For its first production of 2026, Bell Shakespeare presents a contemporary staging of Julius Caesar, Shakespeare’s political masterpiece centred on the most famous murder in western history. The production will open at the Sydney Opera House from 7 March – 5 April, before touring to Canberra Theatre Centre from 10 – 18 April, and finally the Arts Centre Melbourne from 23 April – 10 May.
Directed by Bell Shakespeare Artistic Director Peter Evans, who will also act as set designer, this thrilling new staging serves as a companion piece to the company’s 2025 production of Coriolanus, which followed the rise of the Roman Republic, and now we see the fall. Julius Caesar explores the cost of ambition, loyalty and power, and what happens when an electorate is asking for an autocracy.
The production unfolds in a setting reminiscent of Eastern Europe in the 1990s, simultaneously contending with that region’s system of government following the fall of the Berlin Wall and the political structures of Ancient Rome.
Artistic Director Peter Evans said: “After ‘Coriolanus’, I’m fascinated to produce ‘Julius Caesar’, another of Shakespeare’s history-based Roman plays, and see how one informs the other. Shakespeare’s text delves into the art of persuasion and the results of political violence, looking at the dangers of political rhetoric and how it can inspire chaos and civil war. This play is always timely, and you can’t help but see reflections in political systems around the world today.”
The seasoned ensemble cast features Leon Ford (Elvis, Hamlet) as Cassius, Brigid Zengeni (Coriolanus, The Artful Dodger) as Brutus, Helpmann Award winner Mark Leonard Winter (The Dressmaker, The Newsreader) making his Bell Shakespeare debut as Mark Antony, and Septimus Caton (Coriolanus, Comedy Of Errors) as Julius Caesar. They are joined onstage by Peter Carroll (King Lear, Aftertaste) as Casca, Jules Billington (Macbeth, The Comedy of Errors) as Portia, Ray Chong Nee (Othello) as Metellus, James Lugton (King Lear) as Decius, Ava Madon (Henry 5) as Calpurnia, and Ruby Maishman (Coriolanus) as Cinna.
The play follows the journey of Julius Caesar, who has returned from battle triumphant and is repeatedly offered the crown to rule. Fearful of Caesar’s growing influence, Brutus and Cassius hatch a chilling conspiracy that sets off a chain of violence with devastating consequences.
The creative team is made up of Peter Evans (Director and Set Designer), Jessica Tovey (Associate Director), Amelia Lever-Davidson (Lighting Designer), Simone Romaniuk (Costume Designer), Madeleine Picard (Composer and Sound Designer), Tim Dashwood (Fight and Movement Director) and Jack Starkey-Gill (Voice Director).
Sydney Opera House | (Previews 7, 8, 10 March) 11 March – 5 April 2026
Canberra Theatre Centre | (Preview 10 April) 11 – 18 April 2026
Arts Centre Melbourne | (Previews 23 April) 24 April – 10 May 2026
https://www.bellshakespeare.com.au/
Image: Pierre Toussaint
