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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'Bringing together the country's finest creative talents including Tom E. Lewis (The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith) and Jimi Bani (Mabo) this majestic and physical reworking of Shakespeare's King Lear employs the timeless tragedy to speak to the history and current circumstances of Indigenous Australia. Working across cultures and generations, The Shadow King is unmissable theatre of a scale and significance to match the land upon which it is made.'
Source: www.malthousetheatre.com.au (Sighted 12/09/2012).
Production Details
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Australia
First performed October 2012 by Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne Festival (2012) in association with Sydney Festival, Perth International Arts Festival, Adelaide Festival & Brisbane Festival.
Presented at the Malthouse Workshop from 8 - 27 October 2013.
Associate Director: Isaac Drandich.
Music Consultant: Iain Grandage.
Lighting Designer: Paul Jackson.
Props and Costume Designer: Ruby Langton-Batty.
Dramaturg: Marion Potts.
Cast: Tom E. Lewis, Jimi Bani, Natasha Wanganeen, Rarriwuy Hick, Jada Alberts, Frances Djulibing, Kamahi Djordon King, and Djamangi Gaykamangu.
England
In 2015, a season at London's Barbican Centre (22 June to 2 July 2016) was announced, as part of the program to mark the 400th year since Shakespeare's death.
The London season includes the same cast as the Australian season: Tom E. Lewis, Jimi Bani, Natasha Wanganeen, Rarriwuy Hick, Jada Alberts, Frances Djulibing, Kamahi Djordon King, and Djamangi Gaykamangu.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Tom E Lewis: An Aboriginal Lear on Walking the Black/White Divide
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 16 September 2014;
— Review of The Shadow King 2013 single work drama -
Outback Lear Strikes a Chord as it Touches on Vexed Issues
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 27 January 2014; (p. 16)
— Review of The Shadow King 2013 single work drama -
The Shadow King - Review
2013
single work
review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 17 October 2013;
— Review of The Shadow King 2013 single work drama 'To take one of Shakespeare's most tormented tragedies and indigenise it is an ambitious project: King Lear has, ...' -
Every Inch a King
2013
single work
column
— Appears in: The Monthly , December 2013 - January 2014 no. 96 2013; (p. 18-19) 'The article offers the author's insights regarding the theatrical production entitled The Shadow King, directed by Michael Kantor and starring Jimi Bani performed at the Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne, Victoria. The author says that the cast of the production including Bani were indigenous who speaks Yumpla Tok, English, and Kala Lagaw Ya throughout the play. He adds that the production will tour in Sydney, New South Wales, Perth, Western Australia, and Adelaide, Southern Australia in 2014.' (Editor's abstract) -
Indigenous Lear Wanders in Words but Pleases the Eye
2013
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 18 October 2013; (p. 31)
— Review of The Shadow King 2013 single work drama
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Campfire King
2013
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 5-6 October 2013; (p. 11)
— Review of The Shadow King 2013 single work drama 'A new interpretation of Shakespeare's Lear aims to 'grab the white man's songline'...' -
Aboriginal Lear Shines in Vibrant
2013
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 18 October 2013; (p. 12)
— Review of The Shadow King 2013 single work drama -
Indigenous Lear Wanders in Words but Pleases the Eye
2013
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 18 October 2013; (p. 31)
— Review of The Shadow King 2013 single work drama -
Outback Lear Strikes a Chord as it Touches on Vexed Issues
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 27 January 2014; (p. 16)
— Review of The Shadow King 2013 single work drama -
Tom E Lewis: An Aboriginal Lear on Walking the Black/White Divide
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 16 September 2014;
— Review of The Shadow King 2013 single work drama -
King Lear With An Imaginative Twist To Play Malthouse
2012
single work
column
— Appears in: The Age , 11 September 2012; (p. 13) -
Lear Not as You Know It but Still Traditional
2012
single work
column
— Appears in: The Australian , 11 September 2012; (p. 9) -
Jimi Bani Takes on Shakespeare
2012
single work
column
— Appears in: National Indigenous Times , 26 September no. 283 2012; (p. 4) -
Next Big Things
2012
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 2 December 2012; (p. 8-9) -
Intense Colour
2013
single work
column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 18-19 May 2013; (p. 5-6)
Awards
- 2014 shortlisted Helpmann Awards for Performing Arts in Australia — Best New Australian Work
- 2014 shortlisted Helpmann Awards for Performing Arts in Australia — Best Play
- 2014 shortlisted Helpmann Awards for Performing Arts in Australia — Best Direction of a Play
- 2013 winner Victorian Green Room Awards — Writing/Adaptation for the Australian Stage