More Cast Revealed For The Shawshank Redemption

Feature-The Shawshank Redemption

As final performances for the Sydney and Melbourne seasons for the Australian tour of The Shawshank Redemption go on sale today, additional cast members were revealed. The stage adaptation of one of the most popular and enduring films of all times, The Shawshank Redemption will play in Sydney from 2-31 January 2027 and Melbourne from 3 February to 7 March, before moving to Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane. Head to ShawshankLive.com.au to buy tickets.

Stephen Anzo (Headless, The Big Fix) will be playing the role of Nelson, alongside Laurence Boxhall (The Mousetrap, Lord of the Rings) as Tommy and Soren Jensen (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) as Hadley. Stephen Lopez (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Fisk) will play Rico, Blessing Mok (Bad Blood Blues, NCIS: Sydney) is Entwistle, and Nathan O’Keefe (The Importance of Being Earnest, Betrayal) plays Rooster. Completing the cast are Mark Saturno (The Normal Heart, A View From The Bridge) as Dawkins and Jeremiah Wray (Macbeth, A Few Good Men) as Bogs Diamond.

They join acclaimed television, film and theatre actor David Berry (Outlander, A Place To Call Home, Home and Away) who will play Andy Dufresne, prolific stage and television actor Bert LaBonté (The Book of Mormon, Colin From Accounts, Cloudstreet) playing “Red”, and one of Australia’s most recognised screen actors Rodger Corser (Doctor Doctor, Rush, Channel 9’s The Floor) in the role of the Warden.

The Shawshank Redemption is a powerful stage production that places you just metres from the action. Raw, intimate and deeply moving, this is theatre at its most compelling – where every moment unfolds live before your eyes. Based on Stephen King’s celebrated novella, this gripping adaptation tells an unforgettable story of hope, friendship and the resilience of the human spirit.

Wrongly convicted of the brutal murders of his wife and her lover, Andy Dufresne is sentenced to life imprisonment in the notorious Shawshank prison. As he navigates the harsh realities of incarceration, he forms an unlikely friendship with fellow inmate Red, discovering that even in the darkest of places, hope can endure. But when the corrupt Warden seeks to exploit Andy’s talents for his own gain, a quiet and daring plan begins to emerge, one that will challenge the very walls of Shawshank itself.

“Electrifying – it truly is a must see show” – The Observer
“This production has nailed it … Gripping live theatre” – Broadway World

Adapted for the stage by Owen O’Neill and Dave Johns, and directed by David Esbjornson who directed Angela Lansbury and James Earl Jones in the Australian tour of Driving Miss Daisy, this acclaimed production captures the emotional power and humanity that have made The Shawshank Redemption one of the world’s most enduring stories.

The 1994 film adaptation, nominated for seven Academy Awards, has become one of cinema’s most beloved classics. Now, experience a story of hope, friendship and redemption brought vividly to life in an unforgettable live theatrical event.

THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
Adapted for the stage by Owen O’Neill and Dave Johns, based on the novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King
Directed by David Esbjornson
Produced by Impresario Productions, by arrangement with Bill Kenwright Limited
By arrangement with Knight Hall Agency Ltd in association with Paradigm Talent Agency

SEASON DETAILS

SYDNEY
Venue: Theatre Royal Sydney
Season: 2 – 31 January 2027
Performance Times: Tues-Thurs 7pm, Fri-Sat 7.30pm, Wed 1pm, Sat 2pm, Sun 1pm
Prices: From $89.90 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: ShawshankLive.com.au or 1300 163 808

MELBOURNE
Venue: Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne
Season: 3 February – 7 March 2027
Performance Times: Tues-Thurs 7pm, Fri-Sat 7.30pm, Wed 2pm, Sat 2pm, Sun 1pm & 6pm (schedule varies weekly)
Prices: From $89.90 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: ShawshankLive.com.au or call 1300 182 183

PERTH SEASON
Venue: Regal Theatre
Season: 12 – 28 March 2027
Performance Times: Tues-Thurs 7pm, Fri-Sat 7.30pm, Wed 1pm, Sat 2pm, Sun 1pm & 6pm (schedule varies weekly)
Prices: From $89.90 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: ShawshankLive.com.au or 08 9381 9943

ADELAIDE SEASON
Venue: Her Majesty’s Theatre
Season: 1 – 11 April 2027
Performance Times: Wed-Thurs 7pm, Fri-Sat 7.30pm, Thurs 1pm, Sat 2pm, Sun 1pm & 6pm (schedule varies weekly)
Prices: From $89.90 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: ShawshankLive.com.au or phone 131 246

BRISBANE SEASON
Venue: Glasshouse Theatre, QPAC
Season: 28 April – 9 May 2027
Performance Times: Wed-Thurs 7pm, Fri-Sat 7.30pm, Wed 1pm, Sat 2pm, Sun 1pm & 6pm
Prices: From $89.90 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: ShawshankLive.com.au or phone 136 246

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

World Premiere For New La Bohème, A Powerful Australian Story In Town For The First Time And A Charming New Family Favourite In Opera Australia’s Wide-ranging Melbourne Spring Season

Feature-Opera Australia’s Melbourne Spring season

The Wagner Gala: A triumphant return of world-class opera to renewed Ian Potter State Theatre

Opera Australia will make a spectacular return to the newly refurbished Ian Potter State Theatre with a selection of Wagner’s most extraordinary pieces, including operatic arias and orchestral masterpieces, performed by some of the leading Wagnerian specialists of our time. The world-class cast will be led by acclaimed German Maestro Michael Güttler and will star British dramatic soprano Catherine Foster, known for her portrayal of Brünnhilde at the Bayreuth Festival, Russian tenor Sergei Skorokhodov, known for his powerful performances as Lohengrin and Tannhäuser and one of the Australia’s most versatile and in-demand baritones, James Clayton, who returns to sing with Opera Australia for the first time in over a decade.

16 October | Ian Potter State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne, Tickets from $89

La Bohème: A brand new, shimmering production to premiere in Melbourne

A lavish, brand-new production of La Bohème, by visionary young director Constantine Costi, will have its world premiere in Melbourne this November. Set in a snow-kissed Paris, this must-see production will breathe vivid new life into the opera that has inspired countless bohemian love stories. Australian rising star conductor Finnegan Downie will lead a luminous cast of international and Australian talent, including a homecoming season for Melbourne-born Alexandra Flood who will sing Musetta, while Galina Cheplakova and Valeria Sepe will break hearts sharing the role of Mimì and tenors Kang Wang and Paride Cataldo both take on the soaring melodies of Rodolfo.

7 – 18 November | Regent Theatre Melbourne, Tickets from $79

Opera Up Late: Opera’s naughtiest late-night party is back with more music, more glitz and more outrageous fun

The campest night at the opera is back: opera’s greatest late night party, Opera Up Late, hosted by the outrageous Reuben Kaye, returns to Melbourne’s Regent Theatre. A riotous celebration of all things opera, plus a few musical theatre classics and pop numbers for good measure, it’s both the perfect opportunity for newbies to pop their operatic cherries and aficionados to enjoy some of the most iconic arias as they’ve never seen, or heard, before. Award-winning director Shaun Rennie brings together a cast of fabulous singers for a night of big laughs and even bigger voices. Australia’s most highly awarded soprano, Emma Matthews, will be joined by Ruth Strutt, Daniel Macy and Anthony Mackey, all making a welcome return to the glittered Opera Up Late stage.

15 November | Regent Theatre Melbourne | Tickets from $79

The Trumpet of the Swan: For the first time in Australia, Jason Robert Brown’s charming introduction to musical storytelling

Symphony and storytelling bring E.B. White’s classic children’s novel The Trumpet of the Swan to life, with lively narration performed by a group of actors alongside a cinematic, lyrical score played live by Orchestra Victoria. Adapted for the stage by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Marsha Norman and Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown, this work, staged especially for families and children, is a charming testament to the power of music and a perfect introduction for young music lovers to live orchestral performance. A hit at its Kennedy Centre premiere, Opera Australia presents this delightful work on the Australian mainstage for the very first time.

20 – 22 November | Regent Theatre Melbourne, Tickets from $59

Watershed: The Death of Dr Duncan: A searing Australian opera tells of real-life tragedy and triumph

Ravishing operatic work Watershed: The Death of Dr Duncan will premiere in Melbourne at Arts Centre Melbourne’s Playhouse Theatre. Directed by Australian theatre and opera legend, Neil Armfield, this production is as deeply felt as it is thrillingly physical. Half a century since the infamous drowning of Dr George Ian Ogilvie Duncan, which ultimately led to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in South Australia, Watershed turns the illicit into the sacred, through powerful choral music, solo voices and dance. Through a searing, no-punches-pulled libretto by Helpmann Award-winning playwright Alana Valentine and author Christos Tsiolkas (The Slap) and a luscious, ultimately transcendent score by Brisbane composer Joe Twist, this 5-star, “if I could give it 6 stars, I would” (Limelight), critically acclaimed production captures a significant turning point in Australian history.

21 – 28 November | Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne, Tickets from $59

Booking Information
Group and concession prices available for most performances.
Opera Australia Box Office | (03) 9685 3700 | opera.org.au
Explore the season online https://opera.org.au/whats-on/melbourne

 

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Subscribe to What's The Show

Reviews, show news and what is on, straight to your inbox.