top of page

Will

ou Huit années perdues de la vie du jeune William Shakespeare

In its French version, the play was produced and toured Switzerland in 2017. The company created the piece in the “Cathedral of Entre-Bois”, an old abandoned book storage space turned industrial Elizabethan theatre. It was performed there by actors Arnaud Huguenin, Leon David Salazar, Victoria Gartner & opera singer Léa Fanchon as well as at the Lausanne Shakespeare Festival at the Grange de Dorigny Theatre, who first commissioned the play. 

For the original version of Will, Victoria Gartner won the Swiss National Grant for Playwriting 2017.

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…

"An experience that will leave you wanting more"

L'AGENDA

"Contemporary Shakespeare in Lausanne"

LFM, Lausanne Radio Station

"A kaleidoscopic retelling which only limits are in those of the author's unbridled imagination"

MAGAZINE 360°

Cast & Creatives

Writer & Director Victoria Gartner

Producer Zelda Chauvet
Costumes Marie Romanens

Music composer Luc Birraux

Set Design Florine Mercier & Ivan Lopes - projetco

Swordfight Choreography Simon Favre

Artistic Collaboration Edy Ceppi

PR & Communications Noémy Menyhart

Photography Julien James Auzan

Trailer Zelda Chauvet

Will Shakespeare Arnaud Huguenin

Anne Hathaway-Shakespeare / Olivia Burbage Victoria Gartner

Richard Burbage / Earl of Southampton / Kit Marlowe / Gravedigger David Leon Salazar

Music & Song Léa Fanchon

With the generous support of

The Swiss Authors' Society

Fondation Engelberts pour les arts et la culture

Migros Pour-cent culturel

 Ernst Göhner Foundation

Special thanks to Raphaël Baumgartner, Boris Wiasmitinow, Pauline Thommen, Nicolas Bamert - L'Original Artiste, Durim Ilazi, Florence Rivero, Kevin Curran

bottom of page