Twenty six official film festival selections to date, eight awards and a whole lot of Shakespeare. That was our 2015 season and it has been an absolute blast!
Now, in 2016, the award-winning web series, Shakespeare Republic, returns for our second season with more cast, more characters and more Shakespeare!
Featuring Michala Banas (Upper Middle Bogan), Alan Fletcher (Neighbours), Nadine Garner (The Doctor Blake Mysteries), Dean Haglund (X-Files), Christopher Kirby (Iron Sky, Predestination), Sally McLean (Utopia), Wahibe Moussa (Kick), Tariro Mavondo (MTC), Shane Savage (Chris & Josh, The Web Series), Billy Smedley (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries), Stephen Costan, Falon Ryan & Phobe Anne Taylor and directed and produced by Shakespeare Republic creator Sally McLean with the assistance of co-Producers, Billy Smedley, Shane Savage and Perri Cummings, we've been busy creating the next instalment of our Shakespearean world and we'd like to invite you to come celebrate with us!
JOIN US FOR OUR OFFICIAL GALA LAUNCH & LIVE PERFORMANCE - FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY!
WHEN: Sunday, December 4th, 2016 @ 6PM
WHERE: The Courthouse Hotel, 86-90 Errol Street, North Melbourne 3051
Cost: $35 per person
TICKETS: via TryBooking
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WHAT WILL THE NIGHT ENTAIL?
SOME BUBBLY, SOME THEATRE, A LITTLE BIT OF MAGIC & LOTS OF SHAKESPEARE!
First thing on arrival, you will be given a map of the venue, showing you where to find each actor in performance.
You'll also be given a token for your free glass of bubbly, which you can redeem at the bar. 6pm to 6.30pm is time for
you to chat, enjoy your bubbly and sample some of the delicious finger food from the Courthouse Hotel kitchen.
At 6.30pm, the magic begins. Following your map, you will wander around the two levels of The Courthouse Hotel,
inside and outside, to find each of our cast members performing monologues live. They will all be in their own worlds,
some will invite you in, some will just invite you to listen and watch, all will be performing Shakespeare. At around 7.45pm,
the launch of our official trailer and first-look screening of Episode One of Season Two will take place downstairs. And then ...
it's time to party!
WANT TO JOIN US? BOOK YOUR TICKETS HERE
WHAT IS SHAKESPEARE REPUBLIC ALL ABOUT?
Shakespeare Republic is a web series that celebrates not just the world’s greatest playwright, but also his insightful understanding of the big issues of his time. Insights that still hold relevance today and form the basis for a truly diverse, inventive and epic journey into the nature of being human.
Built on the premise of taking a selection of Shakespeare monologues and making them more accessible to modern audiences by setting each piece in a contemporary situation, our first season in 2015 included Hamlet as Media Advisor to a Government Minister, Juliet as a gay man in a Skype conversation, Phebe as an entitled Gen Y drunk texting, Macbeth as a politician about to metaphorically knife an opponent, a female Hamlet weary from the corporate cut and thrust and a performance of Sonnet 18 as a eulogy.
Now, in 2016 the team is returning to the screen for Season Two - with more actors, more crew and more Shakespeare!
Brainchild of award-winning Director/Producer, Sally McLean and filmed by award-winning Cinematographer, Shaun Herbertson, with a highly experienced crew with a combined total of over 170 professional credits to their names, Season Two is an innovative and exciting ride through the works of William Shakespeare, featuring an international cast and a lot of love for the Bard.
Get to know some more about Shakespeare Republic, meet the Season One cast and hear about the idea behind Shakespeare Republic by watching the above video.
Get a taste of what Season Two - Shakespeare Republic: #LoveTheBard - will look like by watching the official teaser above.
Hear from Season One cast Michala Banas, Alan Fletcher, Rowena Hutson, Billy Smedley, Ben Steel & Sally McLean about their first encounter with Shakespeare by watching the above video.
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ANYTHING ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW?
If you have mobility issues, please get in touch with us before booking. While most of the activity is taking place downstairs,
some of the performance is happening upstairs, which precludes wheelchairs.
If you have a food allergy, please get in touch with us to let us know, so we can cater for you. The Courthouse Hotel has an
extensive gluten-free menu and also caters for vegetarians, diary-free and other food options as required.
Please make sure you have your TryBooking ticket with you when you arrive at the venue. One of our lovely
door people will take your ticket, giving you a map of the venue and a drink token in exchange.
Some material may be confronting to some audience members. While there is no nudity or sex scenes or profanity,
we do cover issues such as depression, drinking, refugees, death and similar topics. While we don't
find these things triggering in a bad way, some people might, so we are putting this warning here ...
just in case.
Finally ... don't slap fairies ... because they bite.
STILL FEELING GAME? BOOK YOUR TICKETS HERE!
FINAL THOUGHTS BEFORE YOU HIT THAT "BOOK TICKETS" BUTTON
We are so very excited to share our work with you this Shakespeare Anniversary year, and we promise to deliver the following:
Fun. So much fun.
Stuff that makes you think. A lot.
Stuff that makes you laugh. Hopefully also a lot.
Stuff that might make you a little sad.
Stuff that we hope will lift you up, inspire you and make you feel all the wonder and contrariness of being human.
SOUND LIKE YOUR KIND OF NIGHT? GREAT! BOOK YOUR TICKET HERE!
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Our mission statement is:
TO ENGAGE NEW AUDIENCES
with Shakespeare’s works through the use of “bite-sized” pieces of text, that reduce the anxiety many feel
around attending a full Shakespeare play, thereby introducing new audiences to the work who might not otherwise engage;TO EDUCATE AND ENTERTAIN MODERN AUDIENCES ABOUT THEIR WORLD
using Elizabethan and Jacobean Theatre text; andCHALLENGE THE CONCEPT OF “TRADITIONAL” SHAKESPEARE,
while still remaining true to his original text and ideas.And that's pretty much what this night is also about.
So, ready to book your ticket and come join the fun? Visit our TryBooking page to claim your spot!
See you there!
#Shakespeare400 #ShakespeareLivesInMelbourne #LoveTheBard
