Overview
What connects revolutionaries, dictators, Bob Dylan and Beyoncé?
Join renowned classicist and historian Mary Beard as she brings her treasure trove of lively stories, curious facts, and ancient gossip to the stage in An Evening with Mary Beard: Talking Classics.
You may ask: “What’s exciting about a piece of bread 4,000 years old? Or some pots of paint abandoned in the eruption at Pompeii? Why should we be bothered with the distant past anyway? What’s the point?”, and Mary answers!
The life, art and literature of Ancient Greece and Rome have something to offer everyone, and the bestselling author of SPQR and Emperor of Rome has made a career of refusing to let the ancient world stay ancient.
In celebration of her latest book Talking Classics: The Shock of the Old, Mary will be appearing in conversation with some very special guest hosts, and invites you to ask your burning questions, because The Classics are best explored through talking.
Talking Classics will be available at the event, and copies will be signed by Mary Beard after the show.
You may also like
-
Enter the Castle with Jon Ronson Enter the Castle with Jon Ronson
27 Oct 2026, 7:30pmConcert HallThe Castle, Jon Ronson’s first book in 11 years, is his most personal, revealing and gripping journey yet.
-
An Evening with Alastair Campbell An Evening with Alastair Campbell
20 Nov 2026, 7:30pmConcert HallAlastair Campbell takes to the QPAC stage for a compelling evening of sharp insight, political storytelling, and behind-the-scenes revelations from politics.
-
Dan and Phil: Hard Launch World Tour
21 Nov 2026, 3pm & 8pmConcert HallIn this unhinged and unafraid new era, join Dan and Phil live with their explosive new stage show.
-
Captain Scott Kelly – The Sky is Not The Limit Scott Kelly – The Sky is Not The Limit
22 Nov 2026, 8pmConcert HallExperience history-making NASA astronaut Scott Kelly live in Australia for the very first time with The Sky is Not the Limit: Lessons from a Year in Space.
-
An evening with Anthony Scaramucci An Evening with Anthony Scaramucci
4 Dec 2026, 7pmConcert HallJoin White House insider and The Rest Is Politics: US, host Anthony Scaramucci, for a vital discussion about right, wrong and politics.
-
Xand van Tulleken Xand van Tulleken: Make Me Well
5 Dec 2026, 7pmConcert HallOxford-trained doctor, Fulbright scholar, and BBC presenter Dr Xand van Tulleken takes on the Wild West of the wellness industry in this interactive live show.
-
Eric Idle – An Evening of Idle Conversation Eric Idle – An Evening of Idle Conversation
5 Dec 2026, 1pmConcert HallJoin legendary comedian Eric Idle as he sits down to tell his incredible life’s story, live on stage and in conversation, like you’ve never heard it before.
-
An Evening with Guenther Steiner An Evening with Guenther Steiner
9 Dec 2026, 7:30pmConcert HallThe breakout star of Drive to Survive, a team boss whose charm and no-bull honesty won him millions of fans around the globe, is back on stage with his new live show “No Team Orders”.