SHAKESPEARE'S WILL Comes to Lost Nation Theater

Lost Nation Theater continues its 31st Season as central Vermont's resident professional theater with Shakespeare's Will, a solo show written by Canadian playwright Vern Thiessen, performed by Vermont-based actor Margo Whitcomb, and running September 5 -15. Playwright Thiessen has created a poetic, humorous masterful solo in which The Bard's widow gets the last word.

He is the most famous man in literary history. She is cloaked in silence and invisibility. In this original and often hilarious portrait, Anne Hathaway - accidental mother, imperfect wife, and defiantly liberated woman - finally gets her say!

How? In Shakespeare's Will, Hathaway returns home to her empty cottage on the afternoon of her husband's funeral. Wrestling with his legacy, his children, work, and marriage, she eventually reads his will, confronting the historical mystery of Shakespeare's shocking bequests. Defying the myths of history, this playful and inventive memory play is inspired by the few known facts of Anne's life. Populated by a bevy of colorful characters, all portrayed by Whitcomb, Shakespeare's Will gives voice to Anne Hathaway, a forgotten wife overshadowed by her genius husband, in Thiessen's humorous and imaginative theatrical tour de force.

A resurgence of interest in examining Hathaway's life has also informed a new film, All is True, that examines Shakespeare's final years and the mystery of his will. It stars Kenneth Branaugh and Judi Dench.

Bringing this tale of the past to life is Margo Whitcomb, a popular Vermont-based actor, director, and educator: She states:

"Shakespeare's Will blew me away when I first read it. It literally exploded my preconceptions and limited knowledge of Anne Hathaway a/k/a Mrs. Shakespeare. I felt an immediate kinship with her and the particular constraints of domestic duty."

LNT favorite Eric Love (Hamlet, Midsummer Night's Dream, Eurydice, Shakespeare Abridged) returns as both director and sound designer. Joining LNT's production team are lighting designer Charlotte Seelig (Becoming Dr. Ruth), Founding Artistic Director Kim Allen Bent (Sense & Sensibility) handles the scenic design with scenic artistry by Donna Stafford, and designer Jan Bodendorf creates Ms. Whitcomb's evocative period-inspired costume. Stevie De stage manages.

SEE IT: September 5 - 15. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30pm. Saturday and Sunday at 2pm.

TICKETS: $10-$30. Students & Seniors: $5 off. Youth (under 11): $10. For ages 10 and up.

INFO: 802-229-0492. www.lostnationtheater.org. City Clerk's Office in Montpelier City Hall

Wheelchair accessible, assisted listening system.

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