In this reimagining of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the Witches—whose cryptic prophecies drive Macbeth to murder, madness, and ruin—become the focus. Their deep spiritual and philosophical connection to the Earth reveals a world groaning under the weight of human ambition. Through their eyes, we see not just Macbeth’s bloody climb to the throne, but the profound consequences of our insatiable desire for power.

In this innovative production, the Weird Sisters are no longer mere bystanders. They embody the forces of nature itself, their voices intertwined with the Earth’s cries for balance and need for healing. Blending dance, movement, text and sound, this hybrid performance explores the interconnectedness of all things—reminding us that every action we take ripples through the natural world.

Co-directed by La Boite Theatre’s Artistic Director Courtney Stewart and Lisa Fa’alafi (Co-Artistic Director Polytoxic, Hot Brown Honey), with a dynamic local cast, this production also welcomes back the formidable Sue Rider, former Artistic Director of La Boite, as dramaturg.

Opening on International Women’s Day, experience a bold new take on one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies in this daring reimagining of Macbeth.

Macbeth
6 – 22 March 2025
La Boite Roundhouse Theatre, Kelvin Grove
www.laboite.com.au

A 21st century re-imagining of Shakespeare’s iconic love story, La Boite’s production of Romeo and Juliet takes no prisoners in its version of theatre’s infamous star-crossed lovers.

Two families at war, two teenagers in love, a three-day affair that ends in six deaths. Did Romeo and Juliet love too much, too hard, too soon? Did their union even stand a chance? And why do we still care?

Under the gripping direction of Todd MacDonald, the ongoing partnership between La Boite and QUT promises to pack a punch. Brisbane’s best emerging actors perform alongside an ensemble of incomparable senior artists in La Boite’s take on this enduring Shakespearean love story.

Romeo and Juliet
La Boite Theatre, Brisbane
25 May – 15 June 2019
www.laboite.com.au

Contemporary civilisation as we know it has collapsed. Amidst the ruins and dust, a group of storytellers present Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar to examine where humanity went wrong.

Director Jo Loth powerfully integrates her backgrounds in cabaret, physical theatre and Shakespearean performance, and joins forces with Matilda Award-winning designer Angel Kosch, to deliver a chilling premonition of humanity’s future. The performance features an original soundscape, evocative movement and a stellar ensemble cast including Lucinda Shaw (from acclaimed Brisbane band Silver Sircus) and Rainee Skinner (ABC’s The Wayne Manifesto).

Due to the overwhelmingly positive response to the original production at The Events Centre, Caloundra, in August 2017, this show is being re-developed for presentation at The Brisbane Powerhouse. Director Jo Loth comments “I think the show struck such a chord with audiences because we’re all worried about humanity’s future, and we’re asking: ‘Where can we go from here? How do we redeem humanity?’. Last year audiences really connected to the post- apocalyptic vision of the show, the re-gendering of the major roles, and our use of movement and music, so it’s great to have the opportunity to revisit these elements.”

“The 2018 version of the show also looks towards a more hopeful vision of the future. We have set the stage in a post-apocalyptic ‘worst-case-scenario’ after humans have all but destroyed the earth, and a group of performing players challenge their audience to learn from the past so as not to repeat the same mistakes. The show goes to some very dark places in order to search for the light.”

Multi-talented actor/ designer Angel Kosch, described by Stage Whispers as “a commanding presence”, reprises the lead role of Brutus. Over a period of 12 years, Angel worked as an actor and designer with Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble and received a Matilda Award for her design of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2013. Rainee Skinner will also reprise her acclaimed performance as Mark Antony. Rainee’s extensive experience includes performances for La Boite Theatre Company, Sydney Theatre Company and Nimrod (now Belvoir Street) and numerous film and theatre productions, most notably ABC’s The Wayne Manifesto. Actor/singer Lucinda Shaw joins the cast from her recent performances in “The Sound of a Finished Kiss” (Brisbane Powerhouse) and “Fire walk with us” (Melbourne Cabaret Festival).

Lucinda will bring her haunting vocal presence to the original songs created for this performance by composer Luke Ferguson, and she will breathe new life into the roles of The Soothsayer and Calpurnia (Caesar’s wife).

Director Jo Loth’s career highlights include: performing the role of Hamlet’s “Gertrude” at Tadashi Suzuki’s International Theatre Festival in Japan; performing her original cabaret songs at The Brisbane Cabaret Festival and The Brisbane Festival; and directing performances at La Mama Theatre, Melbourne and for The Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble, QUT and USC.

“Jo Loth has succeeded admirably. We are in a dystopian world on a stripped-down stage… Cassius and Brutus emerge and the machinations of the plot start to evolve in a skilfully edited 95-minute version of the text… Ear-splitting static accompanied the frenzied stabbing of Caesar (a brutally poetic scene), while music punctuated the action.” Peter Pinne, Stage Whispers.

Julius Caesar
Wednesday 7 – Saturday 10 November
Visy Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse
www.brisbanepowerhouse.org

A shipwreck sets in motion a wild and whimsical tale of mistaken identities, separated twins, rebellious servants, unrequited love and a pair of ridiculous yellow stockings. After the twelfth night, the land of Illyria will never be the same.

Washed ashore and separated from her twin brother, the plucky Viola must learn to survive alone in an exotic foreign country. Disguising herself as a man, she quickly becomes entangled in a web of amorous pursuits gone awry. As Cupid’s arrows send dukes and countesses running in disastrous directions, a wacky entourage of servants and drunken freeloaders watch on in amusement. All the while, Viola must fight to ensure nothing blows her cover.

Shakespeare’s hilarious and lovable characters are brought to life through all new songs by legendary composer Tim Finn (Ladies in Black, Split Enz, Crowded House) and a cast of comedic greats including Jason Klarwein, Christen O’Leary and Jessica Tovey.

Twelfth Night
28 Apr to 19 May 2018
QPAC, Brisbane
www.qpac.com.au

It will pop-up, be amazing and then disappear again.

Epic battles. Laugh-out-loud comedy. Dazzling special effects. Elaborate costumes. Spectacular dances. Sword fights in full suits of armour. This is Shakespeare like it’s 1614.

Don’t miss the immersive experience of Shakespeare performed in the space for which it was written.

This isn’t dusty Shakespeare. This is now. Alive. Like a party.

The game’s afoot…

Pop-up Globe
21 September – 12 November 2017
Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne
www.popupglobe.com.au

His hunchbacked deformity masks his seething malevolence. His brutal mind breeds brutal times when not even children are safe.

Award-winning actor Kate Mulvany (The Literati and Tartuffe) will embody one of the most ambitious and gleefully amoral villains ever written. First performed around 1593, Richard 3 is the portrait of a Machiavellian psychopath, a cold-blooded and dastardly manipulator who slaughters his family, marries his victim’s widow and eventually betrays his allies, all in his quest to become king.

Artistic Director Peter Evans continues to daringly reimagine Shakespeare’s works with a boldness and unexpectedness that will leave audiences breathless. The blood-soaked and naked ambition of Richard 3, who leaves scores dead and only the ghosts to whisper the truth, will be a truly thrilling night at the theatre. This dark and visceral production is not to be missed.

Richard 3
25 February 2017 – 01 April 2017
Sydney Opera House
https://www.bellshakespeare.com.au/

With so much high drama, history and romance, its little wonder that William Shakespeare is credited with more film adaptations that any other writer. Special presentations include Play On! Shakespeare in Silent Cinema with a new score by the Globe musicians and a digital restoration of Richard III with an exclusive on-stage discussion between Ian McKellen and Richard Loncraine recorded at BFI Southbank.

Program partners The British Council, British Film Institute.

Shakespeare On Film
14 – 26 July 2016
ACMI, Melbourne
www.acmi.net.au

Crippled king. Fierce warrior. Cunning psychopath. For four centuries, Shakespeare’s Richard III has been regarded as the greatest villain in world drama; a bottled spider, loved and loathed for spinning a web of lies and violence around the monarchy.

In 2012, Richard’s resting place was finally uncovered: an unmarked, unremarkable, shallow grave beneath a supermarket car park – too small for the remains or the myth. But Richard – the crooked shadow, the symbol of unchecked ambition – is larger than any one person, living or dead.

This year, he’s getting the royal treatment.

The Tragedy of King Richard III is an excavation of the play, the man and ourselves. Bigger than history, bigger than Shakespeare, this is a story of rampant revenge with some hard questions for us all: What are our dreams of power? Have we created a civilisation that corrupts those who rule it? Or do we need their corruption – to let us off the hook?

Armed with some of Queensland’s most intrepid theatre makers, this promises to be a fast and furious blood-soaked battle royale, where nobody’s getting out clean – or alive.

The Tragedy of King Richard III
21 May – 1 June 2016
Roundhouse Theatre – La Boîte, Brisbane
www.laboite.com.au

A family torn apart by murder, a son burdened with the truth and the task of avenging his father, and a country on the brink of war.

Anguish, passion and desperation collide in this tragic telling of Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark who is tormented by the impossibility of his dilemma, and who remains one of theatre’s most fascinating characters.

Damien Ryan, returning to Bell Shakespeare following the critically acclaimed Henry V in 2014, will deliver a new production of Hamlet, infused with the passion, contemplation and emotion that Shakespeare’s compelling poetry cries out for. Josh McConville (Griffin Theatre Company’s The Boys and Sydney Theatre Company’s Mojo) and Matilda Ridgway (Sport For Jove’s A Doll’s House) will delve into the depths of the complexity, violence, philosophical reflection, madness and maddening seduction of Hamlet.

Hamlet – Bell Shakespeare
Melbourne – 15–25 July, Arts Centre Melbourne
Canberra – 14–24 October, Canberra Theatre Centre
Sydney – 29 October – 6 December, Sydney Opera House, Playhouse
www.bellshakespeare.com.au

As You Like It is an adventure of the heart, a journey through a forest of poetry (and lions), and a tale of a love so grand all the rules are broken to win the heart of a boy. Passionate and disarming, As You Like It – one of Shakespeare’s most beloved romantic comedies – will be directed by Bell Shakespeare’s Artistic Director, Peter Evans.

Featuring an inspiring cast, including John Bell as the melancholic Jaques, in his final role with Bell Shakespeare as an Artistic Director, and the exuberant Zahra Newman (twice Helpmann Award nominated) as Rosalind.

Villains. Heroes. Wrestling. Cross dressing. And love at first sight. What’s not to love about As You Like It?

As You Like It – Bell Shakespeare
Sydney – 1-28 March – Sydney Opera House, Playhouse
Canberra – 7-18 April – Caberra Theatre Centre, The Playhouse
Melbourne – 23 April – 10 May – Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio
www.bellshakespeare.com.au