As the first major Shakespeare production Armidale has seen in nearly a decade, The Winter’s Tale, directed by Dr. Julie Shearer will be showing in the Pavilion at the Armidale Showgrounds from the 11th– 21st of October.
This tale of love, loss and redemption starts as a compelling psychological drama, before exploding into a joyous romantic comedy in the second half. King Leontes, tortured with jealous imaginings about his loving wife, Hermione, destroys his family in crazed nihilistic violence. But after winter comes the spring and, 16 years later, the lost princess is found and in Shakespeare’s most extraordinary coup de théâtre, an enthralling moment of magical realism will leave audiences profoundly affected.
In affiliation with UNE and produced by Empty Space Productions, this bold re-imagining of The Winter’s Tale will envelop the audience in a visceral experience of soundscape, immersive audio-visual, contemporary choreography, live music and stunning image-making.
Dr Shearer – UNE Theatre lecturer and professional theatre maker with companies such as Bell Shakespeare, Grin & Tonic, QTC – promises audiences will be “gripped in the magical spectacle of the play”.
“Shakespeare should never be boring. You will understand every word. The story will be crystal clear,“ Dr Shearer says.
“You’re not going to see anything like this again. This is a massive undertaking. A full-length Shakespeare with all the whistles and bells is something that regional audiences don’t get to see very often.
“This play features a terrible tragedy within a marriage. This kind of family violence is something that is very pertinent to us. It is not an old theme, it is a theme that screams to us out of the headlines.”
Some of Armidale’s and UNE’s most accomplished actors and musicians will work with professionals, like Stuart Lumsden (NIDA, New York Film Academy), to bring this powerful play to life.
Get your tickets now from: The Winter’s Tale
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