Bell Shakespeare

Founded by John Bell in 1990, Bell Shakespeare began as a theatre company dedicated to producing the plays of William Shakespeare in a way that was relevant and exciting to Australian audiences. With the support of an enlightened philanthropist, the late Tony Gilbert AM, and a small number of imaginative corporate and private supporters, Bell Shakespeare was able to mount productions and attract audiences. Bell Shakespeare is listed as a Major Festival in the book Shakespeare Festivals Around the World. In 2016, the Australian Federal Government announced a $1 million contribution to the Bell Shakespeare capital campaign, which will help the Company secure a permanent home at Sydney's Pier 2/3, Walsh Bay called The Neilson Nutshell. In 2012, John Bell announced the promotion of associate artistic director Peter Evans to the position of co-artistic director. In 2015, John Bell retired from the company, and Peter Evans was made sole artistic director. Bell's final play for the company was The Tempest, thought to be one of the last plays Shakespeare wrote alone. ==Description and governance==

Bell Shakespeare is Australia's only national theatre company. One of the company's artistic goals is "to use Shakespeare as Australians", and Bell Shakespeare is well known for using contemporary styles to make Shakespeare accessible for modern audiences. Each year they perform a mainstage season consisting of three theatre productions, including an annual national tour, and a learning program to support students, teachers and communities nationally. Peter Evans has held the position of artistic director of Bell Shakespeare since 2015, and the company's executive director is Gill Perkins. == Learning ==

Bell Shakespeare has a range of learning opportunities for students and teachers in every Australian state and territory throughout the year. This includes in-school performances by The Players. Inspired by the troupe of actors who appear in Hamlet, Bell Shakespeare's Players have been performing abridged adaptions of Shakespeare's works in schools since 1991. ==Facilities==

The main studio and theatre space is at Bell Shakespeare's premises is The Neilson Nutshell, which is available for hire. == Productions ==

Recent productions Production history by play List of Bell Shakespeare productions (not including Learning productions or special events): Shakespeare Other ==References==