The best and brightest of fresh new UK acting talent cast for Belgrade flagship production Romeo and Juliet.
Initial casting announced for the 2025 world premiere of Romeo and Juliet, an innovative new version of Shakespeare’s play, originally scored with rap and R&B, opening at the Belgrade Theatre from 21 Feb – 8 Mar 2025, with a national press night on Wed 26 Feb 2025 before playing in Bristol 12 Mar – 5 Apr 2025, and at Hackney Empire 23 – 26 Apr. Mia Khan will play ‘Juliet’ opposite Kyle Ndukuba as ‘Romeo’, with full casting to be announced in the new year.
Romeo and Juliet is a flagship Belgrade Theatre in-house production, directed by Creative Director, Corey Campbell. A co-production with Bristol Old Vic and Hackney Empire, with set and costume design by Simon Kenny and in collaboration with local Midlands artists That’s A Rap (lyrics), and A Class (music), this will be the original play, originally scored – with rap and R&B: a Shakespearean lyrical love story – for people who love the music of the spoken word of every generation.
After graduating from Central School of Speech and Drama in 2023, Mia Khan made her West End debut in Sam Mendes critically acclaimed production of The Motive and the Cue in 2024, and went onto make her TV debut as series regular ‘Maya’ in BBC One’s Steeltown Murders.
Kyle Ndukuba graduated from LAMDA in 2024 – Romeo and Juliet will be his professional debut.
Corey Campbell said “Mia and Kyle represent the best and brightest of fresh new UK acting talent, and I am really excited by both of them. I know they’ve both had some great experiences out of the gate, working with some of the greatest directors from around the world, and I’m really looking forward to diving deep into this classic with them, and the whole company.
“I was so impressed by both of them in their initial auditions, and then I was doubly impressed by the chemistry between them – they feel like two sharp, instinctual and intuitive performers, and I can’t wait to get started.”
Romeo and Juliet will be a Belgrade Theatre flagship in-house production. The show is part of the new strand of work under the leadership team’s creative vision for the people of Coventry and the wider region; the next step in the Belgrade’s long-standing commitment to the process of co-creation and artistic excellence.