Bell Shakespeare announces its 2026 program, featuring a “camp reimagining” of Macbeth

• Bell Shakespeare has announced its 2026 season, with three productions to be presented around the country.
• The three productions are Julius Caesar, Macbeth, and Mackenzie, a hilarious reimagining of Macbeth.
• Artistic Director Peter Evans called it “a season of ambition, guilt and idealised murder.”

Australia’s national theatre company Bell Shakespeare has revealed its 2026 season lineup, featuring iconic Shakespearean works alongside a “camp reimagining” of Macbeth.

Audiences can look forward to a bold new staging of Julius Caesar, a national revival tour of the critically acclaimed Macbeth, and the world premiere of Mackenzie, a hilariously twisted take on Macbeth by award-winning writer Yve Blake.

2026 program

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Mackenzie

Award-winning creator and screenwriter Yve Blake (who’s fresh off a stint touring her hit musical FANGIRLS in London) will premiere her new work, Mackenzie, described as “a hilarious, twisted and deeply camp reimagining of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.” The production explores if Macbeth was a 13-year-old child star in the height of early 2000s TV stardom (think Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez). Lady Macbeth is the terrifyingly ambitious stage mum, ready to get her child fame in any way she can.

Directed by the talented Virginia Gay and featuring original music by Blake herself, the highly anticipated Mackenzie will open in Sydney in June before touring to Melbourne.

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Julius Caesar

A bold new staging of Julius Caesar, directed by Artistic Director Peter Evans, will bring Shakespeare’s gripping political drama to life. Starring Leon Ford (Elvis, Hamlet) as Cassius and Brigid Zengeni (Coriolanus, The Artful Dodger) as Brutus, the play follows the pair’s chilling conspiracy to assassinate the powerful Roman dictator. Packed with moments of betrayal and themes of ambition and power, this gripping production is set to captivate audiences.

Julius Caesar will open in Sydney in June 2026 before touring to Melbourne.

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Macbeth

For Bell Shakespeare’s annual national tour, Peter Evans’ 2023 production of Macbeth will tour to over 20 venues across the country. Described as “utterly compelling” by the Sydney Morning Herald, this production of Shakespeare’s haunting tragedy is a terrifying portrayal of moral collapse and an intense journey into the dark side of humanity. Starring Anthony Taufa (Coriolanus, Jailbaby) in the titular role and Matilda Ridgway (Coriolanus, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Bump) as the manipulative Lady Macbeth, this extensive national tour is set to be a popular choice for Shakespeare enthusiasts across Australia.

“A season of ambition, guilt and idealised murder”

Evans expressed his excitement at the 2026 program lineup, calling it “a season of ambition, guilt and idealised murder”.

He continued,

“First up is ‘Julius Caesar’, one of the most famous political plays of all time, centred on the most famous murder in western history. After ‘Coriolanus’ this year, I’m fascinated to produce ‘Julius Caesar’ again, another of Shakespeare’s history-based Roman plays, and see how one informs the other.

Our national tour sees the return of our highly successful production of ‘Macbeth’ with a new cast to take our séance inspired nightmare world around the country.

And excitingly we have a brand-new play ‘Mackenzie’ by Yve Blake. Yve is one of the most exciting and hilarious writers in Australia, and when she sent us her new play about an ambitious teenage TV star and her relentless stage mother we were delighted; horrified and delighted. We can’t wait to welcome audiences to the theatre next year.”