2016 marked the 400th anniversary of the deaths of two of the world's
most famous authors, William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes.
Pioneering writer and director, Asa Palomera ("a powerhouse on
Melbourne's independent theatre scene"): "I've tried to bring forth the
sheer humanity of their lives, to present them as it were in their
underwear, to show that the emotions we feel from their work are as
human as the emotions they, in turn, experienced when they were alive."
Productions of The Curious Lives of Shakespeare & Cervantes took place
at Adam House Theatre (Edinburgh, 2010), Bloomsbury Theatre (London,
2010), Thai premiere (Bangkok Theatre Festival, 2014). Staged reading at
Tara Arts Theatre (London, November 2016).
This comic romp through the lives of literary masters William
Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes charts their influence on the modern
world. It contrasts the fortunes of two contemporaries whose native
countries' - England and Spain - went from alliance to enmity in a short
space of time.
--Asa Palomera