Acclaimed Australian actor and theatre director John Bell AO OBE will set the stage for William Shakespeare’s lessons on life and leadership in the 21st century in this year’s ABC Boyer Lectures.
Bell’s lecture series titled “Shakespeare: Soul of the Age”, to be broadcast on ABC Radio National from 7 November, will examine how the Bard’s life and works have profound relevance to contemporary issues, such as political self-interest, gender inequality and the growing need for good governance.
Shakespeare’s plays shine a spotlight on the perils of poor leadership around the world today, from political populism and slogans to the “chaotic presidency” of Donald Trump, Bell said.
“Through this year’s ABC Boyer Lectures, I want to encourage more engagement with Shakespeare, who continues to have a profound effect on the ways we think, speak and see the world, even when we don’t realise it,”
– he said.
“In Hamlet, Shakespeare says that the purpose of theatre is to hold ‘the mirror up to nature’. In the same way, I want to use his plays to reflect and comment on the world around us – the age and body of our time.”
ABC Chair Ita Buttrose said:
“John Bell is beloved by generations of Australians for bringing Shakespeare to life in the modern age.
“His insights about the extraordinary pertinence of Shakespeare’s works to the world around us will make a welcome addition to the role of the ABC Boyer Lectures in sparking discussion and debate. At such an unsettling time for so many, we could all do with a bit of beauty and sage advice about the challenges we face.”
Bell’s four lectures, to be broadcast on ABC RN on Sundays from 7-28 November and available on podcasts via the ABC listen app, will explore how Shakespeare remains essential reading in the 21st century, including his role in setting the stage for strong, smart and compassionate women.
In Bell’s first lecture “Shakespeare’s Life Lessons”, which will also be broadcast on ABC TV on 6 November, he will draw from his career spent performing and directing Shakespeare on stage to offer a personal reflection on what the Bard might teach people today about how to live a “good life”.
“Great art is always relevant,”
– Bell said.
“My life’s mission is to make Shakespeare more available and upfront in people’s consciousness. He remains meaningful and pertinent to many of the challenges we face. Your life will be much richer if you partake in Shakespeare.”
The ABC Boyer Lectures, which began in 1959, are given each year by a prominent Australian about major social, cultural, scientific or political issues. Prime Ministers, Governors-General, High Court judges, archbishops, artists, poets, scientists, business leaders and billionaires are among those who have shared their ideas and concerns with the nation over the past six decades.
Over more than six decades, Bell has helped shape and build Australia’s theatrical identity and industry, as an actor, director, theatre manager and educator. In 1990, he founded the landmark Bell Shakespeare Company and directed or acted in classic works as Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Henry IV, Henry V, Julius Caesar, Antony And Cleopatra, Macbeth and the title role in Richard III, for which he won a Helpmann Award in 2002.
He is an Officer of the Order of Australia and the Order of the British Empire. In 1997, he was named an Australian Living Treasure. His many accolades include the Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Cultural Leadership Award, a Producers and Directors Guild Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Cultural Leader of the Year Award and the JC Williamson Award for extraordinary contribution to Australia’s live entertainment industry.
His 2011 book On Shakespeare contains his thoughts and reminisces from a life spent immersed in the Bard’s theatrical works. His book Some Achieve Greatness, published in 2021, explores Shakespeare’s lessons on leadership and character.
Join the debate: #BoyerLectures or abc.net.au/boyerlectures.
