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macbeth An erotic and eccentric take on a classic Shakespearean work, with two of Australia’s most revered actors, Kate Mulvany and Dan Spielman at the helm of the brutal frenzy.
H
e seemed to have it all. A beautiful wife, loyal fans, a dream job and a whole lot of money, then he fell, hard and fast. It’s a familiar story in a world governed by status and money. This is the seduction of power. This is the story of Macbeth.
Following on from 2011’s national tour of Julius Caesar, Associate Artistic Director, Peter Evans directs Macbeth. Bringing a fresh approach to the text, he fulfils a long awaited ambition to collaborate with Dan Spielman in the title role, and Kate Mulvany as the captivating Lady Macbeth. Dan Spielman is currently seen on Australian television in the Network Ten drama, “Offspring” and A Golem Story for Malthouse. Kate Mulvany has just been cast in Baz Luhrmann’s anticipated remake of The Great Gatsby, and starred as the convincing
“ONE MINUTE I HELD THE KEY NEXT THE WALLS WERE CLOSED ON ME AND I DISCOVERED THAT MY CASTLES STAND UPON PILLARS OF SALT AND PILLARS OF SAND” - Coldplay, Viva La Vida Macbeth is a brave and honourable man, but when he learns of the prediction that he is to become king, he his placed under the spell of impending sovereignty and lured onto the path of his own downfall. Lady Macbeth ensures he gets the push he needs to assume the throne, her inordinate ambition making murder itself seem to be a lesser evil than failure to achieve the crown. With blood on their hands, the Macbeths, once a picture of privileged nobility, become lost in their ambitions, soon discovering there is no way out, only a way forward. Instead of owning their actions, their actions own them, trapping the couple in a world of guilt, madness and murder.
Cassius in Evans’ 2011 production of Julius Caesar. Peter Evans says: “Macbeth is a play with a spectacularly erotic and destructive marriage at its centre. Ambition tears the couple apart and eventually the isolation of power sends her mad and him on a brutal rampage ending with their inevitable deaths.” In a society dangerously adoring of celebrities, the production highlights the destructive influence of our obsession with power, fame and fortune. This is Bell Shakespeare’s fourth production of Macbeth, following productions in 1994, 1997 and 2007.
BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE DIRECTED BY PETER EVANS W/ KATE MULVANY, DAN SPIELMAN Bell Season Packages bellshakespeare.com.au SYDNEY 30 March – 12 May Sydney Opera House, Drama Theatre Bookings: 02 9250 7777 sydneyoperahouse.com.au CANBERRA 17 May – 2 June Canberra Theatre Centre, Playhouse Bookings: 02 6275 2700 canberratheatrecentre.com.au MELBOURNE 7 June – 23 June The Arts Centre, Playhouse Bookings: 1300 182 183 theartscentre.com.au or 1300 723 038 ticketmaster.com.au Media enquiries Tatia Sloley, TS Publicity T 03 9419 8837 M 0403 305 395 E Tatia@tspublicity.com.au
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the duchess of malfi Greed. Incestuous jealousy. An excess of conflicting interests. Bloody deaths.
W
e all start out innocent in this world, but as we grow and start to climb the ladder that might take us to the top, there’s no saying whose fingers we’ll step on to get there. Even those of our own flesh and blood. When the beautiful Duchess of Malfi is widowed in her youth, her two controlling brothers forbid her to remarry for fear they will lose their abundant inheritance.
“A MAN SHOULD NEVER NEGLECT HIS FAMILY FOR BUSINESS.” - Walt Disney In a desperate attempt to ensure their fortune and place on the throne, the two brothers regulate her whole life - including her body - even hiring their friend to spy on her every move. The Duchess Of Malfi begins as a love story but ends as a nightmarish family tragedy; greed, jealousy and revenge proving to be a toxic mix in a world not unlike our own.
Shakespeare contemporary John Webster brings us a play about the obsession with power and what it can do to a family. Bell Shakespeare Artistic Director, John Bell directs his daughter Lucy Bell in only their second collaboration in the Company’s 21 year history. John Bell says: “The Duchess Of Malfi is a tense passionate and violent masterpiece of 17th century theatre.Webster’s poetry is both visceral and exotic. It shocks our ears with its bluntness and ingenuity.” Award winning Australian writer, director and performer Ailsa Piper (Small Mercies) and writer Hugh Colman have adapted the play into a condensed script that focuses on the main protagonists; an incestuous Judge, an oily Cardinal, a hit-man with a heart and a young heroic Duchess. This white-hot adaptation of Webster’s finest work, captures the madness and astonishing violence brought about by the strength of a woman in a patriarchal society.
BY JOHN WEBSTER ADAPTED BY HUGH COLMAN AND AILSA PIPER DIRECTED BY JOHN BELL DESIGNER STEPHEN CURTIS LIGHTING DESIGNER HARTLEY T A KEMP COMPOSER ALAN JOHN FIGHT DIRECTOR NIGEL POULTON
W/ LUCY BELL, LUCIA MASTRANTONE, MATTHEW MOORE, SEAN O’SHEA, DAVID WHITNEY, BEN WOOD Bell Season Packages bellshakespeare.com.au SYDNEY
6 July – 5 August Sydney Opera House, Drama Theatre Bookings: 02 9250 7777 sydneyoperahouse.com.au Media enquiries Tatia Sloley, TS Publicity T 03 9419 8837 M 0403 305 395 E Tatia@tspublicity.com.au
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“I’D MARRY AGAIN IF I FOUND A MAN WHO HAD 15 MILLION DOLLARS, WOULD SIGN OVER HALF TO ME, AND GUARANTEE THAT HE’D BE DEAD WITHIN A YEAR.” - Bette Davis
the school for wives A beguiling comedy filled to the brim with witty repartee, hilariously misguided decisions and a delightful feeling that we should all just relax and have a wine.
T
he School For Wives is the story of an man with a problem. He wants desperately to get married but is afraid that a smart woman will cheat on him. His ingenious solution? Enlist the help of a local convent to raise a girl so stupidly innocent that she won’t know the first thing about cheating – let alone the last. In his mind she will be ever-faithful. The perfect wife. Or is she? Are we all becoming fixated with controlling our destiny? We want the perfect partner; smart, sexy, healthy, funny and hopefully from “good stock”. But can we design a life for ourselves and have it all go to plan? Is there any point in preoccupying ourselves with this or will fate and love always pop in and take over whenever they please? In 2010, a young man in his 20s drove from New York to Michigan to meet an online girlfriend, lured by the prospect of a young, sexy, blonde bombshell. He arrived to find that she didn’t exist and the controller of her avatar was a woman in her 50s who used Facebook to create her ideal relationship.
When reality came, literally, knocking on the woman’s front door in the form of her long time internet boyfriend, there was nothing she could do to stop her world unraveling. The School For Wives is one of Moliere’s finest comedies and has been raising eyebrows in comic disbelief since it was first performed 350 years ago. Embracing naivety in all its forms, the play is both funny and moving. Australian playwright, Justin Fleming is translating Bell Shakespeare’s first production by the comic genius, Moliere. Fleming has worked extensively in theatre, music theatre, television and cinema, and adapted MTC’s highly successful production of Tartuffe. Following on from her success with Twelfth Night in 2010, director Lee Lewis joins Bell Shakespeare again to direct this chaotic, turbulent love story. Lewis has worked for over a decade in New York, and has directed in Australia for STC (Zebra), Griffin Theatre (Silent Disco) and Belvoir Street Theatre (The Face). Most recently, Lewis directed That Face at Belvoir St Theatre and Honour at STC. Quote from Lee Lewis: “The School For Wives is a comedic train-wreck of a love story that tangles innocence with arrogance – and the other way around.”
BY MOLIÈRE TRANSLATED BY JUSTIN FLEMING DIRECTED BY LEE LEWIS Bell Season Packages bellshakespeare.com.au Touring nationally from June – November to 26 regional and capital cities including: PERTH 11 July – 14 July State Theatre Centre, Heath Ledger Theatre Bookings: 08 9484 1133 statetheatrecentrewa.com.au Melbourne 11 September – 22 September The Arts Centre, Fairfax Studio Bookings: 1300 182 183/theartscentre. com.au or 1300 723 038/ticketmaster.com.au CANBERRA 25 September – 6 October Canberra Theatre Centre, The Playhouse Bookings: 02 6275 2700 canberratheatrecentre.com.au SYDNEY 23 October – 24 November Sydney Opera House, Playhouse Bookings: 02 9250 7777 sydneyoperahouse.com.au Media enquiries Tatia Sloley, TS Publicity T 03 9419 8837 M 0403 305 395 E Tatia@tspublicity.com.au
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romeo and juliet A
fter the success of Romeo And Juliet in 2011, where it was seen by over 22,000 students and families from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, including regional audiences of 4,000, Bell Shakespeare’s travelling acting ensemble The Players stage a return of the schools’ dedicated production in 2012. No wonder modern kids connect so well with Shakespeare’s tragic teens. Romeo falls for Juliet. Juliet swoons for Romeo. The young ‘star-cross’d lovers’ are torn apart by an old family feud. It’s a classic boy meets girl, boy loses girl love story. A new troupe of Bell Shakespeare’s ensemble of travelling actors The Players, will bring Romeo And Juliet back to Sydney and Melbourne audiences. This production gives students the opportunity to experience the full force of a theatrical production of one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays. Under the direction of Damien Ryan, who has directed and performed with Bell Shakespeare many times, this production of Romeo And Juliet brings all the drama, excitement and tragedy of Shakespeare’s classic play to life.
“Romeo And Juliet belongs to all of us. Each generation needs to hear these stories, because they are the moral compass of our lives,” said Ryan. Set in the mid-twentieth century in drought-stricken Australia, modern teenagers will no doubt connect with Shakespeare’s tragic lovers in this dynamic, innovative retelling of the story we know so well. “The nature of living in an isolated town and how claustrophobic that can be, struck me as very relevant for students in Australia today. I have tried to centre in, as much as possible, on the journey of the young people – Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio, Benvolio and Tybalt,” continued Ryan. The production is suitable for Years 7-12 English and Drama students
BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE DIRECTED BY DAMIEN RYAN SYDNEY 30 APRIL – 25 MAY 2012 PLAYHOUSE, SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE MELBOURNE Monday 23 July – Friday 27 July NATIONAL THEATRE,ST KILDA, MELBOURNE TIMES 10am & 1pm DAILY MONDAY - FRIDAY PRICE $26 per student 20 students = 1 free teacher ticket Limited number of $22 earlybird tickets available. Limited number of $22 tickets available for schools located 100km or more from The Sydney Opera House. BOOKINGS bellshakespeare.com.au/learning T: 1300 305 730
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sharing the love of shakespeare F
or over 20 years, Bell Shakespeare has been transforming words on a page into lively, contemporary performances, engaging students in schools across Australia. The 2012 Bell Shakespeare Learning programme aims to inspire teachers and students to share the love of Shakespeare. 2011 saw Bell’s brand new acting ensemble, The Players traversing classrooms around Australia in a bid to debunk the bard. After a highly successful inaugural year, 2012 brings us a new troupe of actors to take on the roles of The Players. They will present Actors at Work shows including the joyous Midsummer Madness restaged – back by popular demand, and the brand new Macbeth: Undone. Midsummer Madness was a hit with the junior students last year, charting the course of Shakespeare’s hilarious romantic comedy from start to finish, whilst giving a fun explanation of the conventions of Shakespeare’s theatre. Following the journey of Shakespeare’s greatest power couple, Macbeth: Undone is a thrilling, atmospheric and dramatic ride, with a focus on directorial and performance choices when approaching key characters and the play itself, as well as giving insights into the actor’s craft.
The popular Student Masterclasses make a return in 2012. In just two hours, a masterclass will introduce students to Shakespeare’s language, characters and plots the way they should be – on their feet as a performance. Shakespeare Seminars, combining a seminar with an interactive explanation of Shakespeare texts for Year 12 students, will up the ante in 2012 with the addition of texts such as Julius Caesar and As You Like It, to accompany the Hamlet Seminar that was so successfully received in 2010 and 2011. A brand new venture in 2012 is the Artist in Residence programme, allowing schools to have an artist at their fingertips with an in-school residency for a one to two week period. The newest addition to Bell Learning, the residencies will be tailored to the needs of each school, allowing customised learning and invaluable insight for both students and teachers from a Shakespeare expert. Specifically for teachers, a new series of Teaching Masterclasses on key Shakespeare texts is available and the popular Directing Masterclass will return in 2012, educating teachers with the skills to stage one of Shakespeare’s many plays at their school. Another new initiative for 2012 is the Shakespeare Weekender, a chance for enthusiastic teachers to immerse themselves in Shakespeare’s works
over three days, to get inside the texts.This will be led by Bell Shakespeare’s Resident Artist in Education, James Evans, and include seeing two Bell Shakespeare productions at the Sydney Opera House Appreciating that it is harder for regional communities to quench the thirst for Shakespeare due to accessibility, the Regional Performance Scholarship for students and the Regional Teachers Scholarship will continue in 2012, providing a chance for passionate Shakespeare-loving students and teachers from remote areas to win exclusive time with Bell Shakespeare actors, directors and educators. Linking with a variety of senior level school subjects, Bell Shakespeare’s Mainstage Matinee season – including classic work Macbeth and the intensely tragic The Duchess of Malfi – will tour to capital cities, with Moliere’s ludicrously funny The School For Wives, directed by Lee Lewis (Twelfth Night) also touring regionally. After playing to over 16,000 students last year, Romeo And Juliet will see a return to theatres in both Melbourne and Sydney. For more information on Bell Shakespeare’s Learning Programmes visit bellshakespeare.com.au/learning
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mind’s eye A
number of new works are currently in development through Mind’s Eye, Bell Shakespeare’s research and development arm, and will continue their creative journey in 2012 and beyond. There are various projects at different stages of development, supporting the Company’s commitment to artistic vibrancy, connecting with artists across Australia, and creating invigorating cross art-form work. Ophelia Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, in collaboration with Chamber Made Opera, reveals the story of Ophelia as a monomaniacal botanist - willful, unpredictable and in love with a self-harming sociopath. Directed by Daniel Schlusser, and part of Chamber Made Opera’s 2011 Living Room Series, this work will be performed over three nights from 24 November 2011 at a private home in Armadale, Melbourne. Featuring creative collaborators Darrin Verhagen, video artist Richard Grant, choreographer Frances d’Ath, and designer Marg Horwell, it will be performed by Daniel Schlusser, Lily Paskas and Karen Sibbing. In collaboration with Brisbane based Circa, Bell Shakespeare will commence development of a poetic cross art-form exploration of The Tempest aiming to create a new performance piece. Circa’s startlingly original take reinvents circus as a deep and moving theatrical form. Bell Shakespeare will provide dramaturgy and artistic support to the performers’ abstract and physical approach in As Dreams Are Made On. An
initial practical workshop will commence in October 2011 with a further workshop in April 2012. Night Songs, written by Daniel Keene and Alison Croggon with composition by Andrée Greenwell began its journey with Mind’s Eye in 2010. A story of two orphaned boys, this music theatre piece is a poetic allegory that draws on various traditions of storytelling. Night Songs will be workshopped in November 2011. Directed and dramaturgically supported by Matt Lutton, the cast includes Thomas Conroy, iOTA and Cameron Goodall. Adelaide based media company Tall Storeez/ Change Media approached Mind’s Eye with an idea to explore and discuss the relevance of Shakespeare in a rapidly changing world. Change Media will work with and train newly arrived refugees from Africa and Bhutan to become Professional Media/Troublemakers. Together with Bell Shakespeare, they will test the notion that Shakespeare speaks to the core of the human condition. It raises the question: what will be revealed when marginalised refugee communities are challenged to create with a major performing arts company, and vice versa? Over a week in December, these three groups will come together at Cowra’s art-space, The Corridor Project, to test these ideas with the view to creating bite-size digital content. Bell Shakespeare’s 2011 Director-inResidence, Imara Savage, will spend two weeks working on a re-imagining of King Lear in
late October 2011. Set in a room in a nursing home, this is Lear’s last day and his final breath. Through a fractured and decayed memory he struggles to piece together his life and prepare himself for his death. We witness the passing of time in a single room, as three nurses take us through the mundane tasks of three distinct shifts, morning, afternoon and night. What happens when words cease to have meaning? What would happen if we could no longer trust our memory? How will Shakespeare’s text reveal itself in a new way when taken out of the context it was originally intended? Imara will be joined by creative partners including Barry Otto as Lear, Kip Williams and Michael Hankin. Sleep With Me, by acclaimed writer Caleb Lewis, is a newly commissioned play by Mind’s Eye with a first draft to be delivered in early 2012. Sleep With Me explores somnambulism and the themes of freewill and determinism; volition and coercion; moral culpability and conscious versus unconscious desire. Mind’s Eye Director, Peter Evans said, “With such an exciting array of new work currently in creative development through Mind’s Eye, we anticipate this arm of the Company going from strength to strength. Our objective is to bring one of these works to fruition in 2013 and, given the calibre of the artists and companies with whom we are currently collaborating, this goal is undoubtedly within our reach.We look forward to an equally thrilling and stimulating 2012 and to welcoming many new artists to the Company.”
artistic leadership JOHN BELL ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
J
ohn Bell is one of Australia’s most acclaimed theatre personalities. In a career of acting and directing, John has been instrumental in shaping the Australian theatre industry as we know it. After graduating from Sydney University in 1962 John worked for the Old Tote Theatre Company, all of Australia’s state theatre companies and was an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company in the United Kingdom. As co-founder of Sydney’s Nimrod Theatre Company, John presented many productions of landmark Australian plays including David Williamson’s Travelling North,The Club and The Removalists. He also initiated an Australian Shakespeare style with Nimrod productions such as Much Ado About Nothing and Macbeth. In 1990 John founded The Bell Shakespeare Company where his productions have included Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, Romeo And Juliet,The Taming Of The Shrew, Richard 3, Pericles, Henry 4, Henry 5, Julius Caesar, Antony And Cleopatra,The Comedy Of Errors,Wars Of The Roses, Measure For Measure, Macbeth and As You Like It, as well as Goldoni’s The Servant Of Two Masters, Gogol’s The Government Inspector and Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist. His
PETER EVANS ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & MIND’S EYE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
P
eter’s directing credits include Clyborne Park, A Behanding In Spokane, Dead Man’s Cell Phone,The Ugly One, God of Carnage, Savage River (co production with Griffin Theatre Company), Realism,The Hypocrite, Blackbird, Don Juan in Soho,Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,The History Boys, Don’s Party,The Give and Take, Dumbshow, and The Daylight Atheist for Melbourne Theatre Company; The Great, Fat Pig, and The Give
Shakespeare roles include Hamlet, Shylock, Henry V, Richard III, Macbeth, Malvolio, Berowne, Petruchio, Leontes, Coriolanus, Prospero, King Lear and Titus Andronicus. He played Mephistopheles in the recent co-production of Faustus with Queensland Theatre Company and the title role in two earlier co-productions: Richard 3 and Heiner Müller’s Anatomy Titus Fall Of Rome: A Shakespeare Commentary. John has also directed a production of Madame Butterfly for an Oz Opera national tour. John Bell is an Officer of the Order of Australia and the Order of the British Empire. He has an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the Universities of Sydney, New South Wales and Newcastle. In 1997, he was named by the National Trust of Australia as one of Australia’s Living Treasures. In 2003 the Australia Business Arts Foundation awarded John the Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Cultural Leadership Award. His many awards as an actor and director include a Helpmann Award for Best Actor (Richard 3, 2002), a Producers and Directors Guild Award for Lifetime Achievement and the JC Williamson Award (2009) for extraordinary contribution to Australia’s live entertainment industry and the 2010 Sydney Theatre Award for Lifetime Achievement in recognition of his extraordinary career as an actor, director and producer.
and Take for Sydney Theatre Company; Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, King Lear, Copenhagen, Proof, Muldoon, and The Christian Brothers for New Zealand’s Court Theatre; Julius Caesar, The Tempest, The Two Gentleman of Verona and Macbeth for Bell Shakespeare; The Daylight Atheist for Queensland Theatre Company and The Yellow Wallpaper for Malthouse and the Store Room. His other Australian credits include Jesus Hopped the A Train for Red Stitch Actors Theatre; A Poor Student for the Store Room at the Malthouse Theatre; A Lie of the Mind at the New Theatre; Sexual Perversity in Chicago for Theatre Jamb at the Bondi Pavilion; Kiss of the Spiderwoman for Theatre Adami at the Stables and The Dumb Waiter for the Studio Company at Belvoir St Theatre.
bell shakespeare – a history 1990
John Bell founds Bell Shakespeare.
Company is included in a group of national companies funded through MOB (Major Organisations Board).
1991
1996
Seasons at Sydney Showground, Canberra Agricultural Centre and the Athenaeum Theatre Melbourne: Hamlet,The Merchant of Venice. Launch of Actors At Work education programme, performing to 10,000 students.
1992
Seasons in Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra: Richard III, Hamlet,The Merchant of Venice. Launch of disadvantaged student workshops. Launch of corporate communication workshops.
1993
Seasons in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Adelaide: Hamlet, Richard III, Romeo And Juliet. Company produces Corporate Video Training Packages. Receives funding from Playing Australia (Federal Government).
1994
Seasons in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Newcastle and Perth: Macbeth,The Taming Of The Shrew. Commences student matinees, student and teacher workshops. John Bell performs in Shanghai, Guang Zhou, Tokyo and Hong Kong.
1995
Seasons in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Monash: Pericles,Twelfth Night. Launch of publishing activities with Science Press.
Seasons in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane and regional centres in QLD and NSW: Much Ado About Nothing, Coriolanus (directed by Steven Berkoff), Storm Boy Performs at Sydney Opera House, Playhouse for the first time. Recordings of Twelfth Night and Pericles released through ABC shops. Launches Primary School production programme. Launch of Bell series of debates.
1997
Seasons in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Adelaide: The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest. Launches national tour to QLD, NT, NSW, VIC and SA: Macbeth. Primary school production programme tours throughout NSW, ACT and QLD: Sadako And The Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr.
1998
Seasons in Canberra, Melbourne, Hobart, Monash and Perth: Henry 4, King Lear. Company introduces lunch time forums. Pioneers policy of discounted tickets to mainstage productions for patrons under the age of 27.
1999
Seasons in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Hobart, Geelong, Orange and Perth: The Merchant Of Venice, Henry 5. National tour to regional centres in NSW, SA, VIC, TAS, QLD and NT: Romeo And Juliet. Presents co-production with Queensland Theatre Company in Brisbane and Melbourne: Long Day’s Journey Into Night by Eugene O’Neill.
Introduces new programme for 6 – 12 year olds touring in NSW, ACT and QLD, performing to over 25,000 school children: The Listmaker by Robyn Klein. Receives funding from NSW State Government (NSW Ministry for the Arts).
2000
Seasons in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Hobart, Launceston, Geelong, the Gold Coast and Perth: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Troilus + Cressida. National tour throughout VIC, NSW, QLD, WA and NT: Much Ado About Nothing. Presents co-production with the State Theatre Company of South Australia, touring Adelaide, Japan, and Canberra: Dance of Death by August Strindberg. Seasons in NSW, TAS and VIC: Sadako And The Thousand Paper Cranes. Website launched. Company joins AMPAG (Australian Major Performing Arts Group).
2001
Seasons in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Orange, Wagga Wagga, Newcastle, Wollongong, Parramatta, Geelong, Hobart and Perth: Julius Caesar, Antony And Cleopatra. Performs at Victorian Arts Centre, Melbourne for the first time. Season in Sydney: Shakespeare’s R&J. Introduces teacher training workshops.
2002
Seasons in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Wagga Wagga and Newcastle of a co-production with Queensland Theatre Company: Richard 3. John Bell wins Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Drama for his role in Richard 3. Season in Sydney: Hippolytus by David Malouf. National tour to 21 capital cities and regional centres throughout Australia: The Taming Of The Shrew.
National Tour to NSW, ACT,VIC, SA, WA and QLD: The Soldier’s Tale by Stravinsky, in collaboration with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Seasons in SA and VIC: My Girragundji. Education programme tours to Singapore. Launches Bell Leadership Initiative. Launches Regional Student Performance Scholarship. Launches Capital Campaign fundraising appeal.
2003
Seasons in NSW, ACT,VIC and TAS: Hamlet. Seasons in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Wollongong and Newcastle: As You Like It. National tour across all states and territories: The Servant Of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni. Education programme tours to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Launches Shakespeare In Action outreach programme for disadvantaged schools. John Bell receives Cultural Leader of the Year award from Prime Minister John Howard and Dame Elisabeth Murdoch.
2004
Seasons in all capital cities: The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni. National tour across NSW,VIC, ACT, TAS and NT: A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Seasons in Hobart, Newcastle, Brisbane, Wagga Wagga, Perth and Adelaide: The Comedy Of Errors. Seasons in Melbourne, Canberra, Wollongong, Sydney and Orange: Twelfth Night. Actors At Work reaches students in remote locations using the Interactive Distance Learning Centre in NT via the Optus Satellite. First Actors At Work Far West tour to remote areas of NSW. Optus/Bell Shakespeare Make A Scene competition launched. Receives three-year funding for education programme from NSW Government.
2005
Seasons in all capital cities: Wars Of The Roses, Measure For Measure,The Two Gentlemen Of Verona,The Servant Of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni. Establishes rehearsal spaces in the Argyle Stores, The Rocks, with the support of the NSW Government.
2006
Seasons in Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Orange, Wagga Wagga and Geelong: Romeo And Juliet Seasons in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney: The Tempest. Receives funding from the Victorian Government (Arts Victoria). Number of students participating in education programmes grows to over 80,000. Tours The Comedy Of Errors to the UK. Launches Hearts In A Row fundraising initiative in Sydney.
2007
Seasons in Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney and Orange: Othello starring Wayne Blair, the first indigenous Australian to play the title role in a major national touring production. First production directed by newly appointed Associate Director, Marion Potts. Seasons in Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney: The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol. Tours nationally to 32 venues: Macbeth. Launches Regional Teacher Scholarship. Commonwealth Government grants $1 million three-year funding for education programme. Establishes Young Artists Endowment in support of new and emerging directors of Shakespeare.
2008
Presents co-production with Queensland Theatre Company in Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne: Anatomy Titus Fall Of Rome: A Shakespeare Commentary by Heiner Müller, with an all-male cast. Seasons in Sydney and Melbourne: Hamlet. Seasons in Melbourne and Sydney: Just Macbeth!, a collaboration with children’s author, Andy Griffith. Tours nationally to 35 venues: As You Like It. Inaugural Mind’s Eye production with Malthouse Melbourne: Venus & Adonis.
2009
Presents co-production with Queensland Theatre Company in Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane and Perth: The Alchemist by Ben Jonson. Presents collaboration with TaikOz in Sydney and Melbourne: Pericles.
Tours nationally to 35 venues: The Taming Of The Shrew, with an all-female cast. Seasons in Sydney and New Zealand (Auckland Festival): Venus & Adonis. Launches Hearts In A Row fundraising initiative in Canberra.
2010
20th Anniversary production has seasons in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth: King Lear Tours nationally to 29 venues, including Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne: Twelfth Night Seasons in Sydney and Edinburgh Fringe Festival: Just Macbeth! Inaugural Young Artists’ Endowment recipient, Jessica Tuckwell joins the Company for one year. Rough Magic exhibition held at the Arts Centre, Melbourne, featuring 20 years of Bell Shakespeare photographs, posters, costumes and accessories, along with a projected compilation of production footage.
2011
Peter Evans joins the company as Associate Artistic Director Seasons in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne: Much Ado About Nothing Presents co-production with Queensland Theatre Company in Sydney and Brisbane: Faustus adapted and directed by Michael Gow. Tours nationally to 27 venues, including Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney and 24 regional centres around Australia: Julius Caesar, rehearsing in Melbourne for the first time. Establishes new troupe of travelling actors, The Players, presenting a schools-dedicated production of Romeo and Juliet with seasons in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane (Brisbane Festival).
2012 touring details MACBETH
THE DUCHESS OF MALFI
BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE DIRECTED BY PETER EVANS W/ KATE MULVANY, DAN SPIELMAN
BY JOHN WEBSTER ADAPTED BY HUGH COLMAN AND AILSA PIPER DIRECTED BY JOHN BELL DESIGNER STEPHEN CURTIS LIGHTING DESIGNER HARTLEY T A KEMP COMPOSER ALAN JOHN FIGHT DIRECTOR NIGEL POULTON W/ LUCY BELL, LUCIA MASTRANTONE, MATTHEW MOORE, SEAN O’SHEA, DAVID WHITNEY, BEN WOOD
Sydney Opera House, Drama Theatre 30 March – 12 May Canberra Theatre Centre, The Playhouse 17 May – 2 June Melbourne – the Arts Centre, Playhouse 7 – 23 June
THE SCHOOL FOR WIVES BY MOLIÉRE TRANSLATED BY JUSTIN FLEMING DIRECTED BY LEE LEWIS Warnambool Entertainment Centre 26 – 27 June Ballarat – Her Majesty’s Theatre 28 – 29 June Albany Entertainment Centre 3 July Mandurah Performing Arts Centre 6 July Perth – Heath Ledger Theatre 11 – 14 July Geraldton – Queens Park Theatre 17 July Alice Springs – Araluen Arts Centre 21 July Darwin Entertainment Centre 24 – 25 July Cairns Civic Theatre 28 July Townsville – Riverway Arts Centre 31 July Mackay Entertainment Centre 2 August Caloundra – The Events Centre 4 August Lismore – NORPA 8 August Penrith – Joan Sutherland Perf. Arts Centre 10 – 11 August Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre 15 August Dubbo Regional Theatre 17 – 18 August Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre 21 – 22 August Orange Civic Theatre 24 – 25 August Hobart – Theatre Royal 29 August – 1 September Launceston – Princess Theatre 3 – 4 September Frankston Arts Centre 7 September Melbourne – the Arts Centre, Fairfax Studio 11 - 22 September Canberra Theatre Centre, The Playhouse 25 Sep – 6 Oct Port Macquarie – Glasshouse Theatre 9 – 10 October Newcastle Civic Theatre 11 – 13 October Wollongong - Illawarra Perf. Arts Centre 16 – 20 October Sydney Opera House, Playhouse 23 October – 24 November
Sydney Opera House, Playhouse 6 July – 5 August
ROMEO AND JULIET BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE DIRECTED BY DAMIEN RYAN Sydney Opera House, Playhouse 30 April – 25 May Melbourne – National Theatre 23 July – 3 August
thank you to thank you to our partners our partners LEADING PARTNERS
COMMUNITY PARTNERS The following organisations, trusts and foundations are supporting our national education and creative programmes:
National Education & Youth Partner
Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation Pratt Foundation Ian Potter Foundation J s Love Trust IOOF Foundation scully Fund The Trust Company atf Archer Trust James N Kirby Foundation Collier Charitable Fund
Regional Communities Partner
MAJOR PARTNERS
Official Wellbeing Partner
NsW Education Partner
Leadership Partner
GOVERNMENT PARTNERS SUPPORTING PARTNERS
WA season Partner The school For Wives
Bell shakespeare is assisted by the NsW Government through Arts NsW.
special Projects Partner
Bell shakespeare is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
COMPANY PARTNERS
special Event Partner
Legal Partner
special Event Partner
Community Partner
I
sydney Restaurant Partner
Creative Partner
Accommodation Partner
Public Affairs Advisors
The Australian Government is proud to be associated with Bell shakespeare through the national performing arts touring programme, Playing Australia, which gives Australians across the country the opportunity to see some of our best performing arts.
Bell shakespeare Learning is assisted by the NsW Government through the NsW Department of Education and Training.
revenue and expenditure annual revenue – projected 2012
annual expenditure – projected 2012