Shakespeare’s Will
Date: 23/04/2016
Category: Theatre Companies – Professional
Date&Time: Saturday 23 April, 8pm
Venue: Old St Paul’s Cathedral, Wellington
Tickets: $25 Adult, $20 Student
Written by Vern Thiessen
Directed by Robert Tsonos
Performed by Suzy Sampson
Shakespeare’s Will looks through the eyes and heart of Anne Hathaway, who at 26, met, fell in love with and pregnant to 18 year old William Shakespeare. The facts of her life are precious and few. It is known that long before the Bard died on April 23rd 1616, Hathaway was already a “theatre widow” left behind in Stratford while Shakespeare established himself in London. She bore him three children and, notoriously, was given a rotten deal in his Will. The play opens with Anne returning from Shakespeare’s funeral and poignantly and vividly explores the life that Anne might have endured in her husband’s absence, leading up to her reluctant reading of Shakespeare’s Will and Testament. Shakespeare’s Will falls somewhere between imagined history and unauthorised autobiography. The modern prose seamlessly travels in and out of Shakespeare’s time and our own, offering historical insight with one line and pure conjecture with the next.
“Sampson delivers a riveting performance and builds an emotionally compelling portrait of Shakespeare’s enigmatic wife” NZ Herald News
“Artfully staged, Sampson holds the audience in her sway” Prague Post
“Sampson fleshes out her character with a commitment rarely seen…her portrayal is strong, humble and moving.” 4 Stars – TimeOut Hong Kong
Cast: Suzy Sampson as Anne Hathaway Directed by Robert Tsonos produced by Twice as Good Productions http://www.twiceasgoodproductions.com
