General News
6 August, 2026
Shakespearean experience
IT isn’t often audience members steal the spotlight from professional performers, but that’s what happened when Bell Shakespeare’s travelling artists united students from schools in Mortlake and Terang.
Bell Shakespeare’s The Players, a touring ensemble of professional artists who bring abridged shows of Shakespearean influence to schools across the nation, visited Mortlake College last Friday.
Visiting students from Terang College and St Colman’s Primary School joined in on the fun at the school’s Graeme Good Centre when The Players performers Libby McAneney, Keiden Cheung and Hannah King brought ‘The Wonderful World of Will’, ‘Such Sweet Sorrow’ and ‘Macbeth: The Rehearsal’ to the stage.
Ms McAneney said performing for students in rural areas held special meaning for her as she was once a student in the audience, captivated with a performance The Players had put on for her school.
“It means the world to be here, especially coming from a regional town myself,” she said.
“I remember when The Players came to my school in Dubbo, New South Wales, and it was an amazing experience to see that The Players could arrive at a school with four road cases, build a set and put on a show with minimal costuming and anything you could find in a regular dress-up box at home.
“You don’t need all the bells and whistles, which I think makes theatre accessible to kids – especially when they may not have the regular opportunities to see it.
“We definitely see that when we come to the rural towns, as opposed to metropolitan cities where they more regularly can see the arts in their day-to-day lives.”
While the performances from the actors themselves were stellar, they were not too proud to admit a pair of students had stolen the spotlight when invited on stage to take part in ‘The Wonderful World of Will’.
“They were some of the best we’ve ever had,” Ms McAneney said.
“They went above and beyond, and we were delighted by their enthusiasm and boldness in what they had to offer.
“The bravery was there – it can be really challenging to get people up and out of their seats.”
Ms King agreed, acknowledging a moment of improvisation from a student had epitomised why she loves theatre so much.
“Our little friend, Beau, jumped up on stage and pointed to the road case and shouted “Now open the chest”,” she said.
“We are so delighted when we see their imaginations are extending beyond what we’re presenting to them.
“He had this whole world in his head where the road case is a chest full of something.
“To have students get up and show how active their imaginations are is magnificent.
“It is so much fun when they can surprise us.”
Ms King said she felt it was a privilege to be able to bring high-quality theatre to children in a small town who may otherwise miss out.
“There’s a heightened sense of awe and wonder in the kids, which keeps us going,” she said.
“We so look forward to these parts of the job just because the children are so full of joy.
“It’s so fun to bring what for many of them could be their introduction to theatre.”
Mr Cheung said he hoped to inspire students to give the arts a chance, to put themselves out there and perhaps even wonder who they could one day be.
“What we do showcases and highlights what being an actor can be like,” he said.
“It shows you can do this, that this is a job, and there are opportunities out there.
“I remember when The Players came to my school when I was in Year 10 and realising it was a viable career path, it exists, and just because you’re from a regional centre does not mean you can’t succeed.”
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