Bell Shakespeare

Bell Shakespeare is an Australian theatre company specialising in the works of William Shakespeare, his contemporaries and other classics. It was founded in 1990 by John Bell.[1]

Bell Shakespeare is Australia's only national touring theatre company. Its current practice is to tour three mainstage productions to each Australian state in each year, plus a variety of education programs. In 2011, for example, the mainstage productions were Much Ado About Nothing, Faustus (an adaptation of Marlowe's Doctor Faustus), and Julius Caesar, and the major education programs were Romeo and Juliet and The Hamlet Seminar – 2B ≠ 2B.

The company, rather than using Renaissance costumes and sets, uses contemporary styles. Unlike many other producers, Bell has his actors accentuating and emphasising the many sexual innuendos and bawdy moments that are in the original texts.

The Bell Shakespeare is listed as a Major Festival in the book Shakespeare Festivals Around the World by Marcus D. Gregio (ed.), 2004, ISBN 978-1-4134-5906-7.

Artistic leadership

In 2012, John Bell announced the promotion of associate artistic director Peter Evans to the position of co-artistic director.[2]

Education

Bell Shakespeare has a well-developed education program, conceived by company founder John Bell. Since 2011, the education program has been delivered nationally by a team of 8 actors called The Players. Their Actors At Work shows tour to schools in every state and territory throughout the year. The 2012 season, Midsummer Madness and Macbeth: Undone, was written by Matt Edgerton and Joanna Erskine, and directed by James Evans and Matt Edgerton. In addition to Actors At Work, The Players perform a mainstage show for students in Sydney and Melbourne each year.

Other education activities include scholarships, master classes, workshops, and other experiences for both teachers and students,[3] such as the Regional Performance Scholarship, which allows the winners to spend a week with Bell Shakespeare actors and directors in rehearsal.

Past seasons

2006

2007

2008

Production history by play

List of Bell Shakespeare productions (not including education or children’s productions or special events):[4]

Shakespeare

  • Antony and Cleopatra (2001)
  • As You Like It (2015, 2008, 2003)
  • The Comedy of Errors (2013, 2002)
  • Coriolanus (1996)
  • Hamlet (2015, 2008, 2003, 1991)
  • Henry IV (2013, 1998)
  • Henry V (2014, 1999)
  • Julius Caesar (2011, 2001)
  • King Lear (2010, 1998)
  • Macbeth (2012, 2007, 1997, 1994)
  • Measure for Measure (2005)
  • The Merchant of Venice (2017, 2006, 1999, 1991)
  • A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2014, 2004, 2000)
  • Much Ado About Nothing (2011, 2000, 1996)
  • Othello (2016, 2007)
  • Pericles (2009, 1995)
  • Richard III (2017, 2002, 1992)
  • Romeo and Juliet (2016, 2006, 1999, 1993)
  • The Taming of the Shrew (2009, 2002, 1994)
  • The Tempest (2015, 2006, 2001, 1997
  • Troilus and Cressida (2000)
  • Twelfth Night (2010, 2004, 1995)
  • The Two Gentlemen of Verona (2005)
  • Wars of the Roses [Henry VI, Part 1, Henry VI, Part 2, Henry VI, Part 3] (2005)
  • The Winter's Tale (2014, 1997)
  • Venus and Adonis (2008)

Other

  • The Alchemist (2009)
  • Anatomy Titus Fall of Rome: A Shakespeare Commentary (2008)
  • Dance of Death (2000)
  • The Duchess of Malfi (2012)
  • Faustus (2011)
  • The Government Inspector (2007)
  • The Literati (2016)
  • Long Day's Journey into Night (1999)
  • Moby Dick (2005)
  • Phèdre (2013)
  • The School for Wives (2012)
  • The Servant of Two Masters (2003)
  • Shakespeare's R & J (2001)
  • Tartuffe (2014)

References

  1. ↑ Bell, John (2004). John Bell – The Time of My Life. Sydney: Currency Press. ISBN 1-74114-134-6.
  2. ↑ Dow, Steve (4 October 2012). "Almost 'fat enough', Bell takes on Falstaff and hints at retirement". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  3. ↑ "Bell Shakespeare Overview". Archived from the original on 19 May 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  4. ↑ "AusStage - Bell Shakespeare". AusStage. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
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