After a 2026 in which it explored power in the political arena (in Julius Caesar and Macbeth), Bell Shakespeare turns to matters of power at the personal and romantic level in 2027, with a season pairing two radically reimagined classics with an extensive national tour of its hit production of Yve Blake’s Mackenzie.

Shakespeare’s romantic comedy As You Like It, reimagined by director Marion Potts (Henry 5; King Lear) for the camera-ready, reality TV era, opens the season before the company returns to a play it last performed in 2005, Measure for Measure.

Peter Evans. Photo © Richard Hedger

The season, says the company’s Artistic Director Peter Evans, is driven by the idea of placing Shakespeare in direct conversation with contemporary life, while also expanding the company’s reach beyond its traditional audiences and metropolitan bases.

The success of Mackenzie – which premiered this year to critical acclaim – has provided particular encouragement at a time when commissioning and presenting new work remains a significant risk for arts companies.

“It was hugely risky,” Evans admits. “We always knew that...