‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’
Directed by Emily Bowles
Shakespeare’s ever-fresh madcap comedy of ‘moon-crossed’ infatuation in the course of 24 tempestuous hours!.
Venue: Petit Théâtre Mercelis, Ixelles 1050 Googlemap of venue
Dates: 22-26th of January, 8pm. 27th of January, 2pm & 8pm
Tickets available here at €16 & €14..
The Brussels Shakespeare Society presents ‘Hamlet’, directed by Sven Delariviere.
28th-30th of November 20.00,
1st of December 14.00 & 20.00
Theatre – Le Jacques Franck, Centre Culturel de St. Gilles
Chaussée de Waterloo 94, 1060 St-Gilles
Tickets €15 (adults), €13 (Students/groups)
BSS presents ‘Our Country’s Good’ by Timberlake Wertenbaker
Directed by Joanna Jack
Special group discount price of €10 for groups of 5+
After the novel ‘The Playmaker’ by Thomas Keneally, Timberlake Wertenbaker’s dramatisation won her an Olivier Award, six Tonys and ‘Best New Foreign Play’ award from the New York Drama Critics’ Circle.
Based on real events – the staging by convicts and officers of 18th C. dramatist George Farquhar’s ‘The Recruiting Officer’ – follow the progress of the first Convict Fleet to Australia. Discover with us whether theatre brings social cohesion and the birth of a new society…for better or worse, for the newcomers and indigenous peoples.
Tuesday 19th to Saturday 23rd of March, 8pm
and Saturday 23rd at 3 pm
Theatre: Theatral Scarabaeus, Rue Creuse, Schaerbeek
googlemap of venue
Tickets: €20, students/under 18: €15, group of 5+ (adults and/or students/under 18): €10!
A history play by William Shakespeare
Directed by Stephen Challens
Henry is king now. His days of mischief and hanging around with his roguish friends are over. He now carries the huge responsibility of leading his armies in a war against France and living up to his father’s memory.
It’s a whirlwind of emotions, strategy, distrust, hope and growth.
To top it off he even has to find time for love.
Part of the 1st Annual Shakespeare Summer Festival, come see this play in combination with ‘Mopsa and Dorcas Hit the Town’ / ‘Nadir Nachtmerrie’ and enjoy our Shake-your-Spear Sunday Social as a fun extra.
Venue: Balsamine Theatre, Avenue Félix Marchal / Felix Marchallaan 1, 1030 Schaerbeek
(Very close to Dailly)
Tickets via https://thelittleboxoffice.com/bss
17 euros for single tickets, 15 euros for under 18s and groups (5+)
Mopsa and Dorcas Hit the Town
An original play by Patrick Stephenson
Directed by Esther Pozo Vera
They’re full-time doctorate students and part-time pole dancers. They’ve just lost their jobs. But tonight, they’ll start to save the world.
“Hilarious… The Bard would be proud.” – Sarah Crew, Editor-in-Chief, The Bulletin Magazine
Nadir Nachtmerrie
An original play by Stephen Challens
Directed by Esther Pozo Vera
Inspired by William Shakespeare’s tale of A Midsummer Night’s dream, this tale is turned upside down and takes on a darker feel.
Can this play within a play within a play within a play illuminate anything new on this traditional light and funny comedy?
Smiling from the shadows, Puck thinks so.
Part of the 1st Annual Shakespeare Summer Festival, come see this double feature in combination with ‘Henry V‘ and enjoy our Shake-your-Spear Sunday Social as a fun extra.
Venue: Balsamine Theatre, Avenue Félix Marchal / Felix Marchallaan 1, 1030 Schaerbeek
(Very close to Dailly)
Tickets for 13 euro via https://thelittleboxoffice.com/bss
One ticket, three plays and our Sunday Shakespeare Festival Day!
Get a lovely dose of theatre just before the summer break.
The first week enjoy the double feature of original plays ‘Mopsa And Dorcas Hit the Town’ and ‘Nadir Nachtmerrie’. The second week the BSS is presenting the classic ‘Henry V’.
During this festival we offer you three different takes on Shakespeare’s plays with ‘Mopsa And Dorcas’, inspired by the characters of the tragedy of ‘A Winter’s Tale’. ‘Nadir Nachtmerrie’ is inspired by one of Shakespeares most popular comedies, ‘A Midsummer night’s dream’, but viewed from the other side of the mirror. This is a tale you know, but not as you know it.
We’re finishing with the history play ‘Henry V’, picking up the story where ‘Henry IV’ stopped.
So with this combo ticket you get a peek into the wonderful world of the Bard.
If this has wet your appetite, come join us on the Shakespeare Sunday Social, for a hopefully sunny afternoon with drinks, food and entertainment.
Mopsa and Dorcas Hit the Town / Nadir Nachtmerrie
Henry V
Shake-your-Spear Sunday Social
Venue: Balsamine Theatre, Avenue Félix Marchal / Felix Marchallaan 1, 1030 Schaerbeek
(Very close to Dailly)
Tickets, including entrance to all three plays, the Shakespeare Sunday Social and one drink,
for 26 euro via https://thelittleboxoffice.com/bss (Only 100 combo festival tickets available)
Master and Mistress,
Quickly come to our event;
Shake your Spear;
Henry a Fifth of wine;
Fall on your Staff;
Nick your Bottom;
the next day, see Doctor Butts.
Dive into the world of the Bard and join us for an afternoon filled with lovely food and drinks and, obviously, a healthy helping of Shakespeare related entertainment.
One of the highlights of our 1st Annual Shakespeare Summer Festival
Venue: Balsamine Theatre, Avenue Félix Marchal / Felix Marchallaan 1, 1030 Schaerbeek
(Very close to Dailly)
Tickets for only 5 euro via https://thelittleboxoffice.com/bss
BSS presents: ‘Much Ado About Nothing’
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Marianne Farrar-Hockley
Venue: Espace Scarabaeus, 19-27 Rue Creuse, Bxl 1030
Googlemap of venue
3rd-8th of February 2020 at 20.00
8th of February at 14.00
Tickets: €18 adults; €14 groups, youth concessions.
The Brussels Shakespeare Society presents Macbeth as our main production (Dir. Steve Challens) plus three new short plays.
Macbeth dates:
1st-4th & 9th-11th at 8pm
4th & 11th of June, matinées at 2pm.
Macbeth will be performed with French surtitles.
In addition we present 3 new short plays on Shakespearian themes which were entered in our 2020-21 Playwriting competition.
Shortly To Go (Dir. Tim Myers), Yellow (Dir. Geoffrey Mamdani) & Will.I.am am I? (Dir. Guillem Chevalier)
Short Play Nights, 8pm:
Monday 6th of June, Will.I.am am I? and Yellow
Tuesday 7th of June, Yellow and Shortly To Go.
Wednesday 8th of June, Shortly To Go and Will.I.am am I?
All shows at Espace Lumen, Ch. de Boondael 36, Ixelles 1030.
Further info and Tickets available here.
It is not all about watching! On the middle Sunday of the BSS Festival fortnight, there will be a fun ‘Event’ day at Espace Lumen from 12 am to 6 pm.
Besides a bar offering food, there will be a variety of events both for adults and children, including a ‘Shakespeare Miscast Competition’ – an opportunity for anyone to do a few lines from any Shakespeare play regardless of the character’s gender, age, etc in any style they please! for more details of that apply to:
Johanna.kainz92@hotmail.com
Admission free for ticket-holders to Macbeth or the Short Play evenings or an option to buy a ticket on the door for any of those performances, or €5 per person on the door.
The 2019 Festival Sunday Party was great fun – and provided many laughs! Come along to this year’s and enjoy – or take part in! – the festivities.
Sunday June 5th, 12-6. Espace Lumen, Chaussée de Boondael 36 (very near Flagey)
Auditions will take place at 13 rue du Boulet, 1000 Bruxelles (Metro Saint Catherine, Bus stops Bourse/De Brouckère)
9 September at 21:00
10 September at 14:00
11 September at 11:00
Possible call-backs
30 September at 20:00
1 October at 14:00
If you intend to audition, please send an email to estherpozovera@hotmail.com
We are looking for:
• Prospero (Duke of Milan): Male between 50 and 70 years old
• Miranda (his daughter): Female between 16 and 20 years old
• Caliban (original owner of the island): Female of African origin, between 30 and 40 years old
• Ariel (inhabitant of the island – a spirit): Male or Female between 30 and 40 years old
• Alonsa (Queen of Naples): Female between 50-70 years old
• Sebastian (her brother): Male between 40-50 years old
• Antonia (sister of Prospero and now Duchess of Milan): Female between 40-50 years old
• Gonzalo (head of cabinet of the queen): Male between 50 and 70 years old
• Ferdinand (Son to the queen of Naples): Male between 20-30 years old
• Trinculo (a member of government): Male between 30-40 years old
• Stephano (assistant to the queen): Male between 40-50 years old
• The three goddesses: Female between 20-60 years old
• We are also looking for people who can sing and dance and musicians willing to have fun.
The Brussels Shakespeare Society presents ‘The Taming Of The Shrew’, directed by Charles Bouchard.
Venue: Centre Culturel Jacques Franck, Chau. de Waterloo 94, 1060 Saint-Gilles.
Dates: Wednesday 5th to Saturday 8th of October. 20.00
Matinée: Saturday 8th, 14.00
Tickets: €17 adults, €14 full-time students.
‘The Tempest’ by William Shakespeare, directed by Esther Pozo Vera.
Performances: Tuesday to Saturday (March 7 to 11)
Time: 8pm + Saturday matinée at 2pm.
Venue: Centre Culturel Jacques Franck, Chau. de Waterloo 94, 1060 Saint-Gilles
The Brussels Shakespeare Society presents ‘King Charles III’ by Mike Bartlett.
Inspired by Shakespeare’s History Plays, in 2014 Mike Bartlett produced a modern day ‘imagined future’ about the current monarchy. Since it opens with the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth, one might think real events have now overtaken Bartlett’s play, but not so…
Firstly, one soon realises just how prescient the playwright was about those real events, as Charles grapples with imposing his own personality and convictions on the institution he now heads. But also as the play develops – with a clash of principle with both Parliament and family – it builds a credible and steadily increasing tension, leading towards a finale one can easily believe might still happen.
Indeed, it is not fanciful to think it could have happened in very first few weeks of Charles’ reign – when Downing Street bluntly instructed him not to attend the COP27 Climate summit in Egypt, an issue so close to his heart…
First performed in 2014, ‘King Charles III’ garnered wide praise from the press.
DATES
Tuesday 24th to Saturday 28th of October 2023, at 20:00.
and Matinee on Saturday 28th at 14:30.
VENUE: Petit Théâtre Mercelis, Rue Mercelis, 13, 1050 Ixelles
The Brussels Shakespeare Society will be auditioning for Charles III, written by Mike Bartlett, directed by Johanna Kainz. The play will be perfomed from the 24th to 28th October 2023 at Mercelis Theater, Rue Mercelis, 13 1050 Ixelles.
The Play (written in 2014!):
Prince Charles has spent his entire life yearning for the crown, which is now within reach. But even before the coronation, King Charles III’s idealism is put to the test as Parliament just enacted a new bill that drastically restricts journalistic freedom. It is customary for the monarch to sign the bill, but Charles refuses. And so within a month of his mother’s funeral he sees himself in a direct clash with the Prime Minister.
Whilst most of the family struggles with what King Charles’ actions mean for the future of the monarchy, Prince Harry meets someone who makes him wonder about his own future potentially away from it all.
Audition Dates:
Wednesday 22nd February 19:00 – 21:00
Saturday 25th February 10:00 -12:00
Thursday 2nd March 19:00 – 21:00
Sunday 5th March 11:00-14:00
Audition Location: Rue de Belle-Vue 40, 1000 Bruxelles
https://goo.gl/maps/opKbUwyDi9m2odpw8
We are looking for
Male Cast
Doubled Roles
Female Cast
Doubled Roles
It’s summer 2024. Falstaff arrives at the Garter Hotel in Windsor with his semi-criminal ‘retinue’, looking to scam some easy money by romancing two wealthy wives there with his fading charms, Mrs Ford and Mrs Page. His overtures to the former excite the jealousy of Mr. Ford, leading to comically furious scenes.
Meanwhile the hotel’s host enjoys setting up practical jokes between two other guests, the Reverend Sir Hugh and Doctor Caius. A further guest, the ancient retired Justice Shallow, is there to find a suitable wife for his cellar-dwelling video gamer nephew, Slender.The Pages are on the same quest for their daughter Anne. Her father favours Slender; Mrs Page, Doctor Caius. But anyone is better than Anne’s current squeeze, louche aristo ‘bad boy’ Fenton.
Will the scatterbrained Ms. Quickly – personal message deliverer to all of them – manage to get the right messages to the right people? Who will marry Anne? Who will come out top practical joker? Will Falstaff’s scheming succeed? Come and enjoy Shakespeare’s light frothy farce – and the worst joke he ever wrote!
11-16 of June at 20:00
Matinée: Saturday 15th of June 14:00
Venue: Théâtre Mercelis, Rue Mercelis 13, 1050 Ixelles
Googlemap of location
Tickets on sale here: https://thelittleboxoffice.com/bss
BRUSSELS SHAKESPEARE SOCIETY is casting TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA by William Shakespeare, for performance from 24th to 29th of June, 2025, directed by Tom Mallan.
Auditions will be held on Saturday 23rd and Sat, 30th of November, with possible callbacks on Sunday, 1st of December.
For fuller details please follow the link at: http://tinyurl.com/2GentsInfo
If you are interested in participating (either as an actor or in some other capacity) please follow the link to the submission form to book an audition time.
The Brussels Shakespeare Society presents Julius Caesar directed by Emily Bowles.
With a few brief exceptions, Rome’s proud boast was that it had been a republic for several hundred years. But the familiar internal strains of Left and Right – the ‘Plebeians’ versus the wealthy ‘Patrician’ families – had always been there. They came to a head in 44 BCE with Caesar, a deeply ambitious Roman general, the darling of his troops and of the Roman populace who had benefited from the spoils of his foreign conquests. It suited him well to be seen in that light, even though he himself was descended from one of Rome’s oldest Patrician families, the Claudian line. Does this seem familiar…?
Tickets available at https://thelittleboxoffice.com/bss.
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Shakespeare like you’ve never seen before! The Brussels Shakespeare Society presents The Two Gentlemen of Verona, reimagined in a groovy, campy, and dance-filled version set in the Swinging Sixties. Expect romance, betrayal, fabulous fashion, and a whole lot of boogie—plus, a scene-stealing dog!
June 24–29, 2025 | La Maison Qui Chante, Brussels!
Tickets at:
directed by Patrick Stephenson.
Auditions for our May 2026 production, Antony and Cleopatra directed by Patrick Stephenson, will take place on Saturdays, 20th and 27th of September at The Warehouse Studio Theatre from 2pm to approximately 5pm.
The events of Antony and Cleopatra will take place in the near future (the 2030s), some 15-20 years after Caesar’s assassination, a period comparable to the 13 years that separated Caesar’s assassination in 44 BC and the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. The context will be a power struggle that follows a populist takeover of the European Union. Much action will be depicted as unfolding here in Brussels.
If you wish to audition please go to our online audition form through this link. There you will find more information about the production, a full list of parts available and a form to fill in and send to the director requesting an audition.
Director: Esther Pozo Vera. 5th to 9th of November
Venue: La Maison Qui Chante, Rue Viaduc 122, 1050 Ixelles
Set in a fictional modern-day America under an ultra-conservative religious regime, this production explores the State’s control over private life, sexual morality, and personal freedom. It delves into questions of consent, hypocrisy, and the tension between mercy and strict moral judgment—issues as urgent today as in Shakespeare’s time. The production contains mature references to sexuality, religious belief, and power dynamics.
For student groups of 10 students or more, contact us via bss.boxoffice@gmail.com to benefit from the special large-group student discount.
The director will be looking for dancers for a lavish choreography at the play’s start. She will also be looking for:
Duke, the President: male between 40 and 60 years old
Angelo, the Prime Minister: male between 40 and 60 years old
Lucio, a friend of Claudio: male between 40 and 60 years old
Claudio, a young man condemned to die: male between 20 and 35 years old
Escalus, State Secretary: male between 60 and 70 years old
Pompey, a pimp / Friar Thomas / officer: male between 30 and 40 years old
Provost: male between 30 and 50 years old
Isabella, a novice who is Claudio’s sister: female between 20 and 35 years old
Julietta, Claudio’s girlfriend / Sister Francisca / prostitute: female between 20 and 35 years old
Mariana / Mrs Overdone: female between 35-50 years old
Additional audition dates will soon be announced, with a specific audition date for dancers. Audtioners should be prepared to attend call-backs.
Want more details? Fill out this Form to receive the full what-when-where, and see you there!!
Antony and Cleopatra will play at the Jacques Frank theatre from 19 to 23 May. Set as a ‘future history’ in the 2030s, the show will portray a modern-day autocrat, Octavian, facing off against the lovers of the title in a battle for the soul of Europe. Get your tickets now!
In our shows, we like to highlight Shakespearean themes that might be more relevant for modern audiences. As our October 2024 show Measure for Measure considered how sexuality intersects with power and as our January 2024 show Julius Caesar explored how populism subverts democracy, Antony and Cleopatra will focus on how disinformation and AI, if left unchecked, could serve as a road leading from populism to dictatorship.
Historians note that Gaius Octavius’ war against his rival Antony was in part a disinformation war, and arguably one of the most successful disinformation wars in history. Among many examples, he compelled the Roman Senate in 32 BC to declare war against Cleopatra, not Antony. By doing so, he portrayed a Roman civil war as a fight against Egypt, a devious foreign enemy. His narratives lived on in his memoirs, now lost to us. But they influenced later accounts that survived, most famously Plutarch’s Life of Antony. Many centuries later, Shakespeare would use Plutarch’s work as the basis for his play.
Had Shakespeare been a lesser genius, he might have repeated the disinformation narratives about Cleopatra that Octavian Caesar Augustus promoted. But he could not help but portray Cleopatra as a real human being, with her own goals, passions, and contradictions. Among other themes, Antony and Cleopatra will explore this tension in a text that, at times, seems ambivalent about whether Cleopatra was an evil archetype or a tragic heroine.
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‘Green-Eyed Monster’, inspired by Shakespeare’s play, is a new original one-act piece by Fintan O’Higgins. It will run in conjunction with Hugh Dow’s ‘speed adaptation’ of the original, ‘Othello In 40 Minutes’.
They will play in the Studio space at CC Jacques Franck, in tandem with our main house production of ‘Antony And Cleopatra’ (Hint: Don’t book tickets for both shows on the same day! – unless you want to catch the Saturday matinée of one and the evening show of the other.)
Tickets for ‘Othello Night’ and for ‘Antony And Cleopatra’ HERE
Post expires on Saturday May 23rd, 2026