Play Reading Group-“Equivocation”
Posted on April 8, 2024 in General News
Rescheduled to Monday, April 29 at 7 pm
This month’s play reading will be the play Equivocation by Bill Cain. The setting is England 1605. Shakespeare is commissioned by Robert Cecil, the prime minister to write the true history of the terrorist plot to assassinate King James I (the Gunpowder plot). But as Shakespeare and his acting company investigate the plot they discover that the King’s version of the story might be a cover-up. Shag (Shakespeare) and his actors are confronted with the ultimate moral and artistic dilemma. Speak truth to power and suffer the consequences or take the money and lie. Is there a third option – equivocation?
This is a powerful script which I saw at its premiere at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon and has been a favourite ever since. I also saw it performed at Bard on the Beach in Vancouver.
Playwright’s Note:
“Equivocation” is based on an historical event. It is, in fact, the founding event of modern England. The 5th of November is celebrated with national fireworks and is roughly equivalent to America’s 4th of July. The story has been told for over 400 years and the government’s version of the story has become a national myth. The only thing we know with certainty about the event itself is that it could not possibly have occurred in the way the government claimed. What follows offers a plausible alternative.
Come and have fun reading a play with fellow thespians.