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[title]After two years of seasons disrupted by that great disruptor, Australia’s Shakespeare-centric theatre company is coming back with a vengeance in 2022, promising five different productions and preparing to reveal its very first exclusive theatre space.
“When planning our program for next year, I felt that we all needed a bit of joy, fun, spectacle, humour, and most of all love. We can’t wait to reunite in the theatre next year,” Bell Shakespeare’s artistic director Peter Evans said.
Most of all, we’re looking forward to The Lovers, which promises to be a fresh, magical and pop-infused reimagining of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. But before then, we’ll have another chance to see Bell Shakespeare’s twice-derailed production of Hamlet, as well as more of the Bard's comedies and tragedies.
In April, the company will unveil its new home, The Neilson Nutshell, at Pier 2/3 in the Walsh Bay arts precinct, where the Australian Contemporary Orchestra also just announced it is establishing a new home venue in the shadow of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Read on for what else you can expect.
Photograph: Supplied/Bell Shakespeare | A view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge from the company's new venue at Pier 2/3
Bell Shakespeare: 2022 Season
Hamlet
Sydney: Mar 9-Apr 2
Canberra: Apr 8-16
Melbourne: Apr 29-May 8
Our reviewer gave this Harriet Gordon-Anderson fronted production four stars when it debuted in March 2020. The first lockdown cut its run short, and then the 2021 season was cut altogether due to the second lockdown. Now, Hamlet will finally have a full run at the Sydney Opera House. Gordon-Anderson reprises her role as the Danish prince in this story of revenge, passion, and deception staged for a modern era with beautiful falling snow throughout the performance. “To be or not to be. That is the question.”
In a Nutshell
Sydney: Apr 21-24
In the first show to christen the company’s new venue, you’ll find out why they called it the ‘Nutshell’. Peter Evans will be joined by the cast of Hamlet in an exploration of his favourite Shakespeare plays. This will be an evening for experts and newbies alike to explore Shakespeare’s most-loved speeches and scenes. Take in the power and tyranny in Macbeth and King Lear, grief in King John, and love in Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It and, of course, Romeo and Juliet.
The Comedy of Errors
Melbourne: Jul 4-23
Sydney: Aug 19-Sep 17
Canberra: Sep 30-Oct 8
More dates and venues to be announced
Shakespeare’s tale of comedic misfortune will tour the country in 2022, with a short stay at the Sydney Opera House in August and September. Directed by longtime Bell Shakespeare collaborator Janine Watson, the play is a hilarious romp of swapped identities, misguided love, mistaken imprisonment, and chaotic mishaps.
One Man In His Time: John Bell and Shakespeare
Sydney: Sep 2-3
Melbourne: Sep 9-10
Following sold out performances in Sydney and Canberra earlier this year, Bell Shakespeare’s founding artistic director John Bell’s intimate one-man-performance will play at the Neilson Nutshell theatre as well as run in Melbourne. In this intimate experience, Bell reflects on works by Shakespeare that have left their mark on him throughout his life and how and why Australians can see themselves reflected in these works.
The Lovers
Sydney: Oct 27-Nov 20
Pop music meets A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Yep, that classic Shakespearean comedy featuring trickster fairies, a guy called Bottom who gets turned into a donkey, and conflict amongst four Athenian lovers that could put the bisexual drama of our latest season of The Bachelorette to shame. Featuring original songs and an adapted script by Laura Murphy that refocuses the story with a modern perspective on self-love and empowerment, Evans says it will be “infectious and bursting with energy”. Directed by Shaun Rennie (Rent, Baby Doll) with a superb cast and a live four-piece band, this production comes to the Sydney Opera House later on in 2022.
Other events throughout the year will include Play In A Day, an entertaining performance that is read, rehearsed and performed in just one day, as well as a series of special events for Shakespeare Unpacked, including panel discussions, live recordings of the company’s popular podcast Speak The Speech, and an evening of sonnets and wine tasting. Find out more by visiting the Bell Shakespeare website.