The works of William Shakespeare are well-established cultural touchstones beyond the realm of the audience and performer dynamic but the ensemble of the Come You Spirits Theatre Troupe aim to inject even older traditions into these texts to amplify their resonances on a spiritual, energetic level. In this winter solstice performance of Macbeth, the story is placed in a spooky natural context in an embrace of its basic elements.
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You know, sometimes, the best solution really is to kill the King. At least that’s what Ma and Pa Ubu have been convinced of by the Prime Minister of Pooland and his lackeys who need the King overthrown so they can make more money through their mining empire. What they didn’t anticipate was Pa Ubu caring even less for his fellow humans than they do.
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It’s the original romcom where the beautiful and sweet Hero falls in love with the equally sweet and valiant Claudio only for their matrimony to be dashed by jealousy and greed. But love triumphs in the end and everyone gets what they deserve.
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While being one of Shakespeare’s less-performed plays, the Merry Wives of Windsor uses many of his classic theatrical elements including disguises, revenge plots, arranged marriages, and plenty of innuendo. With recognisable characters and plot points from other Shakespearean comedies, this rendition also aligns the script with equally recognisable comedy tropes from an Australian context to add extra dimension to the raunch and gossip.
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In the early 20th century, London was developing as a global cultural mecca as international influences, particularly from eastern Asia, were growing in popularity for audiences of poetry, literature, and theatre. From amongst this atmosphere came Lady Precious Stream by SI Hsiung, a play “in the style of traditional Chinese theatre” and based on Chinese folklore. But despite its hit status in 1930s London, the classic has since fallen into obscurity.
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While it’s true that William Shakespeare’s history plays don’t receive as much modern attention as his comedies and tragedies, his ability to dramatise the lives of British rulers garnered the playwright much praise in his day. In Henry IV Part 1 & 2, the expected wit and politics of Shakespeare’s writing is only amplified by real royalty and warfare.
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Reduced Shakespeare Company have made quite a name for themselves by reducing enormous works of theatre and literature into short and witty stage plays. After the success of Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) the company added to their repertoire William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (Abridged).
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After the year we had in 2020, we could all use a bit of a laugh. Cue one of the oldest comedy writers out there with the classic tale of love, deception, mistaken identities, and twins! But, this time, with a twist.
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Macbeth has been done live and it’s been done digitally, but for the COVID-19 world, Barestage Theatre combines the two forms for a techno-punk rendition of the fall of the Scottish king. Performed live and streamed straight to your home, Macbeth: the Installation traverses boundaries of intimacy and performance.
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The year 2020 has taught us nothing if not how painful the passing of time can be. James Hartley’s surprisingly prescient 2016 play This Modern Coil is a rumination on fate, free will, fear, and the power of imagination as two soldiers await something, anything, in no man’s land.
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Night Writes 