Henslowe pressures Will to hold auditions to get the process moving. The Rose’s owner, Philip Henslowe, needs Will’s new production to settle his debts to Hugh Fennyman. Meanwhile, another acting company steals and performs one of Will’s plays, adding a dog and gaining the attention of Queen Elizabeth I. He needs inspiration and is desperate to rival the success of his friend and fellow playwright, Kit Marlowe. He is struggling to complete his new work, Romeo and Ethel the Pirate’s Daughter, before the Rose Theatre’s deadline. Will Shakespeare, an emerging playwright, has writer’s block.
Henslowe’s right, sometimes “it’s a mystery” how it all comes together. But somehow, it will make it to opening night, and the production you’re about to watch. There will be moments where it feels triumphant and moments where it feels impossible. I know what it all looks like in my head, but when I get in the room with this incredible company of actors and designers, it will be made all the more magnificent by the collaboration of all the artists. There are months of exploration and discovery and magic ahead of us to create the production you’re about to watch. I’m writing this note before we’ve even started rehearsals. That’s the profound thing about theatre – we all come together in a space, for a moment, to create something that will never be exactly the same. Without you in the audience, there would be no production.
And we too, have come together with the very same intention, to create something beautiful for you. They break the rules, and reimagine who is allowed to participate in the storytelling, and the story becomes richer for it. While Shakespeare in Love is a beautiful love story, it is also the story of an ensemble of actors and outcasts coming together to defy all odds and create something beautiful. And somehow, no matter how big the obstacle, by opening night it all magically So many other art forms are solitary – a novelist sitting alone at her computer, a painter alone at his canvas – but theatre is built by a community of artists coming together and imagining the impossible. I have been drawn to theatre all my life because of its collaborative nature. The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster… But it always works out in the end. HENSLOWE: Let me explain about the theatre business. It is written in contemporary English, with occasional text excerpts from Romeo and Juliet and The Two Gentlemen of Verona. This production of Shakespeare in Love was originally conceived and produced at the Citadel Theatre, Edmonton. And then there’s the dog! Don’t miss this glorious tribute to romance and the theatre, adapted from the Oscar-winning film.ĭirected by Citadel Theatre Artistic Director Daryl Cloran, returning to Bard after directing our 2018 Season’s record-breaking Beatles-music-filled As You Like It. Will’s love for Viola quickly blossoms but their romance faces plenty of obstacles, from nefarious schemers to overheated backstage theatrics. She’s Will’s greatest admirer and she’ll stop at nothing (including breaking the law) to appear in his next play. And then he finds his muse – the beautiful and well-born Viola. The deadline for his new play is looming and he desperately needs inspiration. Young Will Shakespeare has writer’s block. Based on the screenplay by Marc Norman & Tom StoppardĪdapted for the stage by Lee Hall | Music by Paddy Cunneen