ABOUT

Founded in 2017, Shakespearean Jeans has staged five shows to date. The company was formed by Lucy Seale and Nicola Dobinson, soon after they graduated from high school. Lucy was excited to pursue acting, writing and directing. Nicola was eager to continue her costume design work and stage management. Not knowing if student theatre at university would allow them to take on such big responsibilities with relatively little experience, the pair decided to follow an important rule of theatre: don’t wait for someone to give you an opportunity, go out and make your own. They launched straight into the company's first production and haven't looked back since. 

In its first couple of years, Shakespearean Jeans produced works at Kew Court House, as well as the Guild Theatre at the University of Melbourne. The company's first show was an all-female production of Euripides’ Medea. 2018 saw Shakespearean Jeans stage a short original comedy, entitled Devision, for the University of Melbourne Student Union (UMSU) Creative Arts department’s Tastings program, before presenting a contemporary Australian drama, Speaking in Tongues by Andrew Bovell.

The following year Lucy and Nicola joined forces with Ash Morris to devise M E D U S A. This show was presented in August of 2019 as part of Mudfest - the largest student-run festival in the southern hemisphere. Although not a Shakespearean Jeans production, working on M E D U S A was an invaluable opportunity for Lucy and Nicola to hone their theatre-making skills. Nicola was the Costume Designer for the show and Lucy took on the role of Movement Director, working alongside Ash as Director.

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In November of 2019, Shakespearean Jeans staged their five star production Her Hour Upon The Stage. Written and directed by Lucy, this feminist exploration of Shakespeare’s Macbeth was performed by a cast of seven at The Butterfly Club. Due to the short season and high audience demand, the company is looking to re-stage this work at some point in the future.

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The company's most recent work, How To Be A Good Person, was staged at The MC Showroom in February of 2020. Seeking to push Shakespearean Jeans in an exciting new direction, Lucy and Nicola devised and performed together in this two-person comedy circus show. Having trained for three years at Women's Circus, and both having prior experience in dance and gymnastics, the pair were keen to combine their theatrical and movement practices.

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Over its four years in operation, Shakespearean Jeans has grown immensely. The company's success in staging such a variety of work would not have been possible without such generous audience members and supporters. Thanks are of course also due to the cast and crew of each one of Shakespearean Jeans' shows, especially to those who have been involved since the very beginning, and who stuck with the company as it was finding its feet.

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You can read more about Shakespearean Jeans' previous productions and find out who was involved in each one by visiting the Past Shows page.