Fans of the Bard, we’ve got news. Two thirds of the way through a huge 2025 season, with critically acclaimed productions of Henry V and Coriolanus all wrapped up and a beloved production of Shakespeare’s most famous love story returning to the Opera House this summer, Bell Shakespeare has just released the details for its 2026 season. Next year, Sydney’s Shakespeare enthusiasts will be treated to a world premiere of Mackenzie, a new production of Julius Caesar and the return of Bell Shakespeare's critically acclaimed 2023 production of Macbeth.
The first Bell Shakespeare production to light up our stages in 2026 will be a new production of Julius Caesar, opening in the Harbour City in March before touring Canberra and Melbourne. This entirely new staging will be directed by Artistic Director Peter Evans, with Leon Ford (Elvis, Hamlet) as Cassius and Brigid Zengeni (Coriolanus, The Artful Dodger) as Brutus.
Next up, Bell Shakespeare will bring to life a new reimagining of Macbeth, described by the theatre as “hilarious, twisted, and deeply camp”. Mackenzie is the brainchild of award-winning creator Yve Blake in partnership with Artistic Director Virginia Gay, who have rewritten the Macbeth story with the titular character being a 13-year-old child star in the heights of early 2000s TV stardom, and Lady Macbeth her “ruthlessly ambitious stage mum”. Mackenzie will open in Sydney in June of 2026, before showing in Melbourne.
For the company’s annual national tour, Bell Shakespeare’s 2023 production of Macbeth will return to the Sydney stage, before touring more than 20 venues across the country. This beloved production will star Anthony Taufa (Coriolanus, Jailbaby) as Macbeth himself, with Matilda Ridgway (Coriolanus, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Bump) as Lady Macbeth.
Artistic Director Peter Evans has described the 2026 season as “a season of ambition, guilt and idealised murder.”
Alongside their mainstage programming, Bell Shakespeare will pop up in schools, communities and Juvenile Justice centres across Australia – sharing education, creativity and a celebration of storytelling. Highlights of the off-stage program will include a series of panel sessions titled ‘Ambition and the Aftermath’, and the continuation of their lively script reading series.
You can learn more and book tickets over here.
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for the best in arts and culture, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox.
