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The Last Will

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  3w, 3m

Robert Brustein

The Last Will finds William Shakespeare retired at his country home on Stratford after decades of struggle and success in the city of London. In the last stages of a fatal illness, his deteriorating mind obliterates the distinction between fiction and fact, and the playwright begins acting as a character in his own plays...

The Last Will

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 3m
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Biography, Period, Docudrama/Historic
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for all audiences

Details

Summary
The Last Will finds William Shakespeare retired at his country home on Stratford after decades of struggle and success in the city of London. In the last stages of a fatal illness, his deteriorating mind obliterates the distinction between fiction and fact, and the playwright begins acting as a character in his own plays. Richard Burbage, leader of Shakespeare's acting company, attempts to persuade him to return to London and to playwriting, as Will wrestles with his suspicions, delusions, family resentment, and final testaments.

The Last Will is the final piece in a trilogy of plays by Robert Brustein about the life of Shakespeare. The first installment is The English Channel followed by Mortal Terror. 
History
The Last Will received its world premier production in February of 2013 with the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company of Boston.
Keywords
Performing Groups
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE - 48
ANNE HATHAWAY - Will's wife, 56
SUSANNA SHAKESPEARE (HALL) - Will's eldest daughter, 30
JUDITH SHAKESPEARE - Will's younger daughter, 27
FRANCIS COLLINS - Lawyer, 47
RICHARD BURBAGE - Actor in Will's company, 45
  • Time Period 16th Century / Elizabethan, 17th Century
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Additional Features No intermission
  • Duration 90 minutes
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

"Robert Brustein lovingly kills off William Shakespeare in 'The Last Will,' a speculative version of the end of Shakespeare’s life that completes Mr. Brustein’s trilogy on him." - New York Times

"Mr. Brustein...takes the few known facts about Shakespeare’s last years and shapes a story that fits them, centering it on the writer’s will. He imagines the genesis of that somewhat odd document, which left Shakespeare’s wife, Anne Hathaway, his “second-best bed” and treated his two daughters unevenly." - New York Times

"The well-written script successfully fuses Shakespearian language with a modern, speculative story taking place in Elizabethan England." - Theatre Mania

Music

  • Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
  • Vocal DemandsN/A (Not a musical)
  • Chorus Size N/A (Not a musical)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

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Authors

Robert Brustein

Robert Brustein

Robert Brustein (1927-2023) served as the founding director of the Yale Repertory and American Repertory Theaters, and supervised well over 200 productions, acting in eight and directing 12. He wrote 11 adaptations for the American Repertory Theater and was the author of 13 b ...

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