HSC Shakespeare Seminars
Collaborating with Australia's national theatre company
The partnership between the University of Sydney and Bell Shakespeare unites two uniquely Australian institutions with a shared focus on education and creating positive impact for the greater community.
Bell Shakespeare is national theatre company specialising in the works of William Shakespeare, his contemporaries and other classics. Since its extraordinary journey began in 1990, Bell Shakespeare has shared the timeless beauty of Shakespeare and other classics with young people, teachers, communities and audiences in every state and territory of Australia.
The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences is proud to have partnered with Bell Shakespeare and to work in a variety of collaboration opportunities.
In these annual Shakespeare seminars, Professor Liam Semler and Associate Professor Huw Griffiths from the Discipline of English at the University of Sydney collaborate with Emily Edwards, Resident Artist in Education at Bell Shakespeare, to explore and analyse the timeless themes in Shakespeare's plays.
Each session includes in-depth analysis by one of our academics, covering close reading, literary techniques, different interpretations, themes, and character analysis. The Players from Bell Shakespeare also perform key scenes and soliloquies. Part performance, part interactive seminar, these sessions are designed to directly link to HSC modules and give students the edge in their upcoming HSC exams.
Combining rigorous literary analysis with illuminating dramatic insights into the plays, these sessions are presented in an approachable, conversational format emphasising the interplay between text and drama.
Students and teachers are encouraged to ask and discuss questions live, as it is an opportunity to connect with Bell Shakespeare artists, leading academics from the University of Sydney, and fellow students completing their HSC.
Please note that our 2025 seminars were delivered in April/May 2025.
You can access the digital recordings for:
Find out more and access the digital recordings here on demand.
Richard is one of Shakespeare’s great creations: as funny as he is vicious; as pathetic as he is terrifying. We're looking forward to exploring all of his possibilities through this interactive workshop.
Discipline of English
Connect with our Strategic Partnerships and Engagement team by filling out our Partnership Enquiry form.
