The Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble (QSE) is an Australian

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

company. It is based in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, and is the resident theatre company of the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

Artistic directors

* Rob Pensalfini (2001- ) *

Suzanne Little Suzanne Marie Little is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was a member of Lava Hay in the early 1990s, and subsequently released three albums as a solo artist. After Lava Hay's breakup in 1993, Little relocated to Salt Spring Island, British Col ...

(2001–2005)

Management

* General Manager, Rebecca Murphy (2017 - ) * General Manager, Paul Adam (2014 - 2017)

Key productions

* ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...

'', directed by Rob Pensalfini (2002) * ''

Pericles Pericles (; grc-gre, Περικλῆς; c. 495 – 429 BC) was a Greek politician and general during the Golden Age of Athens. He was prominent and influential in Athenian politics, particularly between the Greco-Persian Wars and the Pelopo ...

'', directed by Ira Seidenstein (2003) * ''

Coriolanus ''Coriolanus'' ( or ) is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608. The play is based on the life of the legendary Roman leader Caius Marcius Coriolanus. Shakespeare worked on it during the same ye ...

'', directed by Anne Pensalfini (2003) * ''

The Comedy of Errors ''The Comedy of Errors'' is one of William Shakespeare's early plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. It ...

'', directed by Rob Pensalfini (2005) * ''The Madness of King Lear'', an experimental re-working of

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane an ...

, directed by

Stephen Daniels Stephen Daniels (born 20 July 1990) is an Irish hurler who currently plays as a left corner-back for the Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pu ...

(2005) * ''Shakespeare's Briefs, or Let's Kill All The Lawyers'', featuring scenes from Shakespeare's plays which involve legal matters (such as Hermione's trial in ''

The Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some criti ...

''), directed by Samid Suliman (2006) * ''

Metamorphoses The ''Metamorphoses'' ( la, Metamorphōsēs, from grc, μεταμορφώσεις: "Transformations") is a Latin narrative poem from 8 CE by the Roman poet Ovid. It is considered his ''magnum opus''. The poem chronicles the history of the wo ...

'', an adaptation of ''

Tales from Ovid ''Tales from Ovid'' is a poetical work written by the English poet Ted Hughes, published in 1997 by Faber and Faber. The book is a retelling of twenty-four tales from Ovid's ''Metamorphoses''. It won the Whitbread Book of the Year Award for 1 ...

'', directed by Leah Mercer and Jo Loth (2006–2008) * ''

Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' ( W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. 1387 The play ...

'', directed by Jo Loth (2007) * ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

'', directed by Rob Pensalfini (2008) * ''

'', directed by Paul Adams (2009) * ''

Where the Wild Things Are ''Where the Wild Things Are'' is a 1963 children's picture book written and illustrated by American writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak, originally published in hardcover by Harper & Row. The book has been adapted into other media several tim ...

'', directed by Rob Pensalfini (2009) * ''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

'', directed by Tom McSweeney (2010) * ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

'', directed by Crystal Arons and Curt Tofteland (2011) * ''

Two Gentlemen of Verona ''The Two Gentlemen of Verona'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1589 and 1593. It is considered by some to be Shakespeare's first play, and is often seen as showing his first tent ...

'', directed by Rob Pensalfini (2012) * The Bombitty of Errors, directed by Zac Kelty (2014) By Jordan Allen-Dutton, Jason Catalano, GQ and Erik Weiner * The Tempest, directed by Zoe Tuffin (2014) * Voices Inside/ Out, directed by Curt Tofteland (2015) A slate of six prisoner-authored plays * Titus, directed by Zoe Tuffin (2015) * Twelfth Night, directed by Rob Pensalfini (2016) * The Winter's Tale, directed by Michelle Miall (2017) * Bogga, directed by Rebecca Murphy (2017) By Rob Pensalfini * Hamlet, directed by Rob Pensalfini (2018) * Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, directed by Rebecca Murphy (2018) * Henry IV Part I, directed by Rebecca Murphy (2019) * '' Macbeth In The Dark (Radio Play)'', directed by Kate Foy (2020) * Romeo & Juliet, directed by Rob Pensalfini (2021)

Training programs and workshops

QSE's training draws heavily on the work of Kristin Linklater, Shakespeare & Company (USA), and

Augusto Boal Augusto Boal (16 March 1931 – 2 May 2009) was a Brazilian theatre practitioner, drama theorist, and political activist. He was the founder of Theatre of the Oppressed, a theatrical form originally used in radical left popular education movemen ...

Theatre of the Oppressed The Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) describes theatrical forms that the Brazilian theatre practitioner Augusto Boal first elaborated in the 1970s, initially in Brazil and later in Europe. Boal was influenced by the work of the educator and theoris ...

, as well as incorporating

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

mindfulness Mindfulness is the practice of purposely bringing one's attention to the present-moment experience without evaluation, a skill one develops through meditation or other training. Mindfulness derives from ''sati'', a significant element of Hind ...

, the Alexander Technique and

Feldenkrais The Feldenkrais Method is a type of exercise therapy devised by Israeli Moshé Feldenkrais (1904–1984) during the mid-20th century. Participants are led through varied patterns of body movement, either hands-on or verbally guided, with the aim ...

. QSE offers regular training to the public in the Linklater voice method, Speaking Shakespeare in Your Own Voice (personalising and acting Shakespeare), and

. QSE's Artistic Director Rob Pensalfini is a Designated Linklater voice teacher and a faculty member at Shakespeare & Company.

QSE's Prison Project

The Prison Project, started in 2006 under the name ''Arts in Community Enhancement'' is Australia's first and only Prison Shakespeare project, and Australia's only ongoing prison theatre program. It ran in

Borallon Correctional Centre Borallon Training and Correctional Centre is an Australian prison located on Ivan Lane, Borallon, Queensland, Australia, approximately 15 minutes from Ipswich. When first opened as Borallon Correctional Centre, it was the first private correctio ...

in 2006, 2009, 2010, and 2011.

is now closed, and the program is expected to move to the South-East Queensland Correctional Complex in 2012 or 2013. The Prison Project utilises a combination of

and Shakespeare performance to engage a group of volunteer prisoners with dramatic form. The project, typically of three months duration, culminates in a performance of Shakespeare's work in the prison for an invited audience of family members, prisoners, correctional staff, and other community members. The Prison Project's main objective is different from many of its therapeutic counterparts in Prison Theatre and/or Dramatherapy, which have rehabilitation as a direct goal (see for example the work of Geese Theatre). The most basic aim of QSE's Prison Project is to put on a play. In rehearsing a play for performance the rehabilitative side-effects become manifest: the project develops emotional bravery and self-awareness, social skills and self-confidence, individual dedication as well as the commitment to work as a member of a team. QSE's Prison Project shares many similarities with Prison Shakespeare projects in the United States, the best known of which is ''

Shakespeare Behind Bars Shakespeare Behind Bars is an organization offering theatrical encounters with personal and social issues to incarcerated and post-incarcerated adults and juveniles. It intends to encourage the development of life skills that will ensure their succe ...

'', though it was not directly based on any of them. In 2011, the founder of ''

'', Curt Tofteland, visited QSE on a

Fulbright The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

Fellowship and traded skills with the facilitators of the Prison Project (as well as co-directing QSE's production of ''

''.

External links