Double Falsehood

A New Shakespeare Play?

In 2010, I had the good fortune to work on the global premiere of a play announced as a new work by Shakespeare. Double Falsehood, now listed as part of Shakespeare’s collected works, was only partly written by Shakespeare, but the opportunity to work on new work from him was thrilling. I was asked to serve as editor and dramaturg to prepare the text for performance, and then support the director, creative team and actors as they rehearsed and presented the play. The show was produced as part of Shakespeare in the Park in Calgary, sponsored by Mount Royal College's (now Mount Royal University) conservatory acting program and Theatre Calgary under Artistic Director Martin Fishman, and Directed by Haysam Kadri (the current Artistic Director of the renamed Shakespeare by the Bow). The text presented a number of challenges and because we were working be the first to stage the "new" work, the production schedule meant working quickly and collaborating with the performers and creative team to make adjustments during rehearsal. It is by no means a “great work,” but the opportunity to explore a new piece by Shakespeare and stage its first production was extraordinary. Martin "Martie" Fishman is one of the most influential artists in our city and Haysam Kadri one of our greatest artists and artistic leaders, so the opportunity to work alongside them was particularly enriching.