Henry 5 unpacks the choices of those who lead, the responsibilities of those who watch, notions of culpability and the judging of heroic acts in times of war. Photo: Brett Boardman.
“Once more unto the breach” — but in 2025, the battle lines are different.
As the world confronts instability, war and questions of leadership, Bell Shakespeare’s latest production of Henry V, directed by Marion Potts, arrives with striking relevance.
For Potts, this is more than a history play — it’s a mirror to our present moment.
“It felt like the right play to be doing at this point in time,” she says.
“It’s a play about war, the ethics of leadership and how we, as onlookers to war from a distance, hold ourselves accountable.
“There’s much to unpack about the idea that nobody goes to war thinking they’re in the wrong. One person’s war hero is another person’s war criminal. In this day and age particularly, it feels like the world is more complicated than can be reduced to that simple idea of right and wrong or good versus evil. This play allows audiences to sit in that nuance, which is important.”
Henry 5 follows King Henry who, after a humiliating insult by the French prince, launches England into a war with France to claim the throne he believes is rightfully his. Against all odds, he leads his troops from despair to climactic victory at the Battle of Agincourt.
He is hailed as a warrior and a hero – but at what cost?
Shakespeare’s history plays have always spoken to power and conflict, but in today’s geopolitical landscape, Potts believes the “big questions” raised in Henry V have taken on a new urgency.
As Potts points out, Bell Shakespeare’s production doesn’t just revisit the famous king; it interrogates the choices of those who lead, the responsibilities of those who watch, notions of culpability, the judging of heroic acts and reconciling difficult truths – all squarely through a 21st-century lens.
“The wonderful thing about Shakespeare’s writing is it’s endlessly inspiring in terms of how rich and open-ended the interpretations can be,” Potts says.
“It bends and flexes with the context in which you’re producing the work. So this felt like the time to crack open those big questions – they felt absolutely resonant for the time we’re living in.”
The production received some great reviews at its Sydney run, including 4.5 stars in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Potts, who has worked with Merrigong in different roles for a long time now, says she’s thrilled to bring a work of her own to Wollongong audiences.
“It’s always a joy to work with Merrigong, because the culture of the company is so positive, and Wollongong audiences feel so switched on, curious and enthusiastic,” she says.
For more than 35 years Bell Shakespeare has taken theatre to audiences of all ages around Australia, using Shakespeare’s universal insights to inspire and connect with each generation.
Potts says it plays a key role in demonstrating the true nature of Shakespeare – a bard whose work is too often mistaken as rigidly highbrow.
“Generally if Shakespeare is a deterrent for people, it’s our fault. It’s because it hasn’t been directed accessibly or hasn’t been made relevant to the audience. This production aims for the opposite – it is an energetic cast that people can identify with,” she says.
“This is Shakespeare as it was meant to be – it comes alive on stage in a way it cannot possibly when read at school. When done properly, it is a muscular, visceral experience unlike anything else.”
Henry 5 shows at Illawarra Performing Arts Centre (IPAC) from Wednesday 30 April to Saturday 3 May – book via Merrigong.
