Mrs. Shakespeare, Will’s first & last love – written and performed by Yvonne Hudson

“A love poem… As Anne Hathaway, Yvonne Hudson molded a tender character of nobility and courage out of history’s fragmentary knowledge about Shakespeare’s other half.”
– The Off-Off-Broadway Review

“Mrs Shakespeare knocks the Bard from his pedestal.” – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Who was Anne Hathaway Shakespeare? Perchance…Patient spouse of the world’s beloved playwright. Secret editor of The First Folio. Sly saver of Will’s money so he could return to Stratford-Upon-Avon and spend more time with her and their children–Susanna and twins Judith and Hamnet.

Yvonne Hudson’s solo show gives the playwright’s spouse Agnes “Anne” Hathaway a voice through an imaginative script interwoven with soliloquies, songs and sonnets. During Will’s absences, Anne discovers his work and how their shared hearts and home informs their triumphs and tragedies, including the death of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet.

Hudson’s long-running play features the words of some of Shakespeare’s complex characters —from Cressida to Kate, from Viola and Juliet to Queen Katherine of Aragon and King Henry V.

Developed over almost 40 years of research and performance in the US and UK, Yvonne Hudson’s portrayal of Anne Hathaway weaves sonnets, soliloquies, and songs from 30 of Shakespeare’s plays with an intimate account of her marriage to a famous glover’s son from Stratford-Upon-Avon. Her original script depicts the highs and lows of the Shakespeares’ life together and apart — including their rollicking courtship and Anne’s discovery that Will has been unfaithful to her while working in London. Anne tells her tales of resourceful parenting and unrivaled resilience — and gains a whole new perspective on the curious character of William Shakespeare.

The 50-minute performance is followed by a short talk back and reception. This event is co-sponsored by The English Nationality Room at the University of Pittsburgh and Britsburgh. Guests are invited to join Yvonne and other members of the English Nationality Room Committee immediately after the performance in the Braun Room on the 12th floor of the Cathedral of Learning for complimentary refreshments provided by Feast on Brilliant and to learn about the work of the English Nationality Room and how they can get involved.

ABOUT THE ARTIST: Yvonne Hudson has performed Mrs Shakespeare well over 100 times in several off-off-Broadway runs and a special presentation at the Tower of London, in addition to many festivals, schools, campuses, and events. Performance venues include many unique historical landmark venues. She presented monthly performances in the English Room at the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning during 2005-2006 and last performed the show again there in 2010. Yvonne has performed in venues including the Rivers of Steel Pumphouse, Phipps Conservatory, the Victorian Chapel of Calvary UM Church, and a restored South Dakota music hall. Her penchant for solo performances has led to her development to some half dozen characters. In 2006, Yvonne presented The Belle of Amherts, William Luce’s two-act play about poet Emily Dickinson. She has presented as legendary journalist Nellie Bly and Pittsburgh suffragist Jennie Bradley Roessing. Yvonne is a native of Indiana, PA and journalism/psychology graduate of Point Park University. She received her M.A. in Theatre Arts from the University of Pittsburgh, where she worked a total of 10 years for her academic department, including promotion of the restored Charity Randall Theater.

She first developed her solo piece (also her master’s thesis) while serving as marketing director for Pitt’s acclaimed Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival. Yvonne has appeared annually as the Bard’s wife at Oakland’s Shakespeare statue on the playwright’s birthday. Her focus on Shakespeare has been further enhanced by research in Straford-Upon-Avon, work at the Folger Shakespeare Library (where she also presented her show), and intensive text training at Shakespeare & Company. Her career work in marketing and public relations has included editing the magazines of New York Law School and Yeshiva University and promoting campuses in New York, Pittsburgh and Washington, DC. Yvonne is a member of Britsburgh and of the English Nationality Room Committee.

For more information, contact Kim Szczypinski of Britsburgh’s board and the English Nationality Room Committee at kimberly2859@msn.com. Contact Yvonne Hudson at mrsshakespeare@gmail.com

REGISTER NOW via the Britsburgh link here to let us know you are coming.