5 ways to enhance your Romeo & Juliet experience

1. Order dinner (and drinks) from one of our restaurant partners

We’ve partnered with local spots Rouge Restaurant and Bar Patricia to bring you the tastiest dinners for a night at home watching Romeo & Juliet! From charcuterie boards and a full boar loin dinner to poutine and nachos, order yours for pick-up or delivery and support two of Calgary’s finest culinary institutions.

Did you know? Each order placed through our restaurant partners also includes a donation to Theatre Calgary.

• Order from Rouge Restaurant
• Order from Bar Patricia
• Need more information? Visit our Restaurant Partners page. 

2. Build a pillow fort

Think you have to be a kid to build a pillow fort? Think again! Throw it back to the days of getting in trouble for reading with a flashlight under the covers and create a space that even Juliet’s balcony would be jealous of. All you need are some extra blankets, a couple chairs, pillows (maybe even some twinkle lights), and you’ll have the perfect place to watch Romeo & Juliet.

Here's 4 ways to make a pillow fort from the experts at wikiHow

3. Make a Juliet & Romeo cocktail

One of the first craft-cocktail bars to open in Chicago, The Violet Hour, created this signature drink to “appeal to gin haters.” A refreshing mix of gin, lime juice, cucumber, sugar, mint and rose water, the Juliet & Romeo is said to taste like a "walk through an English garden."

Ingredients

• 1 oz London dry gin, preferably Beefeater
• 3/4 oz lime juice
• 3/4 oz simple syrup
• 3 slices of cucumber
• 1 mint sprig
• Pinch of salt

Garnish

• Mint leaf
• 1 dash of rosewater
• 3 dashes of Angostura bitters

Directions

1. Combine cucumber and sale in a mixing tin and muddle
2. Add all remaining ingredients and shake with ice
3. Strain into a chilled coupe
4. Garnish with mint leaf, a dash of rosewater on the mint leaf and 3 dashes of Angostura bitters

Need something a little less artisanal? Fire up your parent's Margaritaville machine and you'll have "Capul-itas" in no time. 

Please drink responsibly (whether you hate gin or not).

4. Listen to a playlist inspired by the story

It should come as no surprise that the greatest love story of all time has inspired it’s fair share of songs about love at first sight and tragic romances. We’ve created a playlist of some of the most famous ones (looking at you “Love Story”), plus a couple deeper cuts.

Did you know? Radiohead’s "Exit Music (For a Film)" was originally written to be included in the 1996 film Romeo + Julietbut was left out of the soundtrack album at the band’s request. The vocals on the song also feature a natural reverberation created by recording them on a giant stone staircase.

Click here to listen to the playlist

5. Bring it to the big screen

Setting up a big-screen in your backyard is as easy as having a white bed-sheet and a projector! Simply tack the bedsheet to the side of your house or garage (or other structure), making sure it has as little creases and folds as possible. Set up your projector and test it before-hand to find the best location and that’s it! Before the show starts, depending on what projector, hook up your smartphone or laptop and get ready for the performance! 

For best results, use a bedsheet with a high thread count (a lower thread count means that the sheet will be more transparent, causing light to pass through and diminishing picture quality). For an even better experience, tack the sheet on a wall that is painted white or another light colour.

Want to go all-out? Here's a how-to from HGTV that includes PVC pipes and cement.