King Lear
14 June - 20 July 2024
For the first time since 2010, Bell Shakespeare presents King Lear. Directed by Peter Evans and starring one of Australia’s finest classical actors Robert Menzies, this heart-wrenching new production promises to be powerful and utterly unforgettable.
Please note: this event is not held at the Sydney Opera House.
Date | Time |
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14 June 2024 Preview |
TBC |
15 June 2024 Preview |
TBC |
16 June 2024 Preview |
TBC |
18 June 2024 Preview |
TBC |
19 June 2024 Preview |
TBC |
20 June - 20 July 2024 | TBC |
30 June 2024 Post-performance Q&A |
TBC |
Sydney Opera House Insiders pre-sale
Tuesday 13 February 2024
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What’s On e-newsletter on-sale
Wednesday 14 February 2024
General Public tickets on-sale
Thursday 15 February 2024
Run time
The run time for this performance is yet to be confirmed.
Age
The age recommendation for this performance is yet to be confirmed.
The Opera House is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children that visit or engage with us. Read our Child Safety Policy.
Lear, Act 3, Scene 4O, I have taken too little care of this!
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Seating map
Powerful and utterly unforgettable
King Lear has ruled for a lifetime. He has plans for succession – the Kingdom is to be shared among his three daughters. But when he is challenged, Lear’s reaction unravels his family and ultimately the country, hurling him into a storm of rage, self-discovery, and perhaps even acceptance.
Is this Shakespeare’s great exploration of ‘filial ingratitude’? Or the sad tale of an old man in decline and the terrible choices forced upon his daughters? Is it the story of an appallingly entitled and selfish king? Or a daughter too naïve and proud to compromise for an ailing father?
It is about all these things, and more. Shakespeare’s epic of the imagination, performed in the profoundly intimate setting of The Neilson Nutshell at Pier 2/3 in the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct.
Presented by Bell Shakespeare
Tickets are now available as part of a season package via Bell Shakespeare

Artist information
By William Shakespeare
Director
Peter Evans
Designed by
Anna Tregloan
Sound and Composition by
Max Lyandvert
With
Robert Menzies
About Robert Menzies
Robert Menzies is one of this country’s great classical actors. For Bell Shakespeare he has given us the fatherly, sensitive yet politic Polonius in Hamlet, and the poetic, philosophical but tough-minded Friar in Romeo and Juliet. Robert’s career spans four decades working on some of the great productions in our theatre history. Bell Shakespeare are thrilled to present his powerful, brilliant and entirely unique performance of Lear.
Bell Shakespeare
Bell Shakespeare returns in 2024 with a selection of some of Shakespeare’s most magnificent works.
Other information
Venue information
Please note: this event is not held at the Sydney Opera House.
The Neilson Nutshell, Pier 2/3 is located at 13a Hickson Road, Dawes Point NSW 2000.
The entrance to The Neilson Nutshell is located midway down Pier 2/3. Follow the signage for Performance Spaces. The Neilson Nutshell is located on Level 1 and is accessible by both stairs and lift.
Getting to Pier 2/3
Pier 2/3 is a brisk 15 - 20 minute walk from Circular Quay and Wynyard transport hubs. Hickson Road is serviced by the 324 and 325 bus service or the 311 to Millers Point. Pedestrian and cycle paths service Walsh Bay Arts Precinct from Barangaroo to Circular Quay. Metered parking is available on Hickson Road and paid off-street parking can be found at 26 Hickson Road (Interpark) and at the corner of Towns Place and Hickson Road (Wilsons).
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