B EHIND

THE
S E E N
BELL SHAKESPEARE
SEASON 2014

know
We
what we are,

but not
what we may be
Hamlet

Shakespeares legacy to successive generations is his firm faith in

human potential. His writing challenges us to reach beyond our grasp
and gives us the wherewithal to imagine our future. If we can learn
anything from Shakespeare and the great writers of our past, it is that
we hold within ourselves the power to make choices about who we
want to be. Bell Shakespeare believes that our greatest resource is our
capacity to imagine and to transform: to picture a different world, to
know that it can be one of our own making and that we can be both
its creator and a character within it.

The Bell Shakespeare vision is to create theatre that allows audiences of all walks of life to see
themselves reflected and transformed through the prism of great writing.

To prove that Shakespeare and the great works are not an end in themselves but
a means by which we can explore our most heartfelt concerns and our collective
aspirations. To acknowledge our historical background and embrace our cultural
future: to find the point at which our past and future intersect and to hold the
gaze of this defining moment. To value the transcendent beauty and complexity of
Shakespeares ideas, language and imagery: to identify the poetry of our times.
To use Shakespeare as Australians as a vehicle for self-scrutiny and recognition:
to make work that is of us, for us and about us. To create work that challenges
received artistic conventions and tests the elasticity of our practice. To embody the
strongest social values in everything we do.

HENRY

YV

Damien Ryans vision for Henry V is inspired by a true story in 1941,

for 57 consecutive nights during the London Blitz, a group of boys
trapped in a bunker rehearsed a new play each week and would then
perform it for others in the shelter. This production explores the rite of
passage that violence and conflict offer as a threshold to manhood. It
confronts the fact that for all the horrors of war true courage and
brotherhood can inspire remarkable achievements.
In this gripping new Henry V, a talented young cast tell the story of a
king who unites his band of brothers and a nation with his eloquent
words and ideas, his triumphs and humanity. When the battle is won, this
production will leave you feeling uplifted and exhilarated with the belief
that the impossible is possible.

CANBERRA | 1328 June | Canberra Theatre Centre, The Playhouse

*Audio Described Performance | Saturday 28 June 2014, 2pm
MELBOURNE | 112 July | Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio
*Audio Described Performance | Saturday 12 July 2014, 2pm
SYDNEY | 21 October 16 November | Sydney Opera House, Playhouse

By
Director
Designer
Lighting Designer
Sound Designer
Vocals Composer
Movement & Fight Director
Dialect & Voice Coach
Assistant Director

William Shakespeare
Damien Ryan
Anna Gardiner
Sian James-Holland
Steve Francis
Drew Livingston
Scott Witt
Jess Chamber
Susanna Dowling

With
Keith Agius
Matthew Backer
Darcy Brown
Gabriel Fancourt
Danielle King
Drew Livingston
Michael Sheasby
Damien Strouthos
Ildiko Susany
Eloise Winestock

WINTE

ERS
TALE
With

Liana Cornell
Michelle Doake
Philip Dodd
Felix Jozeps
Dorian Nkono
Otis Pavlovic
Myles Pollard
Rory Potter
Terry Serio
Justin Smith
Helen Thomson

As a young prince, Mamillius is a boy who should want for nothing.

But the dark shadow of his erratic father, King Leontes, looms
large over the royal household. Mamillius watches in horror as his
father wrongly accuses his pregnant mother, Hermione, of adultery
with a family friend, before imprisoning her. Then, when Mamillius
sister is born, Leontes mistakenly believes the baby is not his own,
and orders her to be abandoned in the wild. Distraught by the
family trauma, Mamillius and Hermione both die of heartbreak.
Too late, Leontes realises his folly and vows to mourn for the rest
of his life.
But nothing is quite what it seems. The power of Mamillius
imagination proves stronger even than death, and his spirit whisks
us away to another place and another time. There, Mamillius
orchestrates events to repair the damage that has been done.
Along the way there will be songs, laughter, love and perhaps even
redemption for the broken King Leontes.
The Winters Tale was written during the most wildly experimental
phase of the Bards career. Bell Shakespeares production will
throw new light on every layer, from heartaches to belly laughs.
And it will pose the question: in the wake of unspeakable suffering,
can anyone truly live happily ever after?

By William Shakespeare
Director John Bell
Designer Stephen Curtis
Lighting Designer

Matthew Marshall
Composer & Musical Director
Alan John
Sound Designer
Nate Edmondson
Dramaturg John Kachoyan
Assistant Director
Janice Muller

SYDNEY | 129 March | Sydney Opera House, Playhouse

This performance will run for approximately 3 hours, including a 20-minute interval.

All Performances (excluding Saturday 7:30pm)

Adult $75
Senior $68
Concession* $65
Groups of 8 or more $65
Under 30 $35
Saturdays at 7:30pm
Adult $79
Senior $75
Concession* $72
Groups of 8 or more $72
Under 30 $48
Previews $45
Transaction fees apply

bellshakespeare.com.au
Bell Shakespeare
PO Box 10
Millers Point
NSW 2000
Australia
Telephone: + 61 2 8298 9000
Facsimile: +61 2 9241 4643
Facebook: BelleShakespeareCo
Twitter: @BelleShakespeare