DEATH OF A CLOWN
THEATRE 17
presents
DEATH OF A CLOWN
a solo performance drama in 2 acts.
THE PLAY
It is the year 1600 and one-time theatrical superstar Will Kemp is down on his luck. Reduced to long-distance morris dancing as a publicity stunt, there's only one person to blame: Will Shakespeare. T'other Will.
Our Will wants to tell you about it...
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BACKGROUND
Though we know frustratingly little about our greatest poet and playwright, we know even less about his pre-eminent comic actor, the extraordinary Will Kemp. We can glean from existing records that he was the most popular clown of his day, also that
Enter Text
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Shakespeare wrote his early comic roles with him in mind (most notably Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream), but further references to him are sparse. Along with Shakespeare himself, it is known that he was a sharer (or director) of The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, who staged all of Shakespeare’s plays and who were the most successful company in London, and we also know that as a sharer he was an equal amongst equals, so could not be dismissed. And yet, in
1599, he suddenly disappears from the records, which suggests that he left the company of his own accord. Why he should choose to do so, seemingly at the height of his powers and popularity, only to vanish into obscurity (apart from his “nine day’s wonder” in 1600) is a mystery that this play attempts to unravel.
“Absolutely brilliant! The talented Robin Hillman was truly amazing and the story he told accompanied by songs and dancing was captivating. A masterful script and a wonderfully entertaining show.” (Leicester Guildhall)