King Lear
14 June - 20 July 2024
This event takes place off site at The Neilson Nutshell, Pier 2/3
Theatre
For the first time since 2010, Bell Shakespeare presents King Lear. Directed by Peter Evans and starring one of Australia’s finest classical actors Robert Menzies, this heart-wrenching new production promises to be powerful and utterly unforgettable.
Please note: this event is not held at the Sydney Opera House.
| Date | Time |
|---|---|
Friday 14 June 2024 Preview | 7:00pm |
Saturday 15 June 2024 Preview | 7:00pm |
Sunday 16 June 2024 Preview | 7:00pm |
Tuesday 18 June 2024 Preview | 6:30pm |
Wednesday 19 June 2024 Preview | 7:00pm |
| Friday 21 June 2024 | 7:00pm |
| Saturday 22 June 2024 | 1:00pm & 7:00pm |
| Sunday 23 June 2024 | 4:00pm |
| Tuesday 25 June 2024 | 6:30pm |
| Wednesday 26 June 2024 | 6:30pm |
| Thursday 27 June 2024 | 7:00pm |
| Friday 28 June 2024 | 7:00pm |
| Saturday 29 June 2024 | 1:00pm & 7:00pm |
Sunday 30 June 2024 Post-show In Conversation | 4:00pm |
| Wednesday 3 July 2024 | 6:30pm |
| Thursday 4 July 2024 | 7:00pm |
| Friday 5 July 2024 | 7:00pm |
| Saturday 6 July 2024 | 1:00pm & 7:00pm |
| Sunday 7 July 2024 | 4:00pm |
| Tuesday 9 July 2024 | 6:30pm |
| Wednesday 10 July 2024 | 6:30pm |
| Thursday 11 July 2024 | 7:00pm |
| Friday 12 July 2024 | 7:00pm |
Saturday 13 July 2024 Audio Description, Auslan Interpreted, Captioned Performance | 1:00pm |
| Saturday 13 July 2024 | 7:00pm |
| Sunday 14 July 2024 | 4:00pm |
| Tuesday 16 July 2024 | 6:30pm |
| Wednesday 17 July 2024 | 6:30pm |
| Thursday 18 July 2024 | 7:00pm |
| Friday 19 July 2024 | 7:00pm |
| Saturday 20 July 2024 | 1:00pm & 7:00pm |
Preview | Price |
|---|---|
| All reserves | $45 |
| Season tickets | Price |
|---|---|
| Premium | $110 |
| A Reserve | $88 |
Concession | Price |
|---|---|
| Premium | $90 |
| A Reserve | $75 |
| Under 18^ | Price |
|---|---|
| Premium | $45 |
| A Reserve | $40 |
^Strictly limited to 4 tickets per transaction.
Under 35^ | Price |
|---|---|
| Premium | $45 |
| A Reserve | $40 |
^Strictly limited to 4 tickets per transaction.
*Means Tested Australian Pensions include:
Aged Disability, Veterans’ Affairs, Health Care, Job Search, Supporting Parent
$8.95 booking fee applies per transaction
Prices correct at the time of publication and subject to change without notice. Exact prices will be displayed with seat selection.
The authorised ticket agencies for this event are Sydney Opera House and Bell Shakespeare. For more information about Authorised Agencies, see the frequently asked questions below.
Sydney Opera House Insiders pre-sale
Tuesday 13 February 2024, 10am
Become a Sydney Opera House Insider to receive exclusive pre-sale access
What’s On e-newsletter on-sale
Wednesday 14 February 2024, 10am
General Public tickets on-sale
Thursday 15 February 2024, 10am
Run time
This event runs for 2 hours 45 minutes, including 20 minute interval
Age
The age recommendation for this performance is yet to be confirmed.
The Opera House is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children that visit or engage with us. Read our Child Safety Policy.
Lear, Act 3, Scene 4O, I have taken too little care of this!
Useful information:
Powerful and utterly unforgettable
King Lear has ruled for a lifetime. He has plans for succession – the Kingdom is to be shared among his three daughters. But when he is challenged, Lear’s reaction unravels his family and ultimately the country, hurling him into a storm of rage, self-discovery, and perhaps even acceptance.
Is this Shakespeare’s great exploration of ‘filial ingratitude’? Or the sad tale of an old man in decline and the terrible choices forced upon his daughters? Is it the story of an appallingly entitled and selfish king? Or a daughter too naïve and proud to compromise for an ailing father?
It is about all these things, and more. Shakespeare’s epic of the imagination, performed in the profoundly intimate setting of The Neilson Nutshell at Pier 2/3 in the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct.
Presented by Bell Shakespeare
Artist information
CAST
King Lear Robert Menzies
Regan Tamara Lee Bailey
Albany Shameer Birges
Oswald/Burgundy Jeremi Campese
Cordelia/Fool Melissa Kahraman
Edgar/France Alex King
Gloucester James Lugton
Goneril Lizzie Schebesta
Cornwall Michael Wahr
Kent Janine Watson
Edmund Darius Williams
Ensemble / Understudy Brittany Santariga
Ensemble / Understudy James Thomasson
About Robert Menzies
Robert Menzies is one of this country’s great classical actors. For Bell Shakespeare he has given us the fatherly, sensitive yet politic Polonius in Hamlet, and the poetic, philosophical but tough-minded Friar in Romeo and Juliet. Robert’s career spans four decades working on some of the great productions in our theatre history. Bell Shakespeare are thrilled to present his powerful, brilliant and entirely unique performance of Lear.
CREATIVES
Director Peter Evans
Associate Director Tiffany Wong
Set and Costume Designer Anna Tregloan
Lighting Designer Ben Cisterne
Composer and Sound Designer Max Lyandvert
Season 2024
Bell Shakespeare
Bell Shakespeare returns in 2024 with a selection of some of Shakespeare’s most magnificent works.
Plan your visit
Venue information
Please note: this event is not held at the Sydney Opera House.
The Neilson Nutshell, Pier 2/3 is located at 13a Hickson Road, Dawes Point NSW 2000.
The entrance to The Neilson Nutshell is located midway down Pier 2/3. Follow the signage for Performance Spaces. The Neilson Nutshell is located on Level 1 and is accessible by both stairs and lift.
Getting to Pier 2/3
Pier 2/3 is a brisk 15 - 20 minute walk from Circular Quay and Wynyard transport hubs. Hickson Road is serviced by the 324 and 325 bus service or the 311 to Millers Point. Pedestrian and cycle paths service Walsh Bay Arts Precinct from Barangaroo to Circular Quay. Metered parking is available on Hickson Road and paid off-street parking can be found at 26 Hickson Road (Interpark) and at the corner of Towns Place and Hickson Road (Wilsons).
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