MACBETH Reimagined at QPAC: A Modern Twist on Shakespeare's Tragedy
QPAC and Shake & Stir Theatre to stage a contemporary MACBETH adaptation
Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) and Shake & Stir Theatre Co have announced a brand-new retelling of Macbeth that will storm into the Playhouse from 6 to 21 June 2026.
In celebration of its 20th anniversary, acclaimed production house Shake & Stir will tackle Shakespeare's most-gripping tragedy in its very first mainstage adaptation of the bard's work.
For the Brisbane-based company that started out in 2006 as three actor friends united by a love of adapting and performing Shakespeare, this upcoming season of Macbeth fans the flames of that passion.
The production will remain faithful to Shakespeare's text but is reimagined for our age of clickbait and catastrophe: a dark, seductive, ratings-driven descent where perception is everything, loyalty is currency, and one couple's hunger for the top spot threatens to bring their whole empire crashing down.
Reborn into a ruthless world of rolling news, political theatre and weaponised ambition, this razor-sharp new adaptation charts the course of a rising war hero who becomes the media's latest obsession and, pushed by a partner as polished as she is dangerous, turns the 24-hour news cycle into his personal battleground.
Shake & Stir's Co-Artistic Directors will helm the production. Directed by Nick Skubij and adapted by Nelle Lee, with Ross Balbuziente as Creative Producer, audiences can expect another literary adaptation that is inventive and fearless in its staging from the creative team behind Frankenstein, A Christmas Carol, 1984 and Jane Eyre.
QPAC Chief Executive Rachel Healy said the organisation was extremely proud of its support for Shake & Stir's growth ambitions over the years.
“Shake & Stir is a rare and remarkable group of theatre-makers, blazing a trail by creating world-class work in Brisbane, touring major international shows around Australia, and running vital education programs across Queensland,” said Ms Healy.
“Since 2011, more than 330,000 people have visited QPAC to see a Shake & Stir show – from instant-hit page-to-stage adaptations like Roald Dahl's The Twits to the Australian premiere of Green Day's Broadway phenomenon American Idiot.
“It's been a joy to watch Shake & Stir go from strength to strength, and we are thrilled to continue our partnership by co-presenting their blockbuster version of Macbeth in this, the company's 20th year.”
Director Nick Skubij shared his enthusiasm for a new Macbeth created for a media savvy 2026 audience.
“We're bringing Macbeth screaming into the 21st century with large scale theatricality, fusing cutting edge production with muscular storytelling to deliver a night of gripping theatre on an epic scale,” said Mr Skubij.
“Through the amplification, re-framing and live broadcasting of Shakespeare's classic, we will interrogate how misinformation, fear and persuasion drive contemporary power and reveal what happens when the story becomes more powerful than reality.”
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