Bell Shakespeare

Bell Shakespeare is an Australian theatre company specialising in the works of William Shakespeare. It was founded in 1990 by John Bell..

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 are Much Ado About Nothing, Faustus (an adaptation of Marlowe's Doctor Faustus ), and Julius Caesar, and the major education programs are Romeo and Juliet and The Hamlet Seminar - 2B ≠ 2B. Other education activities include the Actors at Work program, masterclasses, and workshops for teachers and students.

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

The Bell Shakespeare Company is listed as a Major Festival in the book Shakespeare Festivals Around the World by Marcus D. Gregio (ed.), 2004, ISBN 978-1413459067.

Education

The Bell Shakespeare Company has a well-developed education program, and tour their Actors at Work program nationally. The 2007 season was written by Ned Manning and directed by Christopher Hurrell.

Bell Shakespeare also offer scholarships and other experiences for both students and teachers, such as a student program that allows the winners to spend a week with company members as they prepare for plays.

Past Seasons

2008

• Hamlet (directed by Marion Potts and starring Brendan Cowell and with music by Sarah Blasko
• As You Like It (directed by John Bell and starring Saskia Smith and Stephan Phillips
• Anatomy Titus Fall Of Rome, a reworking of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus by Heiner Müller, directed by Michael Gow and starring John Bell

2007

• Macbeth (directed by John Bell and starring Sean O'Shea and Linda Cropper)
• Othello (directed by Marion Potts and starring Wayne Blair and Marcus Graham)
• The Government Inspector (directed by John Bell and starring Darren Gilshenan and William Zappa)

2006

• The Tempest (directed by Peter Evens and starring John Bell and Freya Stafford)
• The Merchant of Venice (directed by Anna Volska and starring John Hannan and Thomas Campbell)
• The Comedy of Errors (directed by John Bell and starring Sean O'Shea and Christopher Stollery)
• Romeo and Juliet (directed by John Bell and starring Julian Garner and Chloe Armstrong)
• Moby-Dick (adapted and performed by John Bell)

External links

• Bell Shakespeare Website
• Bell Shakespeare Company Collection at the Performing Arts Collection, Arts Centre, Melbourne