Speak The Speech by Bell Shakespeare

S2 Ep11: Kyle Morrison

Duke Senior from As You Like It Act 2, Scene 1 performed by Kyle Morrison 

Kyle Morrison joins us on Speak The Speech to perform Duke Senior’s speech from Act 2 Scene 1 of As You Like It. He talks about building cultural legacy through art, his passion for decolonising Shakespeare and what it’s like to be putting on a play during a pandemic. Kyle is a Noongar man, an actor and director. From 2009 to 2019 he was Artistic Director of Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company, and was the creative instigator of Hecate, the Noongar retelling of Macbeth, which premiered at the Perth Festival in 2020. His performance in that show won him Best Supporting Actor at the Performing Arts WA Awards. His directing credits include Honey Spot, Mother’s Tongue, Kaarla Kaatijin, SkyLab (with Black Swan Theatre Company) The Cake Man (with Belvoir), Sista Girl (with the State Theatre Company of South Australia), King Hit (awarded WA’s Best Production of 2015), and Ice Land: A Hip-h’Opera. He'll soon be appearing as Oberon in Bell Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

S2 Ep10: Gabrielle Scawthorn

Helena from A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 1, Scene 1 performed by Gabrielle Scawthorn 

Gabrielle Scawthorn joins us to perform Helena’s soliloquy from the opening scene of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She talks about playing Helena, creating her own work, what it’s like to audition with food poisoning and why her dream Shakespeare role may be an unconventional choice. Gabrielle Scawthorn is an actor and writer. She is a three-time Sydney Theatre Award nominee and appears as Helena in Bell Shakespeare’s 2021 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Her previous theatre credits include The Apologists at Omnibus Theatre in London; E-Baby and Blood Bank for the Ensemble Theatre; Stop Kiss at ATYP; The Village Bike at The Old Fitz and The Sound of Waiting for Darlinghurst Theatre. She is the host of the popular podcast Back From Reality which explores the world of reality television and the impact that it has on the lives of its participants. 

You can follow Gabrielle on Instagram @gjosca and listen to Back to Reality here.

You can find out more about Bell Shakespeare’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream here.

S2 Ep9: Penny Gay

Rosalind from As You Like It Act 4, Scene 1 performed by Penny Gay 

 

Professor Penny Gay joins us on Speak The Speech to perform and talk about Rosalind’s speech from Act 4 Scene 1 of As You Like It. Penny and James discuss women in Shakespeare, why Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing is Penny’s favourite character and how performing in a Shakespeare play at university changed the course of her academic life. Penny Gay is Professor Emerita in English and Drama at the University of Sydney. Her major research interest is in performance history, and she’s currently writing about Shakespeare performance history in Australia. Her publications include As She Likes It: Shakespeare’s Unruly Women, The Cambridge Introduction to Shakespeare’s Comedies, Teaching Shakespeare Beyond the Centre, and Jane Austen and the Theatre. She has edited Twelfth Night and The Merchant of Venice for publication, and has contributed numerous essays to collections like the Cambridge Companions and Oxford Handbooks.

S2 Ep 8: Paula Arundell

Gloucester from Henry VI Act 3, Scene 2 performed by Paula Arundell 

In this episode Paula Arundell joins James to perform and discuss Richard Gloucester’s speech from Act 3 of Henry VI Part 3. They speak about the complexity of a ‘villain’ and how actors approach such characters in the rehearsal room. Paula recounts her extensive career in Australia, from early Shakespeare performances to her current role as Hermione in the Melbourne production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Paula Arundell is a multi-award-winning actor who has worked with Bell Shakespeare, Belvoir, Sydney Theatre Company, Griffin Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company and Ensemble Theatre.

S2 Ep7: Michael Chaney

Richard II from Richard II Act 3, Scene 2 performed by Michael Chaney  

 

In this special live episode, recorded from Perth, James is joined by Michael Chaney AO. Michael performs and dissects Richard II’s speech from Act 3 Scene 2 of Richard II. They discuss leadership in Shakespeare’s works and in corporate Australia, the role of corporate social responsibility and the importance of supporting the arts. Michael Chaney is Chairman of Wesfarmers Limited, one of Australia’s largest companies. He also heads the National School Resourcing Board and is a Director of the Centre for Independent Studies. He is a former Chairman of the National Australia Bank and of Woodside Petroleum, a former director of BHP and the previous Chancellor of the University of Western Australia. Wesfarmers Arts

is Bell Shakespeare’s Perth Season Partner.

S2 Ep6: Yalin Ozucelik

Iago from Othello Act 1, Scene 1 performed by Yalin Ozucelik 

 

This week on Speak The Speech James is joined by Yalin Ozucelik who performs and discusses Iago’s speech from Act 1 Scene 1 of Othello. They talk about the driving force behind Iago as a character, the challenges and joys of working with Shakespeare’s language and the thrill of live performance. Yalin Ozucelik is an award-winning actor who has appeared in dozens of theatre productions across Australia, most recently Outdated for Ensemble Theatre and Photograph 51 for Melbourne Theatre Company. For Bell Shakespeare, he’s appeared in King Lear, Romeo and Juliet and Henry IV, and he played Iago in the 2016 national tour of Othello.

S2 Ep5: Huw McKinnon

Prince Hal from Henry VI Part 1 Act 1, Scene 2 performed by Huw McKinnon  

Huw McKinnon joins James on Speak The Speech performing Prince Hal’s speech from the Act One of Henry IV Part 1. Huw shares stories of his work teaching Shakespeare in juvenile justice centres, working with teachers to unlock Shakespeare in the classroom and considers why audiences continue to find relevance in Shakespeare’s works. Huw McKinnon is an actor, director and Bell Shakespeare’s Resident Artist in Education. He has taught in schools and communities across Australia and internationally. For Bell Shakespeare he is a director in the Players program and has co-directed a production of Macbeth for young audiences, and as and actor has appeared in Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Othello and The Players.

S2 Ep 4: Anna Tregloan

Poem from Venus and Adonis performed by Anna Tregloan 

This week on Speak The Speech we are joined by Designer Anna Tregloan, who performs an excerpt from Shakespeare’s narrative poem ‘Venus and Adonis’. She discusses collaboration in the design process and how designers and directors work together to create the world of a production. She shares past creative projects, including her recent work The Impossible Project, which recorded the works cancelled, postponed or derailed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Anna Tregloan is an award-winning designer, artist and creative producer with extensive experience in theatre, dance, opera, contemporary performance, and the many different forms of installation art. She’s designed numerous productions for Malthouse Theatre, Legs on the Wall, Circus Oz, Sydney Chamber Opera and Force Majeure. For Bell Shakespeare, her credits include Venus and Adonis, Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar, The Miser and most recently Hamlet. She was curator of the Australian exhibition for the most recent Prague Quadrennial of Performance, Space and Design. 

You can view The Impossible Project here: https://theimpossibleproject.com.au/  

S2 Ep3: Jane Montgomery Griffiths

Titus Andronicus from Titus Andronicus Act 3, Scene 1 performed by Jane Montgomery-Griffiths 

In this episode Jane Montgomery Griffiths joins James to perform and speak about Titus’ speech from Act 3 Scene 1 of Titus Andronicus. Jane discusses Shakespeare from the perspective of an actor and scholar, how Shakespeare finds language and expression for unimaginable scenarios, and the different pathways to create meaning in theatre. Jane Montgomery Griffiths is an award-winning actor, writer, scholar, and director. She is the former director of the Centre for Theatre and Performance at Monash University. As an actor Jane has worked with Bell Shakespeare, Malthouse Theatre, Belvoir, Melbourne Theatre Company, The Royal Shakespeare Company and many more. As a director she has produced work ranging from the classic and modern repertoire through to devised projects and new writing.

S2 Ep2: Nigel Poulton

Mercutio from Romeo and Juliet Act 2, Scene 4 performed by Nigel Poulton 

This week on Speak The Speech we are joined by Fight and Movement Director Nigel Poulton, performing Mercutio's speech from Act 2, Scene 4 of Romeo and Juliet. He talks about fighting styles and their meaning in Shakespeare's works, how he approaches choreographing fight and movement sequences and how creating a physical language within a production allows for richer storytelling. Nigel Poulton is an award-winning movement and fight director, stunt performer, intimacy director and actor. For Bell Shakespeare his credits include Much Ado About Nothing, Richard 3, Macbeth, three productions of Hamlet, three productions of Romeo and Juliet and many, many more. He has also worked with Metropolitan Opera of New York, the Washington Opera, the New York City Ballet, Opera Australia and Circus Oz. His screen credits include Pirates of the Caribbean V, The Water Diviner, The Bourne Legacy, The Good Wife, Boardwalk Empire, The Sopranos, 30 Rock, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

S2 Ep1: Ben Elton

Hamlet from Hamlet Act 3, Scene 2 performed by Ben Elton 

Welcome to season two of Speak The Speech! In this episode, Ben Elton joins James to speak about Hamlet’s speech from Act 3, Scene 2 (the very speech our podcast derives its name from). They talk about Ben's discovery of Shakespeare and theatre, his comedy series Upstart Crow, and how Shakespeare is the classic British sitcom character. Ben Elton is a multi-award-winning writer, comic, actor and director. His TV writing credits include The Young Ones, Blackadder, The Thin Blue Line and Upstart Crow. Since 1989 he's published 16 novels and written West End plays and musicals, including We Will Rock You, Love Never Dies, and a stage adaptation of Upstart Crow, which opened in London in 2020.

S1 Ep12: Zahra Newman

Rosalind from As You Like It Act 5, Epilogue performed by Zahra Newman 

In the final episode of season one of Speak The Speech Zahra Newman joins James to perform the epilogue from As You Like It. Zahra discusses her introduction to theatre in Jamaica, what it's like performing in theatre and musicals, and the current state of theatre criticism in Australia. Zahra Newman is a Green Room award-winning actor and singer who has worked for most of the major theatre companies in Australia. Her credits include Wake in Fright, Miss Julie, The Cherry Orchard, Clybourne Park, Richard III, Private Lives and many more. She also appeared in the original Australian casts of An Officer and a Gentleman and The Book of Mormon. For Bell Shakespeare she played Rosalind in the 2015 production of As You Like It. 

S1 Ep11: Darren Gilshenan

Chorus from Henry V Act 1, Scene 1 performed by Darren Gilshenan 

In this episode actor and writer Darren Gilshenan joins James to perform and discuss the “O for a muse of fire” speech from the opening of Henry V. Darren talks about his favourite Shakespearean roles and productions, what it’s like touring an Australian Shakespeare production to the UK and the exact science of performing comedy on stage. Darren is best known for his roles in The Moodys, Rake, Chandon Pictures and Full Frontal. For Bell Shakespeare he has performed in The Comedy of Errors, Measure for Measure, The Government Inspector, War of the Roses, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra and Henry V.