Will

or Eight Lost Years of William Shakespeare's Life

The play tells the story of how a young man will become the poet William Shakespeare.

It is bursting with echoes to his future works, as well as modern music and free dance, in-between fantasies and reality. Performed by five multifaceted actors, Will is a physical, lively and poignant piece that has been produced in 2 languages, has toured in 3 countries with 4 different casts, counting more than 50 performances to date. It has been nominated for two Offies - Off West End Awards (Best Director, Best Supporting Male in a Play), and has had rave reviews from audiences and critics alike.

England, 1582. The young Will Shakespeare is living in the peaceful town of Stratford-upon-Avon in the heart of England with his newlywed wife, Anne. But something’s missing. He’s dreaming of prophecies, rough magic and words no one is able to find. As he starts following these dreams, life takes him on a journey, from under the protection of an immensely rich Lord to nights in taverns with travelling players. But Elizabethan England is not an easy place to thrive, and the world's stage has more than one surprise in store for him...

"A strangely fascinating work"

THE STAGE

"Will himself would have liked this"

DEREK AWARDS

An engrossing play which does what Lord Reith declared ought to be the mission of the BBC: to inform, educate and entertain."

LONDON THEATRE 1

"If you're in Edinburgh, go see it!! If you're not in Edinburgh, come to Edinburgh and go see it. It has everything; emotion, action, excitement, laughter, tears, love and tenderness."

SARAH, EDINBURGH FRINGE

"I really enjoyed the show and the fantastic cast."

HER MAJESTY'S AMBASSADOR IN SWITZERLAND, JANE OWEN

"This is - without doubt - nothing less than a spectacular treat. "

EILEEN, LONDON

"This reminds me of the RSC in the 70s."

JOAN, EDINBURGH FRINGE

Dates

Rose Playhouse

London, UK

27 March - 21 April 2018

SETT Festival,

Theater Tri-bühne

Stuttgart, Germany

17-18 November 2018

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

12-24 August 2019

Théâtre Interface

Sion, Switzerland

8-13 October 2018

More tour dates to come!

Keep in touch here

Cast & Creatives

Writer & Director Victoria Gartner
Costumes Karolina Luisoni

PR & Communications Noémy Menyhart

Assistant Director Ruth Hunduma / Elodie Miserez

Photography Marie Lauria / Julien James Auzan / Nathan Taylord-Ford

Trailer La Paire de Cerises

Will Shakespeare Sam Veck

Anne Hathaway-Shakespeare Katherine Moran / Victoria Gartner

Olivia Burbage Beatrice Lawrence / Charlie Mackellar

Richard Burbage Ronnie Yorke / Xavier Loira / Kieran Taylor-Ford

Earl of Southampton / Kit Marlowe / Gravedigger Charlie Woodward / Jack Spencer

With the generous support of

The Swiss Cultural Fund UK - Swiss Embassy in the UK

The Swiss Authors' Society

The City of Lausanne, Switzerland

Comba Consulting

A Co-Production with the Lausanne Shakespeare Festival and Unfolds Theatre

And all our Edinburgh Fringe Kickstarter campaign supporters Adrian Fernandez, Alexandra Cottier, Alexis Michalik, Alma Gudzevic, André Gurtner, Anna Rumball, Antony Weeks, Aude Bourrier, Bertil & Marie Cottier, Blaise Bersinger, Brian Benacloche, Camille Mottier, Caroline Genolet, Charlotte Scobie, Chris Hemmens, Cynthia Benassi, Donatella Gabrielli, Fanny Comba, Florent & Marie Carbone, George Veck, Gergely Odor, Gillian Barmes, Hazel Veck, Hélène LaGrotteria, Isabelle Munyankindi, Hon. Prof. Jacques Dubochet, Jade Andrey, Jean-Claude Sauthier, Joe Evans, Joseph Veck, Juliette Genolet, Kate Maravan, Katherine Moran, Kickstarter, Laura Beer, Léa Fanchon, Luca Da Pare, Lyudmyla Dutruel, Marine Spalletta, Mélanie Carrel, Melissa Allcock, Nicole & Hans Baumgartner, Nina Babayan, Olivier Maillard, Olly Bovay, Peter Hevoud, Pierre Fankhauser, Pierre Magnenat, Prof. Agnieszka Soltysik Monnet, Prof. Kevin Curran, Raphaël Braunschweig, Sara Dominguez, Sarah Emmerson Morley, Sébastien Rey, Sergio Mendolia, Sofia Armella, Stefanie Ginster, Susan Morris, Svitlana & Pierre Willi, Sylvie Stefanelli, The Creative Fund by Backer Kit, Thomas Wiesel, Tibor Menyhart, Trish and Steve Down, Valérie Boujon, Vera Presas, Veronika Mendiola, Vitaliy Nedelko, Zelda Chauvet & all those who wished to remain anonymous.