Beautiful, engaging theatre doesn't have to cost the Earth

We are South Australia's only dedicated Shakespeare company. As Shakespeare specialists, we are trained in Original Practice (OP), utilising minimal staging and effects, with an emphasis on textual clarity and physical performance. We combine this with new and original advances in stagecraft, such as immersive eco-soundscapes and biophilic design. We work with talented South Australian performers to produce our own music, add contemporary twists and create a dynamic performance environment. Above all, we believe in joyful, entertaining, vibrant theatre bringing Shakespeare's worlds to new life in South Australian contexts.

Our values are environmental resilience towards regeneration, diversity, community and access. Theatre is surprisingly wasteful, often relying on long supply chains, single-use sets and props and energy-intensive equipment. We utilise environmentally-sensitive production techniques and explore new strategies to connect audiences with environments. Our casting process  prioritises diversity across ethnicity, gender, age and disability. Our productions are suitable for all ages and ticket prices are kept to the minimum possible, with special offers, donated tickets and free ticket give-aways. We firmly believe in making Shakespeare's work available and accessible to all, approaching it with updated perspectives while maintaining traditional integrity.  100% of all booking fees are donated to the First Nations children's scholarship program 'Fresh Start' by Humanitix.

Eco-theatre is a worldwide movement to make theatrical production more environmentally sustainable whilst exploring texts ecodramaturgically and performance ecoscenographically. Eco-theatre places nature centre-stage and investigates how perfromance can enhance, challenge and reinvent human relationships with the more-than-human world. Eco-Shakespeare is a vibrant and exciting field connecting Shakespeare's plays with environmental awareness. Shakespeare South Australia joins organisations such as Shakespeare's Globe in London, the Harlem Shakespeare Festival New York and Shakespeare in Yosemite as a proud member of the EarthShakes Alliance—a world-first initiative to unite Shakespeare companies dedicated to putting environmental aims at the heart of their practice. Shakespeare South Australia repurposes and up-cycles sets, costumes and props, uses minimal technological intervention, local suppliers, and is plant-based and cruelty-free. 

Shakespeare South Australia was founded in 2021 by Adelaide-born Alys Daroy (Monash-Warwick Alliance PhD Candidate, Shakespeare, biophilic design and ecology). Alys has worked in research, performance and eco-theatre at Shakespeare's Globe, the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival, London Lates immersive Shakespeare, Shakespeare by the Sea and multiple classical theatre productions since 2006. She has an English National Theatre and Sunday Times Ian Charleson Award Commendation for Outstanding Performance in a Classical Production and is currently co-authoring a book for Bloomsbury Arden Shakespeare with Professor Paul Prescott, titled Shakespeare, Ecology and Adaptation. Alys is a regular speaker at international conferences, including Shakespeare's Globe's Globe 4 Globe: Shakespeare and Climate Emergency, the European Shakespeare Association and the Ukrainian Shakespeare Institute/British Shakespeare Institute.