Will is played by Paul Mescal, and Agnes by Jessie Buckley and their performances are a masterclass in the art of acting. They are rich in subtle nuances and unspoken communications, and strangely, for a story about someone whose words were of utmost importance, this work could have almost worked as a silent film without losing any of its impact.

Will is portrayed as kind and generous with his words, but socially uncomfortable and not universally applauded by his immediate family. The relationship leading to the marriage is rushed, and soon, children enter the picture. With the birth of twins Hamnet and Judith, the family dynamic shifts. With the early death at 11 years old of their son Hamlet, their lives are torn asunder.

The way that the two parents deal with the grief is seemingly at polar opposites. Will disappears into his work, and Agnes is left to hold the family together. This creates one of the film’s most emotionally charged scenes when Agnes is made aware of Will’s deep love and sorrow for their departed son. This is a work that appeals even to those with no interest in Shakespeare and his works. It features raw human emotion that transcends any single person’s life story.
Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/UniversalPicturesAU/

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) is a fast, furious, and laugh-out-loud sprint through the Bard’s best (and weirdest) moments. Expect tragic deaths, wild romances and more ridiculous wigs than a royal court as three performers attempt to tackle every play and sonnet in one whirlwind performance.

The new production, directed by Darren Gilshenan and starring Brisbane favourites Amy Ingram (Pride and Prejudice, Fourteen, Cinderella), Stephen Hirst (A Very Naughty Christmas, Merrily We Roll Along, Macbeth) and Tomas Pocilujko (Murder at the Manor, Antony and Cleopatra, Plied and Prejudice), is playing at QPAC for a strictly limited season.

Whether you’re a die-hard fan or think Macbeth is a new burger at Macca’s, this show is pure comedy gold.

Book now before it’s gone – stage left!

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)
15 May – 8 June 2025
Cremorne Theatre, QPAC, Brisbane
www.qpac.com.au

The two leads are young and exciting and the veteran actors on stage are generous with both their presence and acting skills. The play features a very clever stage set up that appears very simple at first only to surprise with a depth of application. The use of stage props is excellent throughout as well. There are interludes of song that buttress the work with a fresh approach.

Dressing the cast in skinny jeans and Chuck Taylors and doing away with the trappings of time and opulence makes the look feel current. Staging the fight scenes as street gang warfare turns the brutality into choreographed dance. All these new strands weave together splendidly. This is a play for the fans of Will and those that have a will to be fans.

Cast
Kerith Atkinson, Jack Bannister, Bridget Boyle, Grady Ferricks-Rosevear, Eugene Gilfedder, Darcy Gooda, Nicole Hoskins, Nikhil Singh, Colin Smith and Wei Lan Zhong

Creatives
Writer: William Shakespeare, Director: Todd MacDonald, Additional Dramaturgy: Lucas Stibbard, Set & Costume Design: Anthony Spinaze, Lighting Design: Katie Sfetkidis, Sound Design: Anna Whitaker and Fight Choreographer: Nigel Poulton

Romeo and Juliet is playing at the La Boite Theatre, Brisbane from 25 May – 15 June 2019. Head to their website for more information and tickets www.laboite.com.au

Photo Credit: Stephen Henry

The bard (Branagh) has returned to his rural home in Stratford-upon-Avon after giving up on writing after the 1613 fire that burned down the Globe Theatre in London. The family is still rife with the grief that followed his young son’s death. This grief starts a chain of events that will reveal many family secrets and scandals.

Elton’s script gives the a-list cast a lot to chew on and there are some real highlights. The conversation between Will and the Earl of South Hampton (Ian McKellen) is a stand out, as they profess a love that couldn’t be. Elsewhere scandals continue to blight the Shakespeare house.

For those that think any movie attached to the name Shakespeare will be a dry affair, All is True is anything but that. There are more than a few saucy moments and tides of real emotion. The acting can not be faulted and the pace is impeccable. Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/SonyPicturesAUS

The year is 1613, Shakespeare is acknowledged as the greatest writer of the age. But disaster strikes when his renowned Globe Theatre burns to the ground, and devastated, Shakespeare returns to Stratford, where he must face a troubled past and a neglected family.

Haunted by the death of his only son Hamnet, he struggles to mend the broken relationships with his wife and daughters. In so doing, he is ruthlessly forced to examine his own failings as a husband and father. His very personal search for the truth uncovers secrets and lies within a family at war.

All Is True is in Australian cinemas May 9!
www.facebook.com/allistruemovie

The Bard goes round and round. 400 years later and a new approach to one of William Shakespeare’s more whimsical efforts, Twelfth Night, gives his work more relevance than ever. The witty repartee (after one gets the cadence sorted) still stands out and this time the effort is buttressed by technology and approach.

A warrior on the fields of war, felled by the sharpness of whispered words, Othello is a man swept up in desire, quickly turned to murderous rage when he is betrayed by his military brother-in-arms, the cynically destructive Iago.
 

 
One of William Shakespeare’s most famous and passionate tragedies, Othello will be directed by Artistic Director Peter Evans, in a gripping production that will touch audiences to their core, as envy is a weapon wielded with brazen savagery, and the complex contradictory nature of humanity is tested.

Starring Ray Chong Nee as Othello (Bell Shakespeare’s The Dream and MTC’s I Call My Brothers) and Yalin Ozucelik (Bell Shakespeare’s Henry IV and STC’s Cyrano de Bergerac) as Iago in one of Shakespeare’s most captivating and devastating pairings, this astonishing epic tragedy will rage with jealousy on stages across Australia in Bell Shakespeare’s 2016 National Tour.

Bell Shakespeare Othello Australian Tour
8 & 9 July 2016 – ORANGE CIVIC THEATRE, ORANGE
14 – 23 July 2016 – ARTS CENTRE MELBOURNE, MELBOURNE
26 July 2016 – ALBURY CONVENTION AND PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE, ALBURY
28 July 2016 – HER MAJESTY’S THEATRE, BALLARAT
30 July 2016 – WANGARATTA PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE, WANGARATTA
2 August 2016 – WEST GIPPSLAND ARTS CENTRE, WARRUGAL
4 August 2016 – FRANKSTON ARTS CENTRE, FRANKSTON
6 August 2016 – ULUMBARRA THEATRE, BENDIGO
11 August 2016 – ALBANY ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE, ALBANY
13 August 2016 – MANDURAH PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE, MANDURAH
17 – 20 August 2016 – STATE THEATRE CENTRE OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, PERTH
25 – 27 August 2016 – THEATRE ROYAL, HOBART
2 September 2016 – CASULA POWERHOUSE ARTS CENTRE, CASULA
5 & 6 September 2016 – LAYCOCK STREET THEATRE, GOSFORD
8 & 9 September 2016 – CIVIC THEATRE NEWCASTLE, NEWCASTLE
13 – 17 September 2016 – ILLAWARRA PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE, WOLLONGONG
20 September 2016 – WAGGA WAGGA CIVIC THEATRE, WAGGA WAGGA
22 September 2016 – BATHURST MEMORIAL ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE, BATHURST
24 September 2016 – CAPITOL THEATRE, TAMWORTH
28 September 2016 – THE GLASSHOUSE, PORT MACQUARIE
1 October 2016 – THE EVENT CENTRE, CALOUNDRA
4 October 2016 – GLADSTONE ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE, GLADSTONE
6 October 2016 – RIVERWAY ARTS CENTRE, TOWNSVILLE
8 October 2016 – REDLANDS PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE, CLEVELAND
11 October 2016 – THE ARTS CENTRE GOLD COAST, GOLD COAST
14 – 22 October 2016 – CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE, CANBERRA
27 October – 4 December 2016 – SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE, SYDNEY
www.bellshakespeare.com.au

Commemorating the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death, this program is a taste of the breadth and dynamism with which filmmakers have transmuted his plays from stage to screen. It brings together a mixture of traditional adaptations and creative reinventions, along with films that look at both the performance and the performers of the texts themselves. From The Tempest in outer space (Forbidden Planet 1956) to Othello in a London jazz club (All Night Long 1962), Shakespeare’s work onscreen is restricted by neither genre nor setting — only the ingenuity of the adaptation.

SHAKESPEARE ON SCREEN FORUM – 23 April 2016
Join us for a lively discussion on the long-lasting legacy of Shakespeare’s many classic works. Presented in partnership with the University of Queensland, the forum will feature prominent local scholars discussing the history of Shakespearean adaptations and how the Bard has continued to stay relevant for contemporary audiences.

Shakespeare on Screen
22 April 2016 – 25 May 2016
GOMA
www.qagoma.qld.gov.au