Speak The Speech by Bell Shakespeare

This week, for our final episode of Season 3 of Speak The Speech, we are joined by one of Australia's most popular and successful screen and theatre actors, Lisa McCune. Lisa performs Desdemona's speech from Act 4, Scene 2 of Othello and delves into the language of the piece. She also talks about playing Gertrude in Bell Shakespeare's 2020 production of Hamlet, the difference between performing on stage and screen, and what she's learned across her acclaimed career.    Lisa McCune has earned an impressive collection of awards as an actor, including four Gold Logies for Most Popular Personality on Australian television. She recently starred in Girl from the North Country, as well as the Network Ten comedy series How To Stay Married and Bell Shakespeare's production of Hamlet.    After graduating from the WA Academy of Performing Arts, she landed the role of Maggie Doyle in the police drama Blue Heelers, which went on to become one of the most popular and enduring programs on Australian television, making her a household name. Her other screen credits include The Potato Factory, Ex PM, It's A Date, Sea Patrol, Rake, MDA, and Hell Has Harbour Views.    On stage, she's starred as Maria in The Sound of Music, which she followed with her Green Room Award-winning performance as Sally Bowles in Cabaret. She earned a Helpmann nomination for her performance in The King and I, and has also appeared in Shane Warne The Musical, South Pacific, Into The Woods, and Guys and Dolls. 

“If theatre holds a mirror up to nature, and you don't see yourself reflected in that mirror, then why should you engage with it?”  This week on Speak The Speech, we are joined by “one of the great Shakespeareans of his generation” [Sunday Times], Artistic Director Emeritus of the Royal Shakespeare Company Gregory Doran. Gregory talks about his extensive and acclaimed body of work with the RSC, his long personal and professional partnership with Sir Antony Sher, and his commitment to diversity of voices in creating Shakespeare for everyone.   Gregory Doran has spent 35 years with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the last 10 as Artistic Director. His directing highlights include King Lear, starring Antony Sher, The Tempest starring Simon Russell Beale, and his world-renowned production of Julius Caesar for the World Shakespeare Festival. In 2021 he directed the Henry VI Part 1 Open Rehearsal Project, which for the first time invited audiences to observe the RSC's full rehearsal process. In 2016 he took the company to mainland China for the first time, with the Henry IV plays and Henry V. In 2012 he directed David Tennant in Richard II, the first RSC production to be broadcast live in cinemas. He's won an Olivier award, a Sam Wanamaker Award from Shakespeare's Globe, and received numerous honorary doctorates. In 2023, as Artistic Director Emeritus, he will direct Cymbeline, his 50th production for the RSC. 

"This is the type of show that could be seen anywhere and could speak to anyone, or at least that's what my hope, that's my dream.”  This week on Speak The Speech, we are joined by performer, writer and composer Laura Murphy. Laura shares how she came to discover Shakespeare and her journey dissecting and adapting A Midsummer Night's Dream into the new Australian pop musical THE LOVERS. She talks about finding those “musical moments”, developing the characters and the creative process in writing a new musical.   Laura Murphy is a performer, writer and composer whose latest project, The Lovers, will premiere at the Sydney Opera House in October 2022, produced by Bell Shakespeare. She was lyricist and composer for the critically acclaimed Australian musical The Dismissal and the “fierce and fabulous” immersive dance musical Qween Lear.  She began writing and composing in 2009, creating the music and lyrics for the Channel Nine TV series William and Sparkle's Magical Tales, in which she also starred as Sparkles the Fairy. She went on to write and compose for several TV programs including Magical Tales: Surprises, Imagination Train and I Am Me. Laura's latest original work, Zombie! The Musical will be presented as part of Hayes Theatre Co's 2023 season.  Laura's performance credits include the Australian Tour and World Premiere production of Muriel's Wedding The Musical; Cry Baby with LPD Productions; the Australasian tour of Grease and Hayes Theatre Co's You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown for which Laura received a Sydney Theatre Award.  THE LOVERS is playing at Sydney Opera House until 20 November 2022. Get your tickets: www.bellshakespeare.com.au/the-lovers

“As much as I struggled with the works themselves in terms of these broader themes, and I guess what was important to me; I do love the art. The craft of getting your mouth around Shakespeare. I love the language.” This week on Speak The Speech, we are joined by award-wining actor, director, and dramaturg Rachael Maza. Rachel talks to us about working with John Bell and Jim Sharman on The Tempest for Bell Shakespeare in 1997, her work as Artistic Director of ILBIJERRI Theatre Company and taking First Nations works overseas, and how she feels Shakespeare sits alongside First Nations theatre and the reclaiming of language. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners are advised that this podcast episode contains the names of people who have died. Rachael Maza is Yidinji, Meriam and Dutch. She is an award-winning actor, director and dramaturg, and has been Artistic Director of ILBIJERRI Theatre Company since 2008. A Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts graduate, her outstanding performances have been acknowledged with a Green Room Award and a Sydney Theatre Critics Circle Award. She's worked as a presenter for ABC's Message Stick program, and has appeared in major Australian productions such as the feature film Radiance and the stage production of The Sapphires. Her directing credits include Stolen, Jack Charles V The Crown, Foley, Which Way Home and Heart is a Wasteland. She currently sits on the board of Force Majeure and on the ACMI Indigenous Advisory Group.  She is a Member of the Order of Australia and has also received a Touring Legend Drover Award, an Australia Council of the Arts Award for Theatre, and an Honorary Doctorate from Edith Cowan University.

This week on Speak The Speech, we are joined by actor, author and creative producer, Ben Crystal. Ben performs a speech from The Winter's Tale and shares his knowledge of received and original pronunciation in Shakespeare's works. He also talks about Shakespearean rehearsal and production practices, examines the evolution of Shakespeare's verse over his career, and discusses the process of creating his acclaimed co-authorship of Shakespeare's Words.   Ben Crystal is an actor, author and creative producer, and explorer of original practices in Shakespeare rehearsal and production. He is the co-author of Shakespeare's Words, The Shakespeare Miscellany and An Illustrated Dictionary of Shakespeare. He also wrote the Springboard Shakespeare series for Arden, and his first solo book, Shakespeare on Toast was shortlisted for the Educational Writer of the Year Award. From 2014 to 2016 he was invited with his father, David Crystal, to explore original pronunciation (OP) in the newly finished Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe.   He is a special advisor to the Shakespeare North Playhouse, a patron of Shakespeare Week and the founder of the international Shakespeare Ensemble, which makes full-scale productions in 5 days or less. He's travelled the world teaching and performing Shakespeare, and has delivered speeches for the British Council, TEDx, and universities worldwide. 

This week on Speak The Speech, we are joined by Australian singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer Sarah Blasko. Recorded live in Sydney in June 2022, in this episode Sarah gives us a sneak peek into her work composing for our 2023 production of Twelfth Night, discusses how her upbringing influenced her artistry, the process of collaborating and writing music for stage, and even performs some songs! Sarah Blasko has released six studio albums as a solo artist, including What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have, As Day Follows Night, and I Awake, all of which reached the top 10 in the ARIA album charts. She is a three-time ARIA Award winner – for Best Pop Release, Best Female Artist and Best Adult Alternative. As Day Follows Night also won Triple J's Album of the Year and is listed at No. 19 in the book 100 Best Australian Albums. In 2008 she wrote the music for Bell Shakespeare's production of Hamlet directed by Marion Potts. In 2023, she will write the music for Bell Shakespeare's 2023 production of Twelfth Night, directed by Heather Fairbairn.   

“The play is a living, thriving organism that changes day to day.”  This week on Speak The Speech, we are joined by award-winning scholar, David McInnis. David performs an excerpt from Macbeth and discusses the dramatic convention of witches, what rehearsal and performance would have looked like Shakespeare's time, analyses Shakespeare in comparison with other works of the time and his experience editing Shakespeare.  David is currently Associate Professor of Shakespeare and Early Modern Drama at the University of Melbourne. He is the author of Shakespeare and Lost Plays, for Cambridge University Press, and Mind-Travelling and Voyage Drama in Early Modern England, for Palgrave. He's also edited Thomas Dekker's Old Fortunatus for the Revels Plays series, and Dekker's If this be not a good play, the devil is in it for the Routledge Anthology of Early Modern Drama. He is co-founder and editor of the Lost Plays Database and has edited a number of books including Lost Plays in Shakespeare's England, Loss and the Literary Culture of Shakespeare's Time, and Shakespeare and Virtual Reality. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, the BBC and the Australian Book Review and he is currently editing Timon of Athens for the Arden Shakespeare 4th series. 

This week on Speak The Speech we are joined by Matu Ngaropo. Matu performs and unpacks Othello's speech from Act 1, Scene 3.  He shares how Māori culture and language influences his approach to Shakespeare, the experience of performing at Shakespeare's Globe in traditional Māori dress and language, and the parallels between the musical Hamilton and Shakespeare's plays and much more.  Matu Ngaropo is a graduate of Toi Whakaari, New Zealand's premier drama school. On stage he's played Othello for Centrepoint Theatre, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet for Downstage Theatre, Guildenstern in Hamlet, Macduff in Macbeth and Angelo in The Comedy of Errors for the Pop-Up Globe, as well as Achilles in The Māori Troilus and Cressida at the Globe Theatre in London. He's also appeared in Disney's The Lion King and performed at Rugby World Cups in New Zealand, France and Japan. His musical act, The Modern Māori Quartet, has toured to China, Australia, London, Edinburgh and New York. His screen credits  Shortland Street, Korero Mai and Seven Periods with Mr Gormsby. He is currently playing George Washington in the Australian cast of the smash-hit musical Hamilton. 

This week on Speak The Speech, we are joined by voice, dialect and text coach Jess Chambers. In this episode, Jess discusses what drew her to voice and text coaching, what it's like to prepare a company of actors vocally to perform in different circumstances, her work with children on Matilda the Musical, how studying speech pathology informs her practice, and her best pieces of advice for vocalising Shakespeare.   Jess Chambers works internationally as a voice, dialect and text coach. For Bell Shakespeare she has been the voice coach on over a dozen productions including Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, The Miser and Richard III.   Her other voice coaching credits include Matilda the Musical in Australia and London, Alice In Wonderland, Sweet Charity, and Pygmalion for The Shaw Festival Theatre in Canada, and A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Real Thing and How To Rule The World for Sydney Theatre Company.  She was dialect coach on Moulin Rouge! The Musical, School of Rock, Jersey Boys, Les Miserables and The Sound Of Music. Her screen credits include Frayed and The Unlisted for the ABC, and the film Hacksaw Ridge.   

“The Comedy of Errors – the received perception of it is lightweight, thin, a bit of fluff, a diversion; actually it is quite the opposite... it is a play about people trying to find themselves, and connect to love. “  This week on Speak The Speech, we are joined by award-winning actor and director Janine Watson.  In this episode, Janine discusses directing and discovering the complexities, nuances and physicality of The Comedy of Errors. She shares the process of transitioning into directing from acting, how a cast recreates a performance night after night on tour and the balance between collaboration and leadership in the rehearsal room.  Janine is a graduate of the National Theatre Drama School in Melbourne and has trained with the SITI Company in New York and Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre. For Bell Shakespeare she's appeared in Antony and Cleopatra and The Dream, and directed a production of Romeo and Juliet for young audiences. This year she directed Bell Shakespeare's national tour of The Comedy of Errors. In 2016 she won the inaugural Sandra Bates Directing Award at the Ensemble Theatre and went on to direct Unqualified, Nearer the Gods and Unqualified 2 for the company. In 2018 she won a GLUG Award for Best Supporting Actress for Red Line's A View from the Bridge, and was also nominated for a Sydney Theatre Award. In 2020, she won the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Female Performer in an Independent Production for The Happy Prince, produced by Little Ones Theatre.   

This week on Speak The Speech, we are joined by one of Western Australia's premier Indigenous contemporary theatre artists, Maitland Schnaars. In this episode, Maitland discusses his role in the 2022 touring production of The Comedy of Errors and the physicality of Shakespeare's works. He also shares his experience of working in contemporary and traditional Noongar dance, Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company's production of Hecate, and what it would be like to tour Noongar language works out of Country. Maitland Schnaars co-founded the international theatre company Corazon de Vaca and has performed and co-created a number of their productions, both in Spain and in Perth, Australia. He has recently performed in productions for Black Swan Theatre Company, Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company, a co-production for Queensland Theatre Company and Griffin Theatre Company, a national tour for Tasmania Performs and assistant directed and performed for WAYTCO (Western Australian Youth Theatre Company).   He has worked with many independent theatre companies in Perth and continues to work with artists from various backgrounds such as dance, multimedia and music. In 2016, he won Performing Arts WA Best Actor award. He is also a member of Wadumbah Noongah Dance Group.   Find out more about Bell Shakespeare online: https://www.bellshakespeare.com.au/ and follow us on socials @bellshakespeare 

Welcome to season three of Bell Shakespeare's podcast Speak The Speech! In this episode, Andy Griffiths talks to host James Evans about writing his Shakespeare adaptions Just Macbeth! and Just Romeo & Juliet!, how he inserts himself into his work, workshopping his plays and watching them come to life, the parallels between Macbeth and Hamlet, and his crucial collaborative relationships. Recorded live from Melbourne in May 2022. Andy Griffiths is one of Australia's most popular children's authors. His writing credits include The Day My Bum Went Psycho and the following trilogy; his extensive collaborations with illustrator Terry Denton including the Just series and the Treehouse series have sold over 10 million copies worldwide, won 80 children's choice awards and 10 Australian Book Industry Awards—including Book of the Year for The 52-Storey Treehouse in 2015. Five of his books have been adapted for the stage and have all had sell-out seasons at Sydney Opera House, as well as highly successful tours through the Netherlands, New Zealand, and America. He is a passionate advocate for literacy and in 2015 was awarded the Dromkeen Medal to honour his outstanding contribution to Australian children's literature. He is also an ambassador for both The Indigenous Literacy Foundation and the Pyjama Foundation. Find out more about Bell Shakespeare online: https://www.bellshakespeare.com.au/ and follow us on socials @bellshakespeare

Bell Shakespeare 2022 is here! Catch up on the 2022 season announcement in this bonus live episode. Artistic Director Peter Evans talks to James Evans and shares all the details of what's in store in 2022 – one of Bell Shakespeare's biggest seasons to date. They are joined by actor Harriet Gordon-Anderson, director Janine Watson and writer Laura Murphy.  Bell Shakespeare season packages are now on sale. Explore the season and book a package today: https://www.bellshakespeare.com.au/  

In the final episode of Season Two of Speak The Speech Grace Truman join us to perform and talk about Beatrice's speech from Act 4 Scene 1 of Much Ado About Nothing. Grace shares her experience as a young actor, juggling school and performing, and how Shakespeare can articulate any emotion you are feeling. Grace Truman is an actor and writer. She made her professional theatre debut at the age of 14 in the National Theatre of Parramatta's production of Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam, reprising the role in 2020 for Belvoir. For Bell Shakespeare she has appeared in Titus Andronicus. Grace co-created, wrote and starred in the acclaimed web series amazing Grace. She has won numerous awards, including Best Female Performance at the London International Web Fest, an Award of Excellence at IndieFest USA, and was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Sydney Theatre Awards.

Kyle Morrison joins us on Speak The Speech to perform Duke Senior's speech from Act 2 Scene 1 of As You Like It. He talks about building cultural legacy through art, his passion for decolonising Shakespeare and what it's like to be putting on a play during a pandemic. Kyle is a Noongar man, an actor and director. From 2009 to 2019 he was Artistic Director of Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company, and was the creative instigator of Hecate, the Noongar retelling of Macbeth, which premiered at the Perth Festival in 2020. His performance in that show won him Best Supporting Actor at the Performing Arts WA Awards. His directing credits include Honey Spot, Mother's Tongue, Kaarla Kaatijin, SkyLab (with Black Swan Theatre Company) The Cake Man (with Belvoir), Sista Girl (with the State Theatre Company of South Australia), King Hit (awarded WA's Best Production of 2015), and Ice Land: A Hip-h'Opera. He'll soon be appearing as Oberon in Bell Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Gabrielle Scawthorn joins us to perform Helena's soliloquy from the opening scene of A Midsummer Night's Dream. She talks about playing Helena, creating her own work, what it's like to audition with food poisoning and why her dream Shakespeare role may be an unconventional choice. Gabrielle Scawthorn is an actor and writer. She is a three-time Sydney Theatre Award nominee and appears as Helena in Bell Shakespeare's 2021 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Her previous theatre credits include The Apologists at Omnibus Theatre in London; E-Baby and Blood Bank for the Ensemble Theatre; Stop Kiss at ATYP; The Village Bike at The Old Fitz and The Sound of Waiting for Darlinghurst Theatre. She is the host of the popular podcast Back From Reality which explores the world of reality television and the impact that it has on the lives of its participants.  You can follow Gabrielle on Instagram @gjosca and listen to Back to Reality here. You can find out more about Bell Shakespeare's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream here.

Professor Penny Gay joins us on Speak The Speech to perform and talk about Rosalind's speech from Act 4 Scene 1 of As You Like It. Penny and James discuss women in Shakespeare, why Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing is Penny's favourite character and how performing in a Shakespeare play at university changed the course of her academic life. Penny Gay is Professor Emerita in English and Drama at the University of Sydney. Her major research interest is in performance history, and she's currently writing about Shakespeare performance history in Australia. Her publications include As She Likes It: Shakespeare's Unruly Women, The Cambridge Introduction to Shakespeare's Comedies, Teaching Shakespeare Beyond the Centre, and Jane Austen and the Theatre. She has edited Twelfth Night and The Merchant of Venice for publication, and has contributed numerous essays to collections like the Cambridge Companions and Oxford Handbooks.

In this episode Paula Arundell joins James to perform and discuss Richard Gloucester's speech from Act 3 of Henry VI Part 3. They speak about the complexity of a ‘villain' and how actors approach such characters in the rehearsal room. Paula recounts her extensive career in Australia, from early Shakespeare performances to her current role as Hermione in the Melbourne production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Paula Arundell is a multi-award-winning actor who has worked with Bell Shakespeare, Belvoir, Sydney Theatre Company, Griffin Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company and Ensemble Theatre.

In this special live episode, recorded from Perth, James is joined by Michael Chaney AO. Michael performs and dissects Richard II's speech from Act 3 Scene 2 of Richard II. They discuss leadership in Shakespeare's works and in corporate Australia, the role of corporate social responsibility and the importance of supporting the arts. Michael Chaney is Chairman of Wesfarmers Limited, one of Australia's largest companies. He also heads the National School Resourcing Board and is a Director of the Centre for Independent Studies. He is a former Chairman of the National Australia Bank and of Woodside Petroleum, a former director of BHP and the previous Chancellor of the University of Western Australia. Wesfarmers Arts is Bell Shakespeare's Perth Season Partner.

This week on Speak The Speech James is joined by Yalin Ozucelik who performs and discusses Iago's speech from Act 1 Scene 1 of Othello. They talk about the driving force behind Iago as a character, the challenges and joys of working with Shakespeare's language and the thrill of live performance. Yalin Ozucelik is an award-winning actor who has appeared in dozens of theatre productions across Australia, most recently Outdated for Ensemble Theatre and Photograph 51 for Melbourne Theatre Company. For Bell Shakespeare, he's appeared in King Lear, Romeo and Juliet and Henry IV, and he played Iago in the 2016 national tour of Othello.

Huw McKinnon joins James on Speak The Speech performing Prince Hal’s speech from the Act One of Henry IV Part 1. Huw shares stories of his work teaching Shakespeare in juvenile justice centres, working with teachers to unlock Shakespeare in the classroom and considers why audiences continue to find relevance in Shakespeare’s works. Huw McKinnon is an actor, director and Bell Shakespeare’s Resident Artist in Education. He has taught in schools and communities across Australia and internationally. For Bell Shakespeare he is a director in the Players program and has co-directed a production of Macbeth for young audiences, and as and actor has appeared in Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Othello and The Players.

This week on Speak The Speech we are joined by Designer Anna Tregloan, who performs an excerpt from Shakespeare’s narrative poem ‘Venus and Adonis’. She discusses collaboration in the design process and how designers and directors work together to create the world of a production. She shares past creative projects, including her recent work The Impossible Project, which recorded the works cancelled, postponed or derailed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Anna Tregloan is an award-winning designer, artist and creative producer with extensive experience in theatre, dance, opera, contemporary performance, and the many different forms of installation art. She’s designed numerous productions for Malthouse Theatre, Legs on the Wall, Circus Oz, Sydney Chamber Opera and Force Majeure. For Bell Shakespeare, her credits include Venus and Adonis, Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar, The Miser and most recently Hamlet. She was curator of the Australian exhibition for the most recent Prague Quadrennial of Performance, Space and Design.  You can view The Impossible Project here: https://theimpossibleproject.com.au/  

In this episode Jane Montgomery Griffiths joins James to perform and speak about Titus’ speech from Act 3 Scene 1 of Titus Andronicus. Jane discusses Shakespeare from the perspective of an actor and scholar, how Shakespeare finds language and expression for unimaginable scenarios, and the different pathways to create meaning in theatre. Jane Montgomery Griffiths is an award-winning actor, writer, scholar, and director. She is the former director of the Centre for Theatre and Performance at Monash University. As an actor Jane has worked with Bell Shakespeare, Malthouse Theatre, Belvoir, Melbourne Theatre Company, The Royal Shakespeare Company and many more. As a director she has produced work ranging from the classic and modern repertoire through to devised projects and new writing.

This week on Speak The Speech we are joined by Fight and Movement Director Nigel Poulton, performing Mercutio's speech from Act 2, Scene 4 of Romeo and Juliet. He talks about fighting styles and their meaning in Shakespeare's works, how he approaches choreographing fight and movement sequences and how creating a physical language within a production allows for richer storytelling. Nigel Poulton is an award-winning movement and fight director, stunt performer, intimacy director and actor. For Bell Shakespeare his credits include Much Ado About Nothing, Richard 3, Macbeth, three productions of Hamlet, three productions of Romeo and Juliet and many, many more. He has also worked with Metropolitan Opera of New York, the Washington Opera, the New York City Ballet, Opera Australia and Circus Oz. His screen credits include Pirates of the Caribbean V, The Water Diviner, The Bourne Legacy, The Good Wife, Boardwalk Empire, The Sopranos, 30 Rock, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Welcome to season two of Speak The Speech! In this episode, Ben Elton joins James to speak about Hamlet’s speech from Act 3, Scene 2 (the very speech our podcast derives its name from). They talk about Ben's discovery of Shakespeare and theatre, his comedy series Upstart Crow, and how Shakespeare is the classic British sitcom character. Ben Elton is a multi-award-winning writer, comic, actor and director. His TV writing credits include The Young Ones, Blackadder, The Thin Blue Line and Upstart Crow. Since 1989 he's published 16 novels and written West End plays and musicals, including We Will Rock You, Love Never Dies, and a stage adaptation of Upstart Crow, which opened in London in 2020.

In the final episode of season one of Speak The Speech Zahra Newman joins James to perform the epilogue from As You Like It. Zahra discusses her introduction to theatre in Jamaica, what it's like performing in theatre and musicals, and the current state of theatre criticism in Australia. Zahra Newman is a Green Room award-winning actor and singer who has worked for most of the major theatre companies in Australia. Her credits include Wake in Fright, Miss Julie, The Cherry Orchard, Clybourne Park, Richard III, Private Lives and many more. She also appeared in the original Australian casts of An Officer and a Gentleman and The Book of Mormon. For Bell Shakespeare she played Rosalind in the 2015 production of As You Like It. 

In this episode actor and writer Darren Gilshenan joins James to perform and discuss the “O for a muse of fire” speech from the opening of Henry V. Darren talks about his favourite Shakespearean roles and productions, what it’s like touring an Australian Shakespeare production to the UK and the exact science of performing comedy on stage. Darren is best known for his roles in The Moodys, Rake, Chandon Pictures and Full Frontal. For Bell Shakespeare he has performed in The Comedy of Errors, Measure for Measure, The Government Inspector, War of the Roses, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra and Henry V.

Harriet Gordon-Anderson joins James to perform and unpack arguably the most famous speech in all of Shakespeare’s oeuvre from Act 3, Scene 1 of Hamlet: “To be, or not to be”. They delve into the world of Hamlet, pulling apart the character’s motivations, how the play’s gender politics play out in the 21st century and how Shakespeare’s language so perfectly encapsulates our emotions and experiences. Harriet Gordon-Anderson is an actor who has appeared for Bell Shakespeare in The Miser (2019) and Hamlet (2020). She returns to the stage in 2021 to reprise her critically acclaimed role as the Prince of Denmark in Hamlet.  

This week John Bell joins James on Speak The Speech performing Prospero’s speech from Act 5, Scene 1 of The Tempest, and discusses his lifelong relationship with Shakespeare’s work. They discuss his career in theatre, from performing in university plays, to the Royal Shakespeare Company, before returning to Australia and founding the Nimrod Theatre, and eventually Bell Shakespeare. They delve into the complexities of Shakespeare’s works and how they are forever evolving as new audiences grapple with their themes and experiences. John Bell is the Founding Artistic Director of Bell Shakespeare and one of Australia’s most acclaimed theatre personalities. In a career of acting and directing, he’s been instrumental in shaping the Australian theatre industry as we know it. He is a multi-award winner, Officer of the Order of Australia and an Australian National Living Treasure.

Ray Chong Nee joins James to perform and unpack Emilia’s speech from Act 4, Scene 3 of Othello. They discuss misogyny and racism in Shakespeare’s tragedy and how creative teams address these issues in contemporary productions. Ray talks about representation on stage, what it is like to tour Shakespeare’s works around Australia on the mainstage and in schools, and how important it is to be muscular with Shakespeare’s language. Ray Chong Nee is an award-winning actor. For Bell Shakespeare he has appeared in Othello, Antony and Cleopatra and was a member of The Players. His other credits include I Call My Brothers for Melbourne Theatre Company, and Emerald City and Noises Off for Queensland Theatre and MTC. His screen credits include Tomorrow When the War Began, Glitch, Offspring, Rescue Special Ops and Dance Academy.

In this episode, James is joined by award-winning actor, playwright and director Toby Schmitz, who performs Hamlet’s first soliloquy “O, that this too too solid flesh would melt.” They delve into the history and background of Toby’s favourite Shakespeare play, pulling apart the language and how different actors have approached the role. Toby has performed for Bell Shakespeare in John Bell’s 2011 production of Much Ado About Nothing. His other theatre credits include productions with Belvoir and Sydney Theatre Company. On screen he has appeared in the HBO miniseries The Pacific as well as starring as pirate Jack Rackham in the Starz TV series Black Sails. His writing credits include Chicks Will Dig You!, Capture the Flag and Lucky, for which he won the Patrick White Award. He most recently co-directed and starred in Thom Pain, a live-streamed theatre experience for Redline Productions.

This week Abbie-lee Lewis joins James on Speak The Speech performing and discussing Mercutio’s Queen Mab speech from Act 1, Scene 4 of Romeo and Juliet. Abbie-lee discusses dreamers and realists in Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, how iambic pentameter ‘clicked’ Shakespeare into place for her, and the importance of representation in the arts. Abbie-lee is a graduate of WAAPA. She has performed with Bell Shakespeare as part of The Players and has appeared in productions for young people of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Macbeth. Most recently she was Assistant Director on Peter Evans' 2020 production of Hamlet.  

Hazem Shammas joins James to speak about a speech from Act 3, Scene 3 of Coriolanus. They discuss ambition, power and tyrants in Shakespeare’s work and in our world today. Hazem talks about being introduced to Shakespeare at school by his English teacher and how years later he revisited the works while becoming an actor. Hazem Shammas is a graduate of WAAPA and has appeared for Bell Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, The Comedy of Errors and Macbeth. He is a Logie Award-winning and AACTA-nominated actor.

In this episode James is joined by Mandy Bishop, who delves into Feste’s closing song of Twelfth Night, “When that I was and a little tiny boy,” and discusses the lovers and fools of Shakespeare’s comedies. Mandy Bishop is an actor and singer, recently appearing in Bell Shakespeare’s 2019 production of Much Ado About Nothing. She is a regular star of Sydney Theatre Company’s Wharf Revue, and is the creator of the award-winning TV series At Home With Julia, featuring her famous portrayal of Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

In this episode, Kylie Bracknell [Kaarljilba Kaardn] joins James to talk about her experience adapting and directing Hecate, a version of Macbeth entirely in Noongar, in collaboration with Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company and Bell Shakespeare, supported by Wesfarmers Arts and premiering with a sell-out season at Perth Festival in 2020.  Kylie has broad-ranging experience in the performing arts & entertainment industries including radio producing and presenting, directing & assistant directing for theatre and film, arts management, community liaison engagement, theatre development projects, and program management.  She is an actor, writer, TV presenter, voiceover artist, and master of ceremonies & motivational speaker from the south west of Western Australia - the Noongar nation. She has performed in shows such as The Gods of Wheat Street (ABC), Redfern Now (ABC), Ace of Spades, Stone Bros. and lent her voice to the character of Ally in the award-winning children’s show Little J & Big Cuz (NITV).

In this episode, award-winning actor, screenwriter, director and author Leon Ford joins James to unpack the remarkable "What a piece of work is a man" speech from Hamlet, and discuss why playing the young prince was a highlight of his career. Leon’s Bell Shakespeare credits include the title roles in Hamlet and Tartuffe. On screen he has starred in the HBO miniseries The Pacific, ABC’s The Letdown and the upcoming Jeremy Sims film Rams. As a director, Leon’s first feature film, Griff the Invisible, premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival and won an AACTA Award for Best Screenplay.  

Kate Mulvany joins James Evans to speak about the famous "Now is the winter of our discontent" speech from Richard III. They discuss Kate's experience playing Richard in Bell Shakespeare's production, how she discovered Shakespeare at university, and how she ended up discussing the famous playwright on set with Al Pacino. Kate is an award-winning actor, playwright, screenwriter, librettist and dramaturg. In 2020, she was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for her contribution to the Australian arts. She is one of Australia’s most respected and sought-after theatrical artists. 

In Speak The Speech, Bell Shakespeare’s Associate Director James Evans brings a fresh, fun take on Shakespeare’s greatest speeches; performed, deconstructed and celebrated by some of Australia’s best-loved actors.  Launching on 28 July.