Play in a Day: Volpone, Or, The Fox

Book Tickets

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Bell Shakespeare's

Play in a Day: Volpone, Or, The Fox

Presented with The University of Melbourne Faculty of Arts

18 Nov, 2026

Union Theatre , Arts and Cultural Building

Book Tickets
When
18 Nov, 2026

6:30pm

Where

Union Theatre
Arts and Cultural Building

The University of Melbourne
15 Monash Road, Parkville VIC 3010
Get Directions

‘Play In A Day’ presents a creative challenge: a director and an ensemble of actors are given just one day to prepare and mount a staged reading of a rarely performed classic.

First performed at the Globe Theatre in early 1606, perhaps just weeks before the premiere of Macbeth, Ben Jonson’s timeless satire Volpone explores the insatiable desire for advancement and power through riches. 

Volpone is a beast fable, in which every character is named for an animal whose traits they embody. It tells the story of a cunning ‘fox’ who accumulates ever more wealth by pretending to be on his deathbed and starting a bidding war amongst visitors hoping to be named in his will. To what lengths will gullible Venetians go for the chance to be named Volpone’s heir? Will the greedy Volpone’s vaulting ambition pay off in the end? And who will get what they deserve in the corrupt city-state of Venice?

Tickets

General Admission

$50

Bookings via Bell Shakespeare

Accessibility
  • Accessible toilets available

  • Infrared Hearing Assist System

  • Wheelchair Accessible

  • Registered assistance animals welcome

Presented in partnership with Bell Shakespeare and The University of Melbourne Faculty of Arts.

‘Play In A Day’ presents a creative challenge: a director and an ensemble of actors are given just one day to prepare and mount a staged reading of a rarely performed classic.

First performed at the Globe Theatre in early 1606, perhaps just weeks before the premiere of Macbeth, Ben Jonson’s timeless satire Volpone explores the insatiable desire for advancement and power through riches. 

Volpone is a beast fable, in which every character is named for an animal whose traits they embody. It tells the story of a cunning ‘fox’ who accumulates ever more wealth by pretending to be on his deathbed and starting a bidding war amongst visitors hoping to be named in his will. To what lengths will gullible Venetians go for the chance to be named Volpone’s heir? Will the greedy Volpone’s vaulting ambition pay off in the end? And who will get what they deserve in the corrupt city-state of Venice?