The Winter’s Tale

An impressive exhibition of local theatre and talent, The Winter’s Tale, directed by Julie Shearer, is Shakespeare's most extraordinary coup de théâtre retold. 

Warm light spills out of windows and doors and into the night sky as we approach the Pavilion in the Armidale showgrounds. It is 7.20pm on a Friday night and we’re on our way to see Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, retold by Lisa Goldzieher’s Empty Space Productions. 

Greeted with a smile at the door by an usher who scans our tickets and hands us the show program, we are welcomed into the building. If you’ve ever stepped foot into the Pavilion, you’ll know what a beautiful big space it is – in the presence of The Winter’s Tale set, however, it seems a cosy and intimate venue. 

After purchasing a glass of red and finding two spare seats in the densely-packed stalls, we got comfy. Almost immediately, the lights were dimmed and the stage lit up – and right from the opening scene, we were captivated. 

A beautiful ballroom evening quickly transforms into a scene of rage and jealousy as Leonates, King of Sicily, falsely accuses his wife Hermione of having an affair with his childhood friend and King of Bohemia, Polixenes. And so the story of love, jealousy, death, and incredible acts of forgiveness unfolds. 

Reenacted by some of Armidale’s most celebrated actors, The Winter’s Tale is a skilful production. To remember two and a half hours of Shakespeare is an impressive feat on its own, but to stay in character, deliver each line with meaning, and keep an audience entertained all at once shows the hard work, love, sweat, and tears that went into making this production the success that it is. 

Balancing the more emotionally-intense moments with humour, dance choreography by Melissa Killen, and a musical twist, The Winter’s Tale is a great way to spend your evening, all the while supporting the local theatre scene and talent that we are so lucky to have in Armidale. 

A word of advice

It’s cold out folks. Take an extra jacket and grab some tissues while you’re at it. You’ll need them for those tear-jerking scenes. 

Get tickets

Find tickets to The Winter’s Tale here.

See Lisa Goldzieher, Melissa Killen, Stuart Lumsden, Emily Stocker, Jesse Donaldson-Jarrett, Calliden Hunter, Julie Collins, Kieran O’Baoill, Grace Bowman, Rebecca Tafra, Ben Lewis, Craig Johnson, Mark Lawless, Melissa Hawthorne, Lisa Quast,  Joseph Bell, Henry Gow and Stanley Hamilton on stage. Supported by musical talent Brendan Passey, Alma Kanety, Saho Brown, Josephine O’Baoill, Dave Eddy and Hugh Cook.