A Bell Shakespeare 2015 season package can gift theatregoers with some of the Bard’s most loved plays. With As You Like It and Hamlet playing in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne, and The Tempest just in Sydney, the deal offers prices as low as $60 for two plays for under-30-year-olds.
Peter Evans, Artistic Director at Bell Shakespeare, said a season package to Bell Shakespeare in 2015 was an ideal way to lock in engagement with an important year in the company’s history.
‘There’s huge savings financially, but also by getting in early you can get better seats,’ said Evans. ‘It’s kind of exciting for us as it’s the 25th anniversary and it’s also John Bell’s last year as the founding Artistic Director.’
Bell is still featuring high on the bill in 2015 though. He will perform in As You Like It and direct The Tempest, ensuring audiences see plenty of the man who gave the company its name and identity.
As You Like It will be directed by Evans and will also feature Helpmann Award-nominated actress Zahra Newman as Rosalind. The Tempest, which Bell is directing for the very first time, promises to capture the lightness and beauty of one of Shakespeare’s last works with a cast led by Brian Lipson.
Damien Ryan will deliver a new production of Hamlet, infused with passion, contemplation and emotion, with Josh McConville in the title role. Evans said McConville is ‘one of the best actors of his generation. He is really dangerous and really imaginative, and to see what he does with Hamlet will be very interesting’.
Evans said the choice of plays would attract a diverse range of audiences. While older people are perennial Shakespeare audiences, Bell Shakespeare finds many younger people also enjoy the opportunity to become Shakespeare buffs.
‘It’s interesting with Bell Shakespeare, as we often actually skew quite a lot younger. We are able to attract younger people; people in their twenties and thirties really like coming along as a lot of our productions have a contemporary feel to them.’
With shows spaced out throughout the year, Evans said a Bell Shakespeare season package is a gift that keeps on giving.
‘It’s the kind of present that keeps coming back during the year. It’s a package, so after three months you have another play to go to,’ said Evans. ‘Also, this season has some very famous and quite diverse Shakespeare plays, with a lot of different experiences to be had. Whether you are new, coming back to explore Shakespeare, or an absolute Shakespeare nut, these three plays cover the span of Shakespeare’s genius.’
For more information and to purchase your Bell Shakespeare 2015 season package, visit Bell Shakespeare.
