John Bell Shakespeare Masterclass

Sydney : 20th - 22nd October 2023
John Bell ACTING SHAKESPEARE MASTERCLASS AO OBE

A three day Shakespeare Intensive.  

A Shakespeare Masterclass in Sydney & Melbourne with one of Australia’s most celebrated theatre legends John Bell AO OBE FRSN.

Course Outline | Course Outcomes | Session Details | Apply Now

Course Overview

The Hub is thrilled to welcome back Theatre legend John Bell for another special intensive style Shakespeare masterclass in both Melbourne & Sydney, a very rare opportunity indeed. John is quite simply one of the most recognisable and important figures in recent Australian theatre history. For over 50 years John has worked in nearly every area of the arts imaginable. Career highlights include Associate Artist of Britain’s world-famous Royal Shakespeare Company, the founding of the Nimrod Theatre Company which eventually became Belvoir and later the now 30 year old Bell Shakespeare Theatre Company. Bell’s unique contribution to national culture has been recognised by many bodies. He is an Officer of the Order of Australia and the Order of the British Empire; has an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the Universities of Sydney, New South Wales and Newcastle; and was recognised in 1997 by the National Trust of Australia as one of Australia’s Living Treasures. 

In this full day, three day masterclass exclusive to The HubStudio, actors will explore the difference between acting in verse and prose, explore clues as to character and motivation, learn to use language as an assault weapon, explore how to physicalise the language, you will enjoy the power of Shakespeare’s imagery and tackle questions such as ‘What voice do I use?’ ‘How modern should I be?’

This is a must for actors wanting to delve into the technique of Shakespeare and up skill their Theatre craft, a one off specialist Masterclass with a true legend of the Australian theatre industry. Come Join Us!

John Bell Wikipedia. | Bell Shakespeare Theatre Company

Sydney Dates

When: 3 x full-day classes

Dates: Friday 20th, Saturday 21st, Sunday 22nd October 2023

Time: 10am – 4pm

Venue: CoHouse Studio’s – Rosebry

Participants: 14 Actors maximum 

Price: $895.00 incl GST 

Session Details

About John Bell

John Bell is one of the Australia’s most illustrious theatre personalities. Award winning actor, acclaimed director, risk-taking impresario and torch-bearing educationalist, Bell has been a key figure in shaping the nation’s theatrical identity as we know it over the past 50 years.

After graduating from The University of Sydney in 1962, Bell worked for the Old Tote Theatre Company, all of Australia’s state theatre companies and was an Associate Artist of Britain’s world-famous Royal Shakespeare Company.

As co-founder of Sydney’s highly influential Nimrod Theatre Company, Bell presented many productions of landmark Australian plays, including David Williamson’s Travelling North, The Club and The Removalists. He also initiated an Australian Shakespeare style with Nimrod productions such as Much Ado About Nothing and Macbeth.

In 1990, Bell took on an even greater challenge, founding The Bell Shakespeare Company. Since then, his productions as director have included Hamlet, Romeo And Juliet, The Taming Of The Shrew, Richard 3, Pericles, Henry 4, Henry 5, Julius Caesar, Antony And Cleopatra, The Comedy Of Errors, Wars Of The Roses, Measure For Measure, Macbeth, The Tempest and As You Like It, as well as Goldoni’s The Servant Of Two Masters, Gogol’s The Government Inspector and Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist.

Meanwhile his roles as an actor for Bell Shakespeare have included Hamlet, Shylock, Henry V, Richard III, Macbeth, Malvolio, Berowne, Petruchio, Leontes, Coriolanus, Prospero, King Lear, Andronicus, and Jaques.

Bell also played the title role in two co-productions with Queensland Theatre Company: Richard 3 and Heiner Müller’s Anatomy Titus Fall Of Rome: A Shakespeare Commentary. In addition, he directed Madame Butterfly for an Oz Opera national tour, and Tosca and Carmen for Opera Australia.

Bell’s unique contribution to national culture has been recognised by many bodies. He is an Officer of the Order of Australia and the Order of the British Empire; has an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the Universities of Sydney, New South Wales and Newcastle; and was recognised in 1997 by the National Trust of Australia as one of Australia’s Living Treasures.

In 2003, the Australia Business Arts Foundation also awarded Bell the Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Cultural Leadership Award.

As an actor and director, his many awards include a Helpmann Award for Best Actor (Richard 3, 2002), a Producers and Directors Guild Award for Lifetime Achievement and the JC Williamson Award (2009) for extraordinary contribution to Australia’s live entertainment industry.

Wikipedia