I AM SHAKESPEARE
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April 12-27
Workshop Theatre, Gwynneville
Bookings: 4225 9407
It’s a subject that divides a lot of people and everyone has an opinion on it.
Did William Shakespeare write Shakespeare? And if he didn’t, then who did?
These knotty questions are wrestled with, in Workshop Theatre’s latest production, the Australian premiere of Mark Rylance’s I Am Shakespeare.
The debate over the Shakespeare authorship question has been going since the middle of the 19th century, driven in part by how little we know about the man, William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon, outside of his plays and sonnets.
In the play, philosopher Sir Francis Bacon and Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, are presented as alternative authors of the works.
Those who say Shakespeare didn’t write the plays, or at least not by himself, argue that he lacked the education and experiences needed to produce the works.
‘‘From an academic point of view it’s an intriguing topic,’’ director Ben Verdon says.
‘‘The idea that one man who had no formal education or training and was not recorded as doing any extensive travel, and then suddenly produces all these wonderful works with extensive knowledge on everything from astrology to the royal court of Navarre in France – it’s a wide range of topics for a simply educated man in England.
‘‘It’s a subject that divides a lot of people and everyone has an opinion on it – it has generated a lot of interest among the theatre-going public.’’
Verdon says the play doesn’t present a definitive answer to the question, but rather presents the arguments for each side.
‘‘A great thing about the show is it allows the audience to make up their own mind,’’ he says.
‘‘There is not one definitive answer and if people are happy to believe that the man William Shakespeare wrote the plays or if they believe something else, it has that option for everyone.’’
Personally Verdon comes down on the side of Shakespeare being the author, but says there are some convincing arguments for the alternative point of view.
‘‘If it’s a myth I’m happy to believe the myth,’’ he says.
‘‘There’s a lot of material that you wouldn’t normally think about which presents a good case for perhaps it wasn’t William Shakespeare, or if it was he certainly didn’t write alone.’’
Verdon says audiences don’t need to be familiar with the debate or experts on Shakespeare’s works to enjoy the play.
‘‘It’s accessible to everyone,’’ he says. ‘‘The show has a bit of multimedia incorporated into it and a lot of the evidence in the play is projected on to the screen so the audience can see it as well.
‘‘It is a very witty, fun show and it is one of those ones that allows people to think and talk about it afterwards.
‘‘When you have a show like this, it makes for a good talking point.
‘‘In the end it’s still entertainment, it’s only theatre, but it’s a lot of fun.’’