WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S
** This production contains ADULT & CONFRONTING THEMES, SMOKE & HAZE EFFECTS **
Directed by LILY SAVELLI
Costume Design by NATASA SAVELLI
Production Management by RENEE BRIGHTON
Costume Design by NATASA SAVELLI
Production Management by RENEE BRIGHTON
MAY 2026
Friday May 1, 7:30pm | Saturday May 2, 2:00pm & 7:30pm | Sunday May 3, 2:00pm | Friday May 8, 7:30pm |
Saturday May 9, 2:00pm & 7:30pm | Sunday May 10, 2:00pm
Saturday May 9, 2:00pm & 7:30pm | Sunday May 10, 2:00pm
ADULTS $26 | CONCESSION $24 | MEMBERS $22
SYNOPSIS
Set in a dystopian outer suburb wasteland ruled by a powerful biker gang, this adaptation of Julius Caesar by Deborah Mulhall reimagines Shakespeare’s tragedy as a brutal struggle for control and identity.
The creative team chose the setting of Australia in 1973, following the country’s withdrawal from the Vietnam war - a time of deep political unease, social fracture and moral reckoning. Thousands of young people had been conscripted and sent to a distant war, only to return to a society unsure of how to receive them. Trust in governments had eroded, protest culture surged. Authority was openly questioned, yet many Australians still longed for stability and order after years of somewhat chaos.
In this production, the Romans are reimagined as a biker gang made up largely of returned soldiers and those shaped by violence. They are bound by loyalty, ritual and shared trauma, rather than by laws or institutions. Their clubhouse ‘the Capitol’ becomes a place where power is informal but absolute.
The Romans leader Caesar’s rising dominance sparks fear amongst the Romans, particularly with his close friend Brutus, a returned veteran, who is torn between loyalty and belief in freedom.
Persuaded that Caesar’s ambitions will destroy their gang, Brutus joins a conspiracy led by Cassius to assassinate him. The murder, meant to save those in the Capitol, instead unleashes chaos. Marc Antony’s masterful manipulation of the crowd turns public opinion, plunging the Capitol into violence & betrayal. As former allies turn on one another, ideals of honour and liberty collapse, leaving only guilt, loss and the haunting consequences of political violence.
In setting Julius Caesar in 1973 Australia, we are not suggesting that history repeat itself. Instead, we want to invite reflection on how moments of national uncertainty create the conditions in which fear, idealism and power collide - and how they continue to shape us.
The creative team chose the setting of Australia in 1973, following the country’s withdrawal from the Vietnam war - a time of deep political unease, social fracture and moral reckoning. Thousands of young people had been conscripted and sent to a distant war, only to return to a society unsure of how to receive them. Trust in governments had eroded, protest culture surged. Authority was openly questioned, yet many Australians still longed for stability and order after years of somewhat chaos.
In this production, the Romans are reimagined as a biker gang made up largely of returned soldiers and those shaped by violence. They are bound by loyalty, ritual and shared trauma, rather than by laws or institutions. Their clubhouse ‘the Capitol’ becomes a place where power is informal but absolute.
The Romans leader Caesar’s rising dominance sparks fear amongst the Romans, particularly with his close friend Brutus, a returned veteran, who is torn between loyalty and belief in freedom.
Persuaded that Caesar’s ambitions will destroy their gang, Brutus joins a conspiracy led by Cassius to assassinate him. The murder, meant to save those in the Capitol, instead unleashes chaos. Marc Antony’s masterful manipulation of the crowd turns public opinion, plunging the Capitol into violence & betrayal. As former allies turn on one another, ideals of honour and liberty collapse, leaving only guilt, loss and the haunting consequences of political violence.
In setting Julius Caesar in 1973 Australia, we are not suggesting that history repeat itself. Instead, we want to invite reflection on how moments of national uncertainty create the conditions in which fear, idealism and power collide - and how they continue to shape us.