Shakespeare's Will
Streamed November 19 – December 12 | 2021
Cast
Debbie Patterson Anne Hathaway
Artistic & Technical Team
Vern Thiessen Playwright
Eric Blais Director
Debbie Paterson & Eric Blais Costume Design
Eric Blais & Heather Lee Brereton Props Design
Adam Parboosingh Scenic Design
Joyce Licup Scenic Design Assistant
Ridge Romanishen & Chris Coyne Sound Design
Hugh Conacher Light Design & Production Management
Ridge Romanishen Stage Manager
Heather Lee Brereton Props & Wardrobe Coordinator
Khaeler Bautista Scenic Carpenter
Leif Norman Production Photos
Sam Vint Film Director
Tyler Funk, Rudy Gauer Camera Operators
Chris Coyne Audio Mixer
Jonathan Lê Editor
Audio Description provided by Vocal Image Ensemble Winnipeg
Translation and subtitling provided by PARENTY REITMEIER, INC.
A Shakespeare in the Ruins Digital Production
SHAKESPEARE’S WILL, by Vern Thiessen – a digital production
Based on the 2020 ShakespeareFest production by Rory Runnells
Meet Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare’s wife. Anne is mourning her husband, avoiding reading his will and, instead, she unpacks their whole relationship before our eyes – from the day they met to the day he died, revealing secrets and passions. This beautiful, cheeky and sensual play is a poetic meditation on love and loss by one of Canada’s most soulful playwrights.
This production makes imaginative use of a style of storytelling called ‘object theatre’, as multiple characters are ‘played’ by rocks and sticks as if they were lively puppets, all skillfully manipulated by Patterson; and a large sand box (from where the characters emerge) serves as the inventive design centre-piece. You have never seen theatre quite like this before; and you will never think of Shakespeare quite in the same away.
“(Vern) Thiessen takes the sketchy outline of Hathaway’s life out from under her husband’s formidable shadow and creates a gem of a play that’s part fact, part fiction, and pure theatre.” — Quill & Quire
Filmed on location at the PRAIRIE THEATRE EXCHANGE Mainstage in Treaty 1 – Winnipeg, Manitoba.
CLOSED CAPTIONS IN ENGLISH, FRENCH, SPANISH, PORTUGUESE, TAGALOG, HINDI AND MANDARIN.
AUDIO DESCRIPTIONS IN ENGLISH AND FRENCH.
