Good news theatre people! The consistently acclaimed crew at Bell Shakespeare are returning to Perth again this year, taking the challenging tragicomedy The Merchant of Venice to stages across the country.

By now, the name Bell Shakespeare should be familiar to any Australian with even a remote interest in theatre. They have been around since 1990, consistently bringing fantastic Shakespeare productions to audiences across the nation, going from tent shows to sold out concert halls. Last year, they dazzled us with their production of Othello, which we called “a night to remember”.

Jessica Tovey will star as Portia in Bell Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice — **Jessica Tovey** will star as Portia in **Bell Shakespeare**'s **The Merchant of Venice**

For those not familiar with The Merchant of Venice, the play is essentially about wealth and romance. Modern audiences can expect a highly relevant analysis on the ideas of race and culture, tolerance, hate, greed and forgiveness. Bell Shakespeare’s production was developed under the guidance of director Anne-Louise Sarks, who has also brought stage productions of Jasper Jones and Medea to life. It features a stellar cast, including three-time Helpmann Award Winner Mitchell Butel as Shylock and Jessica Tovey (Wolf Creek, Wonderland) as Portia. Bell Shakespeare have promised that their production will “tackle the biases and preconceived notions of one of Shakespeare’s most challenging plays.”

WA Audiences can catch this show at the State Theatre Centre of Western Australia from the 9-12th of August. For those outside of Perth, it’s also showing at the Bunbury Entertainment Centre on August 5 and the Goldfields Arts Centre in Kalgoorlie on August 15. Check out Bell Shakespeare’s website for more details and tickets, don’t miss out!

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