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The Musical
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"Who is it who can tell me who I am?"
-King Lear, Act 1, Scene 4 |
The Rumoured Lyfe and Certain Death of Delia Bacon explores the life of American pioneer Delia Bacon (1811-1859), the first person to advance the theory that William Shakespeare did not write the plays attributed to him. The “authorship question” is inherent in the structure of this sung-through musical, with music and lyrics written by several authors in close collaboration. Delia unearths the murky story of Delia’s life, from primary schoolteacher, to budding playwright, to infamous novelist. The narrative is punctuated by commentary from an onstage band, which functions as a Shakespearean chorus.
Act I is set within the framework of a historical trial in which Delia was the plaintiff in a defamation suit. The narrative alternates between the events as remembered by those deposed and present tense cross-examination. Conflicting accounts of the past complicate Delia’s ownership of her own history, and ask the audience to consider whose narrative they trust. In Act II, as Delia turns her case against Shakespeare’s authorship, peering through the fog of time to unearth the truth about Shakespeare.
How do we use legacy to define others, and how do we try to cement it for ourselves before it can ever exist? What are the implications of working to leave something behind, if that something can be stripped from you once you’re gone? Why do we create, and why do we destroy? How does time distort memory and history?
Act I is set within the framework of a historical trial in which Delia was the plaintiff in a defamation suit. The narrative alternates between the events as remembered by those deposed and present tense cross-examination. Conflicting accounts of the past complicate Delia’s ownership of her own history, and ask the audience to consider whose narrative they trust. In Act II, as Delia turns her case against Shakespeare’s authorship, peering through the fog of time to unearth the truth about Shakespeare.
How do we use legacy to define others, and how do we try to cement it for ourselves before it can ever exist? What are the implications of working to leave something behind, if that something can be stripped from you once you’re gone? Why do we create, and why do we destroy? How does time distort memory and history?
In History
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"The reason I shrink from seeing anyone now is, that I used to be somebody...whereas now I am nothing but this work, and don’t wish to be. I would rather be this than anything else.”
–Delia Bacon, a letter to Nathaniel Hawthorne |
After her own playwriting career fails to launch, Delia works from the premise that nobody with Shakespeare’s socioeconomic background, a background which she shares, could have accomplished the things that he did. A deeply religious woman with family installed in the Congregationalist church, Delia experiences a crisis of faith after an affair with a reverend leads to a public trial, the gross particulars of which are later documented and released in the book Truth Stranger than Fiction (1850). Embarrassed and shaken, Delia retreats across the sea to London to begin work on her magnum opus: The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakespeare Unfolded (1857). Over a decade of work, interrupted by chronic illness and punctuated by extreme poverty, results in the publication of her theory that the works attributed to William Shakespeare were actually written by a secret, democratic corporation of authors led by Francis Bacon. Her book is critically panned, and Delia passes away after two years in a mental institution. Delia Bacon was posthumously hailed by Ralph Waldo Emerson as one of the “sole producers of [her] time,” next only to Walt Whitman.
Following Delia’s death, the Shakespearean authorship question became an international phenomenon. Notable dissenters to the Stratfordian hypothesis include Mark Twain, Helen Keller, Henry James, Sigmund Freud, and Mark Rylance
Following Delia’s death, the Shakespearean authorship question became an international phenomenon. Notable dissenters to the Stratfordian hypothesis include Mark Twain, Helen Keller, Henry James, Sigmund Freud, and Mark Rylance
On Shakespeare
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“He had those manuscripts…Traitor and miscreant! What did you do with them?”
–Delia Bacon, William Shakespeare and His Plays |
Delia borrows the structure of a Shakespearean tragedy, oscillating between the dramatic and comedic as its protagonist struggles against her tragic flaw. And just as Shakespeare employs verse, prose, song, and dance, the storytelling modes of Delia change rapidly between narrative song, soliloquy, sonnet, testimony, and choral commentary. Shakespeare’s words permeate the piece, quoted in original songs, or borrowed in full and set to original music. The onstage band acts as a Shakespearean Chorus, commenting on the action directly and through parable.
Like many of Shakespeare’s plays, Act I moves between the cold world of “The Court,” and the fantastical “Outside World,” where Delia struggles to realize her dream of being a published playwright. When Delia’s play is poorly received and her relationship falls apart, the two worlds collapse into one. As in The Winter’s Tale, Act II transports the action across the sea, finding our hero in Hamlet’s dilemma, desperate for action but incapable of putting her talents to use.
Like many of Shakespeare’s plays, Act I moves between the cold world of “The Court,” and the fantastical “Outside World,” where Delia struggles to realize her dream of being a published playwright. When Delia’s play is poorly received and her relationship falls apart, the two worlds collapse into one. As in The Winter’s Tale, Act II transports the action across the sea, finding our hero in Hamlet’s dilemma, desperate for action but incapable of putting her talents to use.
Synopsis
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"Oh God, Horatio, what a wounded name! Things standing thus unknown, shall live behind me."
-Hamlet, Act V, Scene 2 |
Act I is set within the framework of a historical trial, and the story unfolds both through cross-examination by the Lawyer, and through memory. Delia’s testimony transports us back to her time as a New Haven schoolteacher, where a Shakespeare presentation by a young Hattie Blake triggers her to leave her job and pursue her dream of being a playwright. Her older brother Leonard is skeptical of her plan, and tries to dissuade her, but with the help of her friends Catherine Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe, she moves out of his home and begins her work. Delia soon meets a theologian ten years her junior, Alexander MacWhorter, with whom she strikes up a romantic relationship. But Alexander insists that they were only friends, and at the goading of his friend Robert Forbes, proceeds to drag Delia’s name through the mud. It is at this point we learn that the trial is a defamation suit being brought against Alexander by Delia and Leonard. Unfortunately, Delia’s testimony is lackluster, as a mental breakdown following the poor critical reception of her play has left her memory fragile. Her mental acuteness is further questioned when witnesses reveal that Delia has since abandoned playwriting in favor of disproving Shakespeare’s authorship. And her potential star witness Hattie Blake, now six years old than when we first met her, has begun her own relationship with Alexander. A 12-11 decision acquits Alexander, and Delia is left alone, vowing to reclaim “truth.”
The trial framework continues to be suggested in Act II, as Delia turns her case against Shakespeare’s authorship, peering through the fog of time to unearth the facts of Shakespeare’s mysterious rise to prominence. We find Delia living in Stratford, where she has secluded herself to document her proof against Shakespeare in a book with the aid of her literary agent, Thomas Carlyle. Back in America, her friends have achieved their own successes: Harriet Beecher Stowe with Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and Catherine Beecher with Truth Stranger than Fiction, a thinly veiled account of Delia’s trial. One by one, Delia pushes away her friends and family, until she is left with only the vision of William Shakespeare. After seven years, she finally publishes her magnum opus, which is dismissed by the public and critics alike. Delia spends her final days in a mental institution, visited only by the “single reader” of her book. She consults the court stenographer about her legacy, and the dry facts of her life are recounted as she makes peace with her choices. The company mourns her passing in a hymnal arrangement of Cymbeline’s “Fear No More.” It is only after her death that the authorship question gets any real attention, and what started as the whim of one woman becomes a worldwide phenomenon.
All of this narrative action is complemented by the musings of the onstage band, Chorus, Time, Rumour, Stenographer, and Gravedigger.
The trial framework continues to be suggested in Act II, as Delia turns her case against Shakespeare’s authorship, peering through the fog of time to unearth the facts of Shakespeare’s mysterious rise to prominence. We find Delia living in Stratford, where she has secluded herself to document her proof against Shakespeare in a book with the aid of her literary agent, Thomas Carlyle. Back in America, her friends have achieved their own successes: Harriet Beecher Stowe with Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and Catherine Beecher with Truth Stranger than Fiction, a thinly veiled account of Delia’s trial. One by one, Delia pushes away her friends and family, until she is left with only the vision of William Shakespeare. After seven years, she finally publishes her magnum opus, which is dismissed by the public and critics alike. Delia spends her final days in a mental institution, visited only by the “single reader” of her book. She consults the court stenographer about her legacy, and the dry facts of her life are recounted as she makes peace with her choices. The company mourns her passing in a hymnal arrangement of Cymbeline’s “Fear No More.” It is only after her death that the authorship question gets any real attention, and what started as the whim of one woman becomes a worldwide phenomenon.
All of this narrative action is complemented by the musings of the onstage band, Chorus, Time, Rumour, Stenographer, and Gravedigger.
The Authors
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"Good company, good wine, good welcome, can make good people."
-Henry VIII, Act I, Scene 4 |
Madeline Myers
Madeline Myers is a composer and lyricist for musical theater based in New York City. Madeline is currently writing a new musical, MASTERPIECE, which was developed at the Goodspeed Musicals Johnny Mercer Writers Colony and will be workshopped at the Boston Conservatory in May and June 2016. Madeline’s musical LEGENDS & LORE has been workshopped at the Fingerlakes Musical Theater Festival, the New York Theatre Barn, and the Musical Theatre Factory. The recipient of the first place award in the inaugural Ken Davenport Songwriting Contest, Madeline has also been selected to participate in the New Dramatists Composer-Librettist Studio and the Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project. She received her education at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music and is a proud member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, ASCAP, and the Dramatists Guild. Madeline is represented by Katie Gamelli at Abrams Artists Agency. www.madelinemyers.com.
Matthew Russell
Matthew is a New York City based theatre artist. Recent acting credits include Hand to God (Studio Theatre), Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare Theatre Company), Much Ado About Nothing (The Public), Cymbeline (The Here & Now), The Grapes of Wrath (Trinity Rep), and the films Some Freaks and The Spine of Night. He directed the inaugural workshop of Aidan Carr’s new musical May at ART-NY and the premiere of Traffic Jam: A New Musical in Nashville. He contributed arrangements and performed as a musician for STC’s Shrew and Trinity Rep's The Grapes of Wrath, The Skin of Our Teeth, and Jedermann. He has taught acting and directing at Brown University, Manhattan Class Company, Trinity Rep, and Citadel Theatre. AEA and SAG-AFTRA. MFA: Brown/Trinity Rep. www.matterussell.com.
Elise LeBreton
As a dramaturg, Elise has worked with Roundabout Theatre Company, the Kennedy Center, and the New Harmony Project, where she assisted on Robert Schenkkan's All the Way and Dan O'Brien's The Body of an American. Her solo show The Myth of Iphis premiered at The Brick's Tiny Theater Festival in 2014. As an actor, Elise has appeared regionally in Orpheus Descending (Intiman), A Flea in Her Ear (Trinity Rep), A Christmas Carol (Trinity Rep), The Glass Menagerie (Williams Project) and in NYC in Empire Travel Agency (Woodshed Collective). Elise is a proud member of The Williams Project. AEA. MFA: Brown/Trinity Rep.
Zdenko Martin
Zdenko has composed music and lyrics for New York and regional productions including Eyes for Consuela at 45th Street Theatre, The Grapes of Wrath at Trinity Rep, and The Winter’s Tale, The Skin of Our Teeth, A Bright Room Called Day, and Jedermann at Brown/Trinity Rep. As an actor, he was most recently seen on Claws (TNT), Blue Bloods (CBS) and on Broadway in the Young Vic production of A View From the Bridge, directed by Ivo Van Hove. He performed in the U.S. premiere of Jumpers for Goalposts at Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C. (nominated for a 2016 Helen Hayes Best Ensemble award). New York credits include The Seagull at Lake Lucille, Hudson to China at St. Ann's Warehouse, Romeo and Juliet at Manhattan Rep, and The Dreamer Examines His Pillow at Abrons Art Center. Regional credits include The Grapes of Wrath at Trinity Rep, The Open Road and I Am Not Batman at Actors Theatre of Louisville, both world premieres during the Humana Festival. He was also a lead puppeteer in The Bird Machine, a multi-disciplinary piece with productions both in NYC and the International Kukla Festivali, Istanbul. AEA and SAG-AFTRA. MFA: Brown/Trinity Rep.
Development has been aided in part by Melissa Kievman, Brian Mertes, and The Script @ Stage74.
Madeline Myers is a composer and lyricist for musical theater based in New York City. Madeline is currently writing a new musical, MASTERPIECE, which was developed at the Goodspeed Musicals Johnny Mercer Writers Colony and will be workshopped at the Boston Conservatory in May and June 2016. Madeline’s musical LEGENDS & LORE has been workshopped at the Fingerlakes Musical Theater Festival, the New York Theatre Barn, and the Musical Theatre Factory. The recipient of the first place award in the inaugural Ken Davenport Songwriting Contest, Madeline has also been selected to participate in the New Dramatists Composer-Librettist Studio and the Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project. She received her education at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music and is a proud member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, ASCAP, and the Dramatists Guild. Madeline is represented by Katie Gamelli at Abrams Artists Agency. www.madelinemyers.com.
Matthew Russell
Matthew is a New York City based theatre artist. Recent acting credits include Hand to God (Studio Theatre), Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare Theatre Company), Much Ado About Nothing (The Public), Cymbeline (The Here & Now), The Grapes of Wrath (Trinity Rep), and the films Some Freaks and The Spine of Night. He directed the inaugural workshop of Aidan Carr’s new musical May at ART-NY and the premiere of Traffic Jam: A New Musical in Nashville. He contributed arrangements and performed as a musician for STC’s Shrew and Trinity Rep's The Grapes of Wrath, The Skin of Our Teeth, and Jedermann. He has taught acting and directing at Brown University, Manhattan Class Company, Trinity Rep, and Citadel Theatre. AEA and SAG-AFTRA. MFA: Brown/Trinity Rep. www.matterussell.com.
Elise LeBreton
As a dramaturg, Elise has worked with Roundabout Theatre Company, the Kennedy Center, and the New Harmony Project, where she assisted on Robert Schenkkan's All the Way and Dan O'Brien's The Body of an American. Her solo show The Myth of Iphis premiered at The Brick's Tiny Theater Festival in 2014. As an actor, Elise has appeared regionally in Orpheus Descending (Intiman), A Flea in Her Ear (Trinity Rep), A Christmas Carol (Trinity Rep), The Glass Menagerie (Williams Project) and in NYC in Empire Travel Agency (Woodshed Collective). Elise is a proud member of The Williams Project. AEA. MFA: Brown/Trinity Rep.
Zdenko Martin
Zdenko has composed music and lyrics for New York and regional productions including Eyes for Consuela at 45th Street Theatre, The Grapes of Wrath at Trinity Rep, and The Winter’s Tale, The Skin of Our Teeth, A Bright Room Called Day, and Jedermann at Brown/Trinity Rep. As an actor, he was most recently seen on Claws (TNT), Blue Bloods (CBS) and on Broadway in the Young Vic production of A View From the Bridge, directed by Ivo Van Hove. He performed in the U.S. premiere of Jumpers for Goalposts at Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C. (nominated for a 2016 Helen Hayes Best Ensemble award). New York credits include The Seagull at Lake Lucille, Hudson to China at St. Ann's Warehouse, Romeo and Juliet at Manhattan Rep, and The Dreamer Examines His Pillow at Abrons Art Center. Regional credits include The Grapes of Wrath at Trinity Rep, The Open Road and I Am Not Batman at Actors Theatre of Louisville, both world premieres during the Humana Festival. He was also a lead puppeteer in The Bird Machine, a multi-disciplinary piece with productions both in NYC and the International Kukla Festivali, Istanbul. AEA and SAG-AFTRA. MFA: Brown/Trinity Rep.
Development has been aided in part by Melissa Kievman, Brian Mertes, and The Script @ Stage74.
All materials found on the site are property of Elise LeBreton, Zdenko Martin, Madeline Myers, and Matthew Russell. Copyright © 2017.