Embedded Files
Based on the screenplay by Marc Norman & Tom Stoppard
Adapted for the stage by Lee Hall
Music by Paddy Cunneen
Licensed exclusively by Samuel French (Australasia).
Originally produced on the West End by Disney Theatrical Productions & Sonia Friedman Productions, directed by Declan Donnellan, and designed by Nick Ormerod
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF COUNTRY
Since 1968, Marist College has been a part of and had its footprints on the land of the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples. As a College, we acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of the land on which we stand. We Acknowledge the continued deep spiritual attachment and relationship they have to this land and commit ourselves to the ongoing journey of Reconciliation. May we walk gently and respectfully upon the land.
WELCOME
Marist College Canberra promotes and fosters scholarship, interest, enthusiasm and social welfare in the learning, performing, creation and appreciation of all art forms.
Our vision is that all members of the Marist community may feel empowered to express themselves artistically through a love and rigorous knowledge of the performing and creative arts.
They give up their God-given skills for the benefit of others and in doing so, live their mission in the community as people of faith, mercy and love so that we may strive for a peaceful world.
At Marist College, relationships are front and centre of everything we do. Our students, and our entire community, are committed to fostering a Christ-centred society in which all people – regardless of difference or diversity – are welcomed, seen, cared for, and loved.
Jarrod Schindler
Head of Performing Arts
DIRECTOR'S NOTES
When Shakespeare in Love hit the cinema screens in 1998 I instantly fell in love with this creation of historical fiction. Brilliantly written by screenwriter, Marc Norman and talented playwright, Tom Stoppard, the plot weaves together a love story between William Shakespeare and his muse, Viola. Their differences in class and social standing and the expectation that Viola will marry someone wealthy, means they can not be together. Using this heartbreak, Will finds inspiration to write one of the most famous plays ever penned, Romeo and Juliet.
The play explores themes of love, loyalty, inspiration, passion, class, and the lack of freedom women experienced during Elizabethan England, quite ironic given Queen Elizabeth the First was one of the most powerful humans at the time. Women were not permitted to act on the stage, therefore young boys played the female roles in Shakespeare's plays. Women were told who to marry and were considered "the property" of their families and husbands. In Shakespeare in Love, Viola's greatest dream is to be an actor. The play challenges us to think about what our greatest dreams are. What stops us from achieving them? More importantly how can we achieve our dreams?
The model for this Big Brothers production required students to audition at the end of last year, learn their lines over the summer holiday and then commit to an intensive 9 week rehearsal period before opening in Week 10, Term 1. The dedication, focus and energy required of the cast and crew, during assessments, leadership commitments and sport, especially a lot of basketball, is nothing short of extraordinary. With support from families and friends, these incredible students can really do it all and inspire everyone in the process. They are creative, courageous, hilarious and filled with passion for theatre and story telling.
The success of this play also lies in four incredible young women from St. Clare's College, Canberra Girls' Grammar School, and Melrose High School, who bravely joined our cast. Thank you for being part of this incredible experience and for some of you, it might be your final school theatre production but I am sure it won't be last time you tread the theatre boards. It has been a wonderful opportunity for the boys to create lasting connections and we look forward to future collaborations.
A highlight has been working with Kate Bettison, Assistant Director and colleague, as well as Dixon English, who managed to make sense of my design ideas for the set and bring this to life on stage. The set, consisting of a balcony and moving staircases is paramount to the fluid and fast moving nature of the play. Thank you both for your time and dedication.
Special thanks to:
My family who are always so supportive when I enter into "show mode".
Our amazing student crew - Josh, Will, Bob, Henry and Jacob. Thank you for giving up your time to make the magic happen!
Special shout out to my beautiful nieces and nephew, Darcy, Cleo and Hugo, who are here, all the way from England! May you appreciate our attempt at English accents, and not find it too amusing!
Thank you to the entire Performing Arts team. I feel so fortunate to work with such a fabulous group of supportive creative humans.
Thank you to all the teachers and School Executive who are so supportive of the Performing Arts and Drama at Marist College.
Finally, thank you to my Cast. You made it a joy to come to every rehearsal. You make me feel inspired, worthy, creative and proud. I hope you all feel the same in return.
Vanessa Johnson
Director
“Love knows nothing of rank or riverbank. It will spark between a queen and the poor vagabond who plays the king...”
INTRODUCTION
Shakespeare in Love is a play with music that was adapted for the stage by Tony Award® and Olivier Award®- winning writer Lee Hall, based on the screenplay by Academy Award®-winning writer Marc Norman and Tony Award®, Olivier Award®, and Academy Award®-winning writer Tom Stoppard. A romantic piece of historical fiction, the story centers around a young Will Shakespeare as he struggles to find his inspiration. Enter the feisty, aristocratic Viola de Lesseps, who longs to be an actor. The relationship they forge serves as inspiration for Will’s greatest play – Romeo and Juliet.
This stage adaptation of the 1998 film brings Shakespeare’s dialogue to the forefront and highlights its theatrical origins. Much of the dialogue is taken from Shakespeare’s cannon (with Romeo and Juliet featured heavily throughout) and many of the plot devices employ tactics commonly found in plays of the Elizabethan age: cross-dressing disguises, mistaken identities, suspicions of adultery, sword fighting, a comedic nurse, and even visions of ghosts are all present, as is the enduring “play-within-a-play” convention that Shakespeare fondly adopted for many of his works. Overall, Shakespeare in Love delivers a delightfully crowd-pleasing, deeply romantic, and highly adventurous tale of love and drama in Renaissance-era England.
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