Jerome Salinger stated that ‘What really knocks me out is a book that, when you’re all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it’.

It has been our desire for some time now that one of our theatre productions resemble that phone call. In particular, we always wanted to call up and meet Sir William Shakespeare in the flesh, and have a chat with him about his life, what has been done with his works, and more than 400 years of his post-mortem history on and off stage. It is going to be a bit like taking Van Gogh to the Van Gogh Museum or Dante among the crowds visiting his Florentine home. We will start talking to Shakespeare about the collective imaginary. Of course, it may not be the real, authentic, original William Shakespeare – yet if we succeed in meeting at least one of the possible Shakespeares, then it would still be a breakthrough.

Shakespearology is a one-man show, a biography, a catalogue of more or less pop materials on Shakespeare. It is a hybrid theatre play that gives voice to the Bard himself, with the aim to overturn the usual roles. After centuries spent questioning his life and his works, he will finally have a chance to speak his mind, asking questions to today’s audiences.

Credits

concept and direction Sotterraneo
on stage Woody Neri
playwright Daniele Villa

lighting design Marco Santambrogio
costumes Laura Dondoli
sound design Mattia Tuliozi
technical assistance Monica Bosso

production Sotterraneo
with the financial support of Regione Toscana, Mibact
residencies  Centrale Fies_art work space, CapoTrave/Kilowatt, Tram – Attodue, Teatri di Pistoia

Sotterraneo is part of the Fies Factory, associate artist at Piccolo Teatro Milano and is resident at Teatri di Pistoia