Having grown up across two continents and explored stories that span cultures and generations, Ahunim Abebe brings a striking depth to every role she takes on. Now she commands the stage in The True History of the Life and Death of King Lear and His Three Daughters at Belvoir Street Theatre, taking on the role of Cordelia. Often painted as pure and passive, the character in Ahunim’s hands is charged with agency, intelligence, and quiet rebellion—a performance already earning acclaim from audiences and critics alike.

Under Eamon Flack’s direction, this Lear pulses with a modern heartbeat beneath the storm, a production that reconsiders power, family, and the fragile space between love and duty. Ahunim and I spoke about how she loves shaking up Shakespeare, discovering freedom in Cordelia’s silence, and the energy of performing with a powerhouse ensemble led by Colin Friels.

So without further ado, here’s Faith’s Top 5 with Ahunim Abebe. Let’s get shaking!

Q1: What drew you to Cordelia and how have you explored the complexity of her character in this production?
Cordelia can sometimes get a bad rap. She is often portrayed as a saint-like, Christ-like figure who is more a symbol of perfection and purity than a person, existing to prop up Lear’s character rather than being a human in her own right. What drew me to her is wanting to shake that up. My favourite thing with Shakespeare is shaking it up and acknowledging that as much as this is a very old story, we’re telling it in 2025.

Cordelia strikes me as one of the most political people in the story. She has a lot of integrity, and her truth is her absolute. She knows how great the kingdom used to be, how it is falling into decay, and she is desperate to bring it back, to shake some sense into this man, this king.

I would describe Cordelia’s journey as being trapped and needing to free herself. The idea of being stuck, forced into a situation, a relationship, or expectation, and finding her own freedom is central to her journey. The decisions she makes, no matter where they lead, are her own. Her fate hasn’t just been imposed on her. She takes on many roles: the guide, the soothsayer, the wise person, but also the leader of an army, a queen in her own right. There is a rich world behind her, and I was really interested to dig into that.

Q2: Working with director Eamon Flack, what has stood out to you about his vision for this production?
From the very first day, even in auditions, he spoke about wanting to give Cordelia more agency, which aligned with my views. Belvoir consistently delivers evocative, acclaimed works, so it’s been so exciting to work with him.
As for the staging, I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but we’re definitely playing with ambiguity. We’re toying with the idea of a modern form, but nothing is as black and white as “we’re in the modern world” or “we’re in a traditional world.”

Q3: Belvoir’s King Lear brings together an incredible ensemble, with Colin Friels returning after a long absence. How does the energy and interplay of the cast bring the story to life for you?
A lot of us in the cast are quite young, and that’s really fun. I get to act with Brandon McClelland, who plays Kent, a role usually portrayed by an older man, so being closer in age changes the dynamic between Cordelia and Kent. It brings new questions about their psychology and connection.

It’s also wonderful to have the younger and the older coming together. Colin, Peter Carroll, and Alison Whyte alongside myself and Charles Wu, Raj Labade, and Jana Zvedeniu—just to name a few! These different generations bring completely different interactions and perspectives to Shakespeare. Merging them has been fascinating, and this dynamic resonates strongly with today’s audiences.

Q4: Shakespeare’s language can be both beautiful and challenging. How do you make the text feel natural and accessible while staying true to its rhythm and meaning?
I have tons of experience with traditional, old-school English, and it has always come naturally off my tongue. The first step is always understanding what I’m saying because sometimes there are words we don’t use anymore, and I might not know what they mean. As an actor, you can never get up on stage and say a word you don’t understand in character. Once I’ve translated it for my modern brain and made sense of each line, the rhythm and form flow naturally. With Shakespeare, the intentions are usually in the text, so much of it can come naturally once it’s understood. You can play around with it, and all the options are there.

Q5: Audiences approach King Lear with different levels of familiarity. Which moments or themes do you think will resonate most with modern viewers?
Personally, I believe every age creates its own Shakespeare. He is always the playwright of this particular time. Shakespeare’s plays are durable, flexible, endlessly evocative. You can bend and reshape them and still have them be as rich, maybe even more so in a modern context.
The idea of power transition is very relevant today: what happens when a peaceful time ends, when there’s an imbalance between advantage and disadvantage, when rising challengers confront declining powers. Audiences increasingly question authority and power, asking if things could be better. King Lear explores holding onto power, letting go, legacy, and who deserves it.

Bonus Question: What question were you secretly hoping I’d ask, and what’s your answer?

• What’s your favourite quote and why?

There must always be two kinds of art: escape art, for man needs escape as he needs food and sleep; and parable art, that art which teaches men to unlearn hatred and learn love.”
We all love art that lets us escape, but art also has the responsibility to reflect the times, teach empathy, challenge bigotry, and equip audiences with understanding. This is especially important when so many communities don’t have a voice or access to art as a vehicle for change.

The True History of the Life and Death of King Lear and his Three Daughters plays at Belvoir Street Theatre until 4 Jan 2026. See: https://belvoir.com.au/productions/king-lear/

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