Welcome to the 18th annual 4MBS Brisbane Shakespeare Festival!
Experience the world of the Bard in Brisbane!
Join us for two fully-staged professional performances of Shakespeare’s passionate romantic tragedy ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA in the lush Roma Street Parkland Amphitheatre. Come early for Shakespearean dance, swordplay, talks, free facepainting and food trucks!
Festival overview (click to view events)
- SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK | Antony and Cleopatra | Sat 2 and Sun 3 Nov 2024
- WOMEN IN SHAKESPEARE | Tue 22 Oct | Wed 30 Oct | Thu 31 Oct 2024
- SHAKESPEARE’S KEYNOTE SPEECHES | Sat 26 October 2024
- Shakespeare on Radio
SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK
Saturday 2 & Sunday 3 November 2023
Roma Street Parkland Amphitheatre | 1 Parkland Blvd, Brisbane City
Experience the world of the Bard amongst the drama of Brisbane’s nature!
Come early for Shakespearean dance workshops, swordplay, talks, free face painting and tasty food trucks!
Dress in your Roman togas or Egyptian best!
4pm SHAKESPEAREAN DANCE WORKSHOP AND DEMONSTRATION
Dr Heather Blasdale Clarke
Learn to dance like the Bard! Join dance historian Dr Heather Blasdale Clarke as she teaches beautiful dances from Shakespeare’s time. Bring your children along for a dance especially for over-5-year-olds! Enjoy live Renaissance music and a demonstration by Dr. Clarke and her dancers.
4.40pm SWORDPLAY DEMONSTRATION
Prima Spada School of Fence
En garde! Agente! Watch authentic Shakespearean swordplay by Prima Spada School of Fence and learn about the skills and weaponry used in historical fencing. Based on the work of European masters of the 16th and 17th centuries.
5.10pm SHAKESPEAREAN LANGUAGE TALK
Roly Sussex
Discover how Shakespeare’s way with words made him one of the most famous playwrights in history! Roland ‘Roly’ Sussex is Emeritus Professor of Applied Language Studies at UQ. He has been broadcasting language segments on ABC Radio in Queensland since 1997.
5.30pm ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA
Be captivated by this true tale of passion and power from Ancient Rome and Egypt. Witness Shakespeare’s tragic romance unfold under the open sky, directed by Jacqui Somerville. Featuring Stephen Hirst as Mark Antony and Ashlee Lollback as Cleopatra, with an outstanding cast of Brisbane Shakespearean actors.
2hrs with interval.
Tickets:
$15 for Adults | FREE for Children / Full-time students / Companion Card Holders
OTHER EVENTS
WOMEN IN SHAKESPEARE
Library Talk
Discover how Shakespeare’s portrayal of women was groundbreaking for his time! Join Gary Thorpe OAM, General Manager of 4MBS Classic FM, for a discussion of Shakespeare’s complex female characters including Cleopatra, Lady Macbeth, Juliet and Rosalind. The talk will be enhanced by music and audio samples.
Tuesday 22 Oct 11am (60 mins)
New Farm Library
135 Sydney St, New Farm
Free entry, please book
Ph: (07) 3403 1062
Wed 30 Oct 1.30pm (60 mins)
Chermside Library
375 Hamilton Rd, Chermside
Free entry, please book
Ph: (07) 3403 7200
Thu 31 Oct 11am (60 mins)
Carindale Library
Westfield Carindale, 1151 Creek Rd, Carindale
Free entry, please book
Ph: (07) 3407 1490
SHAKESPEARE’S KEYNOTE SPEECHES
Shakespeare Talk/Readings
Sat 26 Oct 2pm (60 mins)
4MBS Performance Studio, 384 Old Cleveland Rd, Coorparoo
Join acclaimed actor Eugene Gilfedder for an exploration and recital of Shakespeare’s famous speeches ‘Once more unto the breach’, ‘Lend me your ears’, ‘Now is the Winter’, and ‘Tomorrow and tomorrow’. Eugene will also share the immortal soliloquies from Hamlet and much more, in the intimate 4MBS Performance Studio.
Tickets | $25
SHAKESPEARE ON RADIO
Tune in to 4MBS Classic FM 103.7 to hear some of the magnificent classical music inspired by Shakespeare!
Listen in South East Queensland on 103.7FM, or livestream from anywhere in the world.
4MBS Subscribers can access full radio program details.
Become a 4MBS Subscriber.
Sat 12 Oct 12 noon | SHAKESPEARE SMORGASBORD
Music based on his comedies, from composers such as Verdi, Vaughan Williams, Weber
Sat 19 Oct 12 noon | SHAKESPEARE SMORGASBORD
Music based on his histories, from composers such as Smetana, Saint-Saëns, Schumann
Sat 26 Oct 12 noon | SHAKESPEARE SMORGASBORD
Music based on his tragedies, from composers such as Barber, Liszt, Prokofiev
Sat 26 Oct 4pm | SATURDAY FEATURE
4MBS Shakespeare Festival
Overtures to his plays commissioned by 4MBS in 2016 from local composers: Beath, Paul Bonetti, Brumby, Cronin, Healy, Kopetz, Lawrence, Seeto
Sat 2 Nov 6am | DAYBREAK CLASSICS prepared by Ross Sadler
The Bandstand Collection
A Shakespeare-themed program including:
Havergal Brian: Festival Fanfare
Sir Arthur Bliss: Homage to Shakespeare
Eugéne Damaré: Cleopatra
Gounod: Roméo et Juliette: Brass arrangement of the love duet, featuring husband and wife (Glynn and Helen Williams) as euphonium and flugel horn soloists with the Cory Band.
Vienna and Beyond
This Cleopatra-theme program will include arias from operas by Graun, Hasse, Mattheson, Samuel Barber, and excerpts from the operetta Die Perlen der Cleopatra by Oscar Straus. Plus Ludvig Norman’s Cleopatra Overture.
Sat 2 Nov 4pm | SATURDAY FEATURE
The Bard of Avon
Music inspired by his plays and sonnets, from Coles, Robert Jones II, Kabalevsky, Nicolai, Quilter, Vaccai
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Images from previous festivals:
