The Queensland Shakespeare ensemble
www.qldshakespeare.org
MEDIA RELEASE
2nd May 2006
Shakespeare Goes To Court
The Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble's next production, Shakespeare's Briefs - or - Let's Kill All the Lawyers! will take place in an actual courtroom.
In an
historic Australian first, the Banco Court, in the Queensland Supreme
Court Complex, will be transformed by the actors of the Queensland
Shakespeare Ensemble into the setting of some of the most famous and
infamous trial scenes written by Shakespeare, including The Merchant
of Venice and The Winter's Tale, and featuring guest judges
drawn from the bench of the Queensland Supreme Court.
Shakespeare's Briefs will open with a spectacular gala event on 17th July and continue with hour-long lunch time and early evening performances throughout the week.
The Ensemble (QSE) has gained a reputation for unique and relevant adaptations of Shakespeare - Let's Kill All the Lawyers follows in the wake of QSE's critically acclaimed "re-gendered" Comedy of Errors in which the women traveled and did the sword fighting, while the men stayed at home and complained.
An initiative of the Supreme Court of Queensland Library, the production is one of a range of activities to be held at the Queensland Courts to mark the VIII World Shakespeare Congress, one of the literary and dramatic world's most celebrated events.
The Congress will be held in Brisbane for the first and only time from 16th to 21st July; celebrations at the Courts include a major exhibition entitled "Shakespeare and the Law," the highlight of which will be the display of Australia's only copy of the 1623 First Folio - the first collection of William Shakespeare's plays ever printed.
For more information on Shakespeare's Briefs or about the Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble, please visit our website www.qldshakespeare.org or contact:
Jess Loudon
Publicity Officer, Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble
0423 834 438
WHAT: Shakespeare's Briefs - or, Let's Kill All the Lawyers
WHERE: Banco Court, Supreme Court, 304 George St, Brisbane
WHEN: July 17-20 at 1pm and 6pm; July 21 at 1pm only
DURATION: approximately 50 minutes - perfect for a lunch break or before a night out
HOW MUCH: $15 ($10 concession and groups)
BOOKINGS: bookings@qldshakespeare.org or (07) 3365 3269 (voice-mail)