Bell Shakespeare Website

As the pandemic challenged how performing arts organisations engaged with audiences, Bell Shakespeare recognised the need to expand their digital offering to provide more value away from the stage. Bell Shakespeare provides one of the largest Shakespeare education and outreach programs nationally, but it requires the ability to tour schools to perform, a model that the pandemic completely disrupted. Understanding that educators teaching Shakespeare in Australia had little Australian based curriculum resources to work with, Bell Shakespeare set out to create a leading education hub that would support teachers and students across Australia learn the works of Shakespeare.

The website accomplishes two key objectives; provide a leading performing arts experience by promoting on stage and online events and performances, ticketing and donations through a custom integration with Tessitura and provide a new education hub to support teachers and students across Australia learn the works of Shakespeare. Shakespeare Hub provides free and premium access to detailed educational resources about Shakespeare's life, works and language including play resources, classroom activities and a large video and audio catalogue. The website has filled a gap in the Australian education space, providing Shakespeare resources relevant to the Australian curriculum.

With the easing of restrictions Bell Shakespeare are touring again, this time with a digital offering that supports their on stage performances and improves the education of Shakespeare in Australian schools. The website has achieved a two fold increase in traffic and engagement since launch, and supports Bell Shakespeare in reaching 138,086 students and teachers in 97% of federal electorates mostly via online and digital initiatives. The website strengthens Bell Shakespeare’s ability to provide free and premium Shakespeare education resources relevant to the Australian curriculum and continues supporting initiatives like John Bell Scholarship, Juvenile Justice Program and their national tour.

The digital strategy considered two key objectives, the ability to promote current season performances, allow ticket purchases and donations as well as the ability to extend Bell Shakespeare’s education offering. In its initial form, Shakespeare Hub was made up of one 10,000 word article for each of Shakespeare’s plays. Content was reviewed and defined into core themes for each play which provided the structure for Shakespeare Hub; about the play, onstage performances, classroom activities and video and audio content. The challenge was to take long form articles about each play and create content that could be individually consumed from the synopsis and key characters through to the language, facts and themes. The hub expands with the content ensuring that new features like new classroom resources and full length video streaming are easy to add. Bell Shakespeare’s bold brand is heavily represented in the design, but remains flexible enough to adapt with each performance and seasonal branding change. Each play reflects the offline branding ensuring a cohesive experience for audiences. The donation funnel was streamlined, providing a simpler experience that would add donations directly to cart via an API integration with Tessitura and TNEW.