Nationally renowned theatre company Bell Shakespeare will bring its fresh retelling of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy Twelfth Night to the Mildura Arts Centre (MAC) next month, celebrating 400 years since the play’s first publication.
Featuring new music by award-winning musician Sarah Blasko, Bell Shakespeare’s innovative take on the literacy classic will entertain Sunraysia audiences on Tuesday, 19 September as part of a whirlwind national tour of 25 venues.
Twelfth Night was first published in 1623 as part of Shakespeare’s First Folio and tells the story of the aristocratic Viola, who finds herself washed up in a strange new land and, determined to survive, disguises herself as a man to secure a position in the household of Duke Orsino, where passion, intrigue and mistaken identity ensue.
Star film, television and theatre actor Alfie Gledhill will play the lead role of Viola alongside a talented cast directed by Heather Fairbairn, who has worked internationally with companies including the Royal Opera House and Royal Court Theatre in London.
The cast features Keith Agius, Isabel Burton, Amy Hack, Garth Holcombe, Mike Howlett, Tomáš Kantor, Chrissy Mae, Ursula Mills and Jane Montgomery Griffiths.
Mildura’s Deputy Mayor and Councillor for Arts, Culture and Heritage Helen Healy said Mildura’s inclusion on the national tour would appeal to a broad audience.
“Given Bell Shakespeare’s reputation for creating innovative adaptations of literary classics, next month’s performance could serve as a great introduction to Shakespeare’s characters for newcomers, as well as providing an entertaining twist for those familiar with his work,” Cr Healy said.
Twelfth Night is recommended for audiences aged 14 and over.
ABOUT BELL SHAKESPEARE
Bell Shakespeare is Australia’s national theatre company specialising in the works of William Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Founded in 1990 with the aim of sharing Shakespeare’s plays in a way that was relevant and exciting to all Australians, the company has evolved further than its visionary founder, John Bell AO, could have hoped.
Today, Bell Shakespeare tours major theatre productions, education programs and outreach initiatives to every state and territory in Australia. Performing and teaching in theatres, schools, juvenile justice centres and regional and remote communities, the company enjoys unrivalled reach and impact, further extending its influence through innovative digital programs.
Tuesday 19 September
Location: Mildura Arts Centre Theatre
Time: 7.30pm
Duration: 150 minutes including interval
Tickets: Full $55 | Concession $50 | 444 Foundation $50 | Student $25
