As final performances for the Sydney and Melbourne seasons for the Australian tour of The Shawshank Redemption go on sale today, additional cast members were revealed.
The stage adaptation of one of the most popular and enduring films of all times, The Shawshank Redemption will play in Sydney from 2 – 31 January 2027 and Melbourne from 3 February to 7 March, before moving to Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane.
Head to ShawshankLive.com.au for tickets.
Stephen Anzo (Headless, The Big Fix) will be playing the role of Nelson, alongside Laurence Boxhall (The Mousetrap, Lord of the Rings) as Tommy and Soren Jensen (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) as Hadley.
Stephen Lopez (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Fisk) will play Rico, Blessing Mok (Bad Blood Blues, NCIS: Sydney) is Entwistle, and Nathan O’Keefe (The Importance of Being Earnest, Betrayal) plays Rooster.
Completing the cast are Mark Saturno (The Normal Heart, A View From The Bridge) as Dawkins and Jeremiah Wray (Macbeth, A Few Good Men) as Bogs Diamond.
They join acclaimed television, film and theatre actor David Berry (Outlander, A Place To Call Home, Home and Away) who will play Andy Dufresne, prolific stage and television actor Bert LaBonté (The Book of Mormon, Colin From Accounts, Cloudstreet) playing “Red”, and one of Australia’s most recognised screen actors Rodger Corser (Doctor Doctor, Rush, Channel 9’s The Floor) in the role of the Warden.
The Shawshank Redemption is a powerful stage production that places you just metres from the action. Raw, intimate and deeply moving, this is theatre at its most compelling – where every moment unfolds live before your eyes. Based on Stephen King’s celebrated novella, this gripping adaptation tells an unforgettable story of hope, friendship and the resilience of the human spirit.
Wrongly convicted of the brutal murders of his wife and her lover, Andy Dufresne is sentenced to life imprisonment in the notorious Shawshank prison. As he navigates the harsh realities of incarceration, he forms an unlikely friendship with fellow inmate Red, discovering that even in the darkest of places, hope can endure.
But when the corrupt Warden seeks to exploit Andy’s talents for his own gain, a quiet and daring plan begins to emerge, one that will challenge the very walls of Shawshank itself.
Adapted for the stage by Owen O’Neill and Dave Johns, and directed by David Esbjornson who directed Angela Lansbury and James Earl Jones in the Australian tour of Driving Miss Daisy, this acclaimed production captures the emotional power and humanity that have made The Shawshank Redemption one of the world’s most enduring stories.
The 1994 film adaptation, nominated for seven Academy Awards, has become one of cinema’s most beloved classics. Now, experience a story of hope, friendship and redemption brought vividly to life in an unforgettable live theatrical event.
The Shawshank Redemption opens 2 January at the Theatre Royal Sydney. It then embarks on a national tour. See full dates below.
Tickets are available here.
Website: https://www.shawshanklive.com.au/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/shawshanklive/
Hero image: Still from the 2026 UK production Photo by Jack Merriman.
2027 Australian Tour:
Sydney from 2 January, Theatre Royal
Melbourne from 4 February, Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne
Perth from 12 March, Regal Theatre
Adelaide from 1 April, Her Majesty’s Theatre
Brisbane from 28 April, Glasshouse Theatre, QPAC
