THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE LIFE AND DEATH OF KING LEAR & HIS THREE DAUGHTERS

THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE LIFE AND DEATH
OF KING LEAR AND HIS THREE DAUGHTERS

  • 15 Nov 25 – 4 Jan 26 Upstairs Theatre

THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE LIFE AND DEATH
OF KING LEAR & HIS THREE DAUGHTERS

By William Shakespeare
Directed by Eamon Flack

  • Venue Upstairs Theatre
  • Dates 15 Nov 25 – 4 Jan 26
  • Content warning

    Approximate running times of each production are uploaded to the production page as soon as that information becomes available. During the rehearsal period running times are liable to change given the extensive workshopping and development each production undergoes before it reaches the stage.

    Content warnings will also be uploaded to each production page as they are advised.

    Should you wish to speak to a member of staff regarding running times, content warnings or any other show related queries, our box office can be contacted on 02 9699 3444.

  • Supported by
    • Artistic Director’s Circle

Shakespeare’s greatest play, in an energised, classic Belvoir production, featuring the grit and power of Colin Friels.

It’s time to retire. Lear has a plan – he’ll divide the kingdom between his three daughters, they’ll work in harmony with each other, he’ll live with them, there will be a seamless transition of power, and all will be well.

The universe doesn’t work that way.

A play of what happens when the trappings of privilege, education, and civilisation are stripped away, and we have to look the human specimen square in the mirror.

Colin’s been building to this role for years, and in an age when sclerotic old orders threaten to take the world down with them, it’s time Belvoir had a go at this astonishing play. Every page explodes with possibility. We’ve used a version of one of its original titles, which gives you a sense of the play’s real scope of interest. Colin will be a fascinating and potent Lear – this will be unforgettable. – Eamon

Queer Night

Friday 28 November

Belvoir’s Queer Nights are for the queer community and allies to come together in a safe space and experience an unforgettable night at the theatre. Find out more.

Performance Times

Weekly Times

  • tuesday 6:30pm

    Except 18 Nov at 7:30pm

  • wednesday 6:30pm

    Except 19 Nov at 7:30pm & no performance on 24 Dec & 31 Dec

  • thursday 7:30pm

    No performance on 25 Dec & 1 Jan

  • friday 7:30pm

    No performance on 26 Dec

  • saturday 1pm & 7:30pm

    No 2pm performance on 15 Nov

  • sunday 5pm

    Except 16 Nov at 6:30pm & 4 Jan at 2pm

  • image description Preview Session
  • image description Special Performance
  • image description School Performance

PRICES

  • Full Price (Adult)^ $76 – $97
  • Mates Rates (Adult)^ $71 – $87
  • Senior* $66 – $87
  • Concession $56 – $77
  • 30-Down# $54 – $69
  • Previews $56 – $61
  • Student Saver $41 – $56

~ Bookings of 10+ full price adult tickets receive a $10 discount per ticket.
^ Tickets to Saturday and Sunday performances may have an added $5 surcharge.
* Seniors prices are available with an eligible Australian Government-issued Seniors Card.
† Concession prices are available with a full-time student card, Centrelink Pensioner concession card, Veterans’ Affairs cards, and to members of Actors Equity (MEAA), and ArtsHub, and HotHouse Theatre Subscribers.
# 30-Down and Student Saver prices are available for Previews, Tuesday evening, Wednesday evening, Thursday evening, Friday evening, and Saturday matinees.

TEAM

  • William Shakespeare
    Playwright
  • Eamon Flack
    Director
    image description

    Eamon Flack is the Artistic Director of Belvoir St Theatre. He was born in Singapore and grew up in Singapore, Darwin, Cootamundra and Brisbane. He trained as an actor at WAAPA from 2001 to 2003 and has since worked as a director and writer around Australia and internationally, from the Tiwi Islands to Sri Lanka, […]

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  • Cast

  • Ahunim Abebe
    Cordelia
    image description

    Ahunim graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Arts in 2022 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting). King Lear will be Ahunim’s Belvoir debut. Other theatre credits include Sydney Theatre Company’s Circle Mirror Transformation, State Theatre Company South Australia’s The Puzzle, and Jack Maggs, Bell Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Nights Dream and Embellishment for Voices […]

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  • Peter Carroll
    Fool
    image description

    Peter’s distinguished career has spanned over 100 productions and 50 years. He has worked with the major theatre companies and commercial managements in Australia. Peter was a founding member of Nimrod Theatre Company in the 1970s and has been with Sydney Theatre Company from its Opera House beginnings and was a member of their actor’s […]

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  • Tom Conroy
    Edgar
    image description

    For Belvoir, Tom’s credits include Holding the Man, The Master and Margarita, Tell Me I’m Here, My Brilliant Career, Ghosts, Jasper Jones, Mortido, Mother Courage and Her Children, and Small and Tired. Tom’s other theatre credits include 1984, Hay Fever, Spring Awakening (Sydney Theatre Company); The Mousetrap (John Frost/Crossroads Live national tour); The Wider Earth (Queensland Theatre Company/Sydney Festival and 2022 Tour); Cock (Melbourne Theatre Company/La Boite); Romeo and […]

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  • James Fraser
    Oswald
  • Charlotte Friels
    Goneril
    image description

    Charlotte graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 2019, and she has since gone on to work in theatre, film and television. Charlotte’s Belvoir debut will be King Lear. Other theatre credits include Oil for Sydney Theatre Company, Robyn Nevin’s touring production of The Mousetrap for XRoads Live, and Colder Than Here at […]

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  • Colin Friels
    King Lear
    image description

    One of Australia’s best-known actors, Colin Friels has worked extensively across theatre, film and television. His Belvoir credits include Life of Galileo, Dance of Death, Faith Healer, and Mortido. Colins other select theatre credits include Company B’s production of Death of a Salesman (for which he received the 2013 Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor […]

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  • Raj Labade
    Edmund
    image description

    Raj Labade will star as ‘Sebastian’ in the highly anticipated Amazon Prime series, The Office: Australia. In 2023, Raj worked in the STC/State Theatre production Dictionary of Lost Words, and Griffin Theatre production Sex Magick, as well as the SBS series Appetite. In 2022, Raj starred in the Belvoir production Tell Me I’m Here, the […]

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  • Brandon McClelland
    Kent
    image description

    Brandon graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 2012. Brandon’s theatre credits include: Wayside Bride, Light Shining in Buckinghamshire, and Packer & Sons, with Belvoir; The Deep Blue Sea, A Cheery Soul, Saint Joan, Three Sisters, The Present (Broadway Season), A Midsummers Night’s Dream, The Golden Age, The Present, Suddenly Last Summer, and […]

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  • Conor Merrigan-Turner
    France, Others & Understudy
    image description

    Conor graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) from WAAPA in 2020. Conor can next be seen as Mick in Toby Morris’s upcoming Feature Film, COOEE. Most notably, Conor can be seen opposite Annette Benning, Sam Neil, Alison Brie and Jake Lacey as one of the lead series regular cast, Logan Delaney, in the Peacock series, APPLES NEVER […]

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  • Arjunan Puveendran
    Musician
    image description

    Arjunan’s work focuses on the intersection of music, dance, rhythm and dialogue.  As a vocalist, percussionist and speaker, he has co-presented and performed in various arts projects including: Atma: Music and Movement (2017), Bhakti: Art and Devotion (2018), Bhoomi: Woman and Earth (2019), Re-imagining Dance: Brown Bodies on the Global Stage (2020) along with Bhoomi: Our Country for Sydney Festival 2021. He was Composer and […]

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  • Sukhbir (Sunny) Singh Walia
    Albany
    image description

    Sukhbir Singh Walia (more commonly known as Sunny S. Walia) is an Indian Australian actor based in Melbourne. He returns to Belvoir’s Counting and Cracking having previously been part of the ensemble on their 2022 UK tour. Walia made his television debut in Apple TV’s Shantaram, taking on the character of Sub Inspector Chavan Sharma […]

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  • Alison Whyte
    Countess of Gloucester
    image description

    Alison Whyte is one of Australia’s most accomplished and celebrated actors, with an outstanding reputation in theatre, film and television. For Belvoir, Alison’s credits include Faith Healer, as well as Summer of the Seventeenth Doll with Melbourne Theatre Company. Alison’s other theatre credits include: Death of a Salesman (5 Minute Call), Harry Potter and the […]

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  • Charles Wu
    Cornwall
    image description

    Charles Wu is one of Australia’s most exciting actors of stage and screen. Charles’ theatre credits include The Cherry Orchard alongside Pamela Rabe, An Enemy of the People, Jasper Jones, Scenes from the Climate Era, Ms. Peony, Samson, The Overcoat: A Musical (Belvoir), The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui alongside Hugo Weaving, The Lifespan of […]

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  • Jana Zvedeniuk
    Regan
    image description

    A graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts in 2020, Jana has since worked across Australian theatre and TV.  Her Belvoir theatre credits include Master and Margarita by Eamon Flack, and Tell Me I’m Here by Leticia Cáceres. Jana also performed in the Australian premiere of Yentl at Arts Centre Melbourne, for which she […]

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  • Creatives

  • Bob Cousins
    Set Designer
    image description

    Theatre design includes Cloudstreet, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Strange Interlude,  Waiting for Godot , Babyteeth, Mother Courage, and Mortido for Belvoir;  Season at Sarsaparilla, War of the Roses, King Lear, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui  for Sydney Theatre Company;  Moving Target for Malthouse Theatre;  Medea , Husbands and Wives and Flight 49 for Toneelgroep/International Theater Amsterdam; Medea for Burgtheater, Vienna; Eine Griechische Trilogie for Berliner Ensemble […]

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  • James Stibilj
    Costume Designer
    image description

    James Stibilj is an emerging set and costume designer based between Sydney and London, working across theatre, opera and film. James received a BFA in Design For Live Performance from NIDA. His work on NIDA productions Sweeney Todd (costume design, 2023) and Sandaime Richard (set design, 2023) were both nominated for the 2024 APDG Emerging Designer Award, with the […]

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  • Steve Francis
    Co-Composer & Sound Designer
    image description

    Steve has worked extensively in theatre, dance and screen. His Belvoir credits include The Wrong Gods, The Weekend, Jungle and the Sea, Tell me I’m Here, Cursed, My Brilliant Career, Packer & Sons, Things I Know To Be True, Winyanboga Yurringa, Every Brilliant Thing, The Sugar House, The Book of Everything, The Power of Yes, […]

    Read full bio
  • Arjunan Puveendran
    Co-Composer
    image description

    Arjunan’s work focuses on the intersection of music, dance, rhythm and dialogue.  As a vocalist, percussionist and speaker, he has co-presented and performed in various arts projects including: Atma: Music and Movement (2017), Bhakti: Art and Devotion (2018), Bhoomi: Woman and Earth (2019), Re-imagining Dance: Brown Bodies on the Global Stage (2020) along with Bhoomi: Our Country for Sydney Festival 2021. He was Composer and […]

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  • Morgan Moroney
    Lighting Designer
    image description

    Morgan’s work as Lighting Designer includes: AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, SONG OF FIRST DESIRE, NAYIKA: A DANCING GIRL (Belvoir), SHITTY (Belvoir 25A), DIDO & AENEAS, LA SERVA PADRONA (Pinchgut Opera), THE TURN OF THE SCREW (Hayes Theatre), FLY GIRL, EMERALD CITY, THE QUEEN’S NANNY, SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER, CLYDE’S (Ensemble), CLEANSED (Redline), GIRLS IN BOYS’ CARS (NTofP), THE WET, THE DRY (Circa Cairns), INFERNO (Australian Brandenburg Orchestra), THE BARBER OF […]

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  • Margaret Thanos
    Assistant Director
    image description

    Margaret Thanos is an award-winning Cypriot-Australian director, writer and actor for theatre and film. She is also the owner of Queen Hades Productions, a production company that works to bring together activism and art. Margaret’s directing credits include Furious Mattress, Not Now, Not Ever: A Parliament of Women (25A), the 5-star sell-out season of I […]

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  • Nigel Poulton
    Fight Director & Intimacy Coordinator
    image description

    Nigel is an award-winning fight, movement, and intimacy director, SAG-AFTRA stunt performer and actor with over 17 years of national and international experience. He is a Fight Master with the Society of American Fight Directors. Belvoir credits include: THE SPARE ROOM, THE WRONG GODS, BIG GIRLS DON’T CRY, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY,  THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF […]

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  • Charmene Yap
    Additional Movement Director
    image description

    Charmene Yap is an award-winning dancer, choreographer, movement director, rehearsal director and educator. A graduate of WAAPA and Purchase College New York, her two-decade career includes performing with leading companies such as Sydney Dance Company, where she is now Rehearsal Associate, as well as Chunky Move, Dancenorth, Lucy Guerin Inc, Tasdance and Armitage Gone! Dance […]

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  • Luke McGettigan
    Stage Manager
    image description

    Luke is Belvoir’s Resident Stage Manager. For Belvoir, he has stage managed Orlando, The Spare Room, Song of First Desire, August Osage County, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Never Closer, Holding the Man, Master and Margarita, The Weekend, Scenes from the Climate Era, Blessed Union, The Jungle and the Sea, Tell […]

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  • Rebecca Dilley
    Assistant Stage Manager
    image description

    Hailing from Donnybrook, Western Australia, Bec Dilley is a freelance stage manager excited to be returning to Belvoir St Theatre for ‘King Lear’. With a BPA in Stage Management from WAAPA, Bec graduated in 2023 as the inaugural winner of the Peter Hurford Award for Excellence. Since then, she has worked on a variety of […]

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Information
for schools

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    TERM FOUR

    See this play for:
    TRAGEDY
    SHAKESPEAREAN DRAMA

    Recommended for Years 10 – 12

    Curriculum Links

    Drama
    Stage 5
    • Appreciating
      (Outcomes 5.3.1, 5.3.2)
    Stage 6
    Preliminary
    • Improvisation, Playbuilding, Acting (P1.7, P1.8, P2.1, P2.2, P2.6, P3.1)
    • Elements of Production in Performance
      (Outcomes P2.6, P3.1, P3.2)
    • Theatrical Traditions and Performance Styles
      (Outcomes P2.6, P3.1, P3.2)
    HSC
    • Individual Project: Performance, Design
    ENGLISH
    Stage 5
    • Shakespearean Drama
    Stage 6

    PRELIMINARY

    • Narratives that Shape our World (Common Module) (related text)

    Schools Performances

    All schools performances are followed by a Q&A session with the cast.
    • Thu, 27 Nov 2025 11:30am

    Tickets are only $25 per student with one complimentary teacher ticket for every ten students booked.

    Evening and Matinee Performances

    School groups can book any general public performance. Book our Thursday 1PM matinees for the schools performance price of $25 per ticket, or an evening performance from $45 per student.

    What to expect

    Belvoir creates for a wide audience and our productions may contain mature content. Accurate information about productions including running times and content is available once rehearsals have begun.

    Contact Us

    For more information about our education programs, please get in touch.

    Head of Education Jane May
    Education Coordinator Nicola Denton
    +61 (2) 8396 6241

    Book your performance

    Complete this form to request tickets for King Lear
    Want to book multiple productions? Head to our full Schools Booking request

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