 15 July 2027 at 21:15
- 20 August 2027 at 21:00
The complete festival programme can be found on our Arena di Verona 2027 overview page.
FAQ
When will Romeo and Juliet be performed at the Arena di Verona?
The ballet will be performed on 18 and 26 June, 15 July and 20 August 2027.
Is Romeo and Juliet an opera or a ballet?
This is a full-length ballet with music by Sergei Prokofiev. The story is told through orchestral music, dance and theatrical movement, without singing.
Why is this production particularly significant?
Romeo and Juliet marks the return of full-length ballet to the Arena di Verona after 34 years. It is also presented in Verona, the city in which Shakespeare set the story.
How long does the ballet last?
The performance lasts approximately 2 hours and 50 minutes, including two intervals.
Where does the performance take place?
The ballet is performed at the Arena di Verona, the historic Roman amphitheatre in the centre of Verona.
How can I book tickets?
Select a performance date and seating category online. After completing your purchase, your e-tickets will be sent by email.
