Shakespeare's Will
William Shakespeare’s will is well known for a peculiar bequest.
"I give unto my wife my second best bed with the furniture." Behind this great man, Anne Hathaway remains a very mysterious woman.
Shakespeare’s Will by Vern Thiessen, is a monodrama about Anne Hathaway, and her harried marriage to husband William Shakespeare - a man eight years younger than she, who left Anne behind with three young children to pursue his historic dream of working in the London theatre. After the funeral, as Anne opens the will, her memory drifts back to a fateful day by the seaside….
Thiessen says his long time friend Seana McKenna plays Anne Hathaway “bringing to life her father, her step-sister, her husband, her children and various other characters.” Thiessen got the idea for Shakespeare’s Will when Edmonton’s Free Will Players commissioned him to write a one person show. While online he “happened upon Bill’s Will.”
“That’s the logical reason. The personal reason? I was going through a divorce, and was reflecting a lot about “What is a relationship? What is a marriage?”
This piece has been done four times. Have you changed the script at all between 2005 and 2007?
"A clarification. The Citadel production has been done twice – in Edmonton and Richmond. There was also a production in Nanaimo that went to Whistler. It has had public readings in (Washington) DC and New York. So really Stratford will be the third production. I have done quite a few revisions since the original production at the Citadel. A play is never finished. This draft for the Stratford festival has been influenced a great deal by (director) Miles (Potter) and Seana (McKenna) and I have tailored it for this production. Future changes? I never say never….
Anne Hathaway was a rural lady but an illiterate – who knew how to run the household – Bill was a man of the world – at 21 - do you think he felt tied down with three kids and took off because of that or because his father’s business was in decline? Bill was a dreamer – Anne the practical one.
" Ha ha! You are making some very big assumptions about her life that scholars have argued about for centuries. Was she an illiterate? There is much speculation on that but no proof. We don’t even really have a true PORTRAIT of her! My Anne and my Bill have their own relationship, and their own issues, and if you read the play, you will discover why he leaves. But again, I am not trying to put forth any “theory” on the actual characters. I am using them to explore contemporary issues. (sheepish author’s note – sometimes a play's just a play - not a history lesson)
How did the show get picked up by the Stratford Festival? This is your first Stratford show. Have you seen Miles Potter's take on it?
"I have known Seana for over 20 years. We acted in a TV movie when I was a young actor. We’ve kept in touch over the years. I’ve always wanted her to do one of my plays. A few years back, I met with her in Vancouver, and we talked about the play and possible revisions to it since its original production. And now here we are. After spending time with her and Miles, I am thrilled by this new draft, and am very excited by the production!!!!"
Shakespeare’s Will opens at The Stratford Festival, in The Studio Theatre July 7. Vern Thiessen’s Apple (also inspired by his marriage break-up “but his ex loves it!”) is now playing at Chicago’s Profiles Theatre to June 2.
