Under the dim lights of Stony Brook’s Staller Center for the Arts, Shakespeare’s text flashed across the screen. The audience, divided by loyalty and wristbands — the right side in blue and the left side in red — anxiously watched as a fight broke out in the crowd. A man in red yelled until another in blue pushed him onto the stage; emotions ran high as the opening act of Duel Reality from The 7 Fingers began.
A modern circus-meets-Shakespeare mashup, Duel Reality reimagines Romeo and Juliet as a color-coded athletic showdown. Blending acrobatics with the theatrical tension of a rivalry gone too far, the show asks its audience to consider what happens when tribalism trumps empathy — and whether love can survive the game.
Ten competitors, marked clearly by their team colors, faced each other beneath towering poles. The referee, a lone figure dressed in neutral black and white, blew the whistle. In perfect synchronization, two athletes climbed their poles and, in a gasp-worthy moment, released themselves face-first towards the ground, stopping just an inch before impact. The crowd erupted. Round one went to Team Blue.
Throughout it all, the performers pushed the limits of their bodies with trust — something co-founding artistic director Shana Carroll says is central to the company’s mission.
“When we do anything ensemble acrobatically, we’re putting our lives into each other’s hands,” she said in a backstage interview. “The message of community isn’t just a statement, it’s actually visceral.”
Next came the juggling duel: red pins vs. blue balls. As the number of objects increased, the audience transitioned from a tentative slow clap to a rapid applause. Then, a fumble, as a red pin dropped. The balance tipped. Blue claimed round two.
Carroll co-created Duel Reality with fellow director Gypsy Snider, both of whom share deep roots in theater as well as circus arts. The idea was to take the charged emotion of Romeo and Juliet and channel it through the raw physicality of a sports match.
“We made it a sporting event because we wanted to portray the sort of tribalism and testosterone of a football game, and how crazy people get over their teams,” Carroll said. “To feel the joy of tribalism, but also know how dangerous it is, and how you’re actually complicit in tragedy.”
It was part passion play, part acrobatic marvel. Two men took to a seesaw that was not like your average schoolyard toy. They launch upwards of 20 feet in the air, twisting and spiraling one after the other. Until, one laid seemingly dead on the floor from the intensifying duel.
As the climax neared, performers peeled off their colored shirts, signaling unity over rivalry. The audience responded in kind, removing their wristbands and tossing them onto the stage like confetti in a declaration of solidarity.
Suddenly, the scene shifted. Romeo and Juliet returned to center stage, their love now airborne. Juliet soared through the air in breathtaking flips and throws, hurled skyward by her partner.
Suspended from the rafters, Romeo and Juliet danced midair, a romantic flight of fantasy. As they ascended, guitarists appeared, serenading the lovers with a tender melody. The couple sat together on a swing rocking about 30 feet above the stage, bathed in golden light, the music soft and haunting.
Duel Reality isn’t just about spectacle — it’s about the fragile beauty of working together despite our differences.
“My dream is that people leave with the notion that it’s possible to trust each other,” Carroll said. For one night at the Staller Center, that dream landed.
— Jessica Stallone
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