The company in it's current form began life as Shakespeare Under the Stars in 1987 under the direction of Glenn Elston, who pioneered the experience of outdoor theatre in Australia. Glenn joined the Australian Shakespeare Company in 1998 as Artistic Director and Producer. He has since developed the company into Australia’s largest independent theatre company.
Over the last thirty-years Glenn’s award winning annual outdoor productions of William Shakespeare’s texts and The Wind in the Willows have played to over a million people within Australia.
While known for our outdoor productions, the ASC is proud of be one of the few companies in the world who easily transition between both indoor and outdoor spaces.
All our family theatre shows have adapted scripts for indoor and outdoor settings, with sets and costume designs created to suit both settings.
We aim to keep technical specifications as fluid as possible to keep costs down to the venue. For example, most of our shows can work with most standard lighting rigs with only slight modification.
The ASC has a large range of shows we present yearly.
These fall into three categories: Family Theatre, Shakespeare and Special Events.
Family Theatre shows are normally available outdoors either side of our summer season (Early December or February). Family shows indoors tour during school holiday periods or on demand.
Our Shakespeare productions are normally available outdoors after our Melbourne Season (usually throughout March).
Special Events are available year round. Our producing services can create custom events based on your requirements. Recently, we produced a bespoke event for Wellington Shire/ESSO called “An Esso Night Under The Stars” which featured a program for families and adults with headliner Dayrl Braithwaite.