When Margaret Shakespeare, William's sister, writes at night, it's a remedy for all the injustices she sees every day. At the age of thirteen, she writes remarkably powerful stories inspired by humans contradictions. But in 1577, in her small England village, the place of a girl is at home doing chores. Worse still, girls who know how to read and write can be accused of witchcraft and be severely punished. The day that William discovers the magnitude of his sister's talent, he is so amazed that he can't keep his enchantment to himself. But how can he share her words while protecting her at the same time? Then begins a long journey in the very heart of this whimsical England, where brotherly love is even more powerful than the truth itself, where the strength of words has the power to reverse the established structures, and where social masks may eventually end up falling.
In I Am William, this parcel of the sixteenth century becomes a magnifying glass of our times. Because today, being a boy or a girl still dictates a part of the path to follow.
Teaser
Artistic approach
"While I was in school, I wasn't aware of the persistent inequalities between men and women. I thought that this battle had been won a long time ago. I had the impression that no one could stop me from dreaming any dream I wanted to, just because I am a woman. But then, reality hit me. I wasn't wrong on all points: nobody would actually stop me from making my own decisions but I realized that hundreds of years of inequities between men and women had an impact on the world's social structures. We are still battling millions of prejudices.
Even though I am convinced that I Am William is for everyone, I wrote the play especially for teenagers. For their violent need to find their place in the world. For their dreams. For the beautiful and great strength they have when they imagine their future. I thought of them. Every day. I thought about their battles. Their aspirations. Their fights. I thought about their insatiable need to create meaning with life's ordinary ups and downs. I thought of young people because I do remember the passionate heartbreaks I felt a few years back. I wanted us to tell this story, together; a story where reality and fiction tell our today.
Depuis 35 ans, le Théâtre Le Clou invite le public adolescent à s’immerger dans un théâtre de création engagé et inspirant.
Codirigée par Sylvain Scott et Benoît Vermeulen, la compagnie entraîne tous ceux que la rencontre entre le théâtre de création et l’adolescence inspire. Les créateurs du Théâtre Le Clou mixtionnent les matières textuelles, formelles et plastiques. De cet exercice de liberté émergent des créations qui oscillent entre exigence et plaisir, provocation et engagement, beauté et chaos.
Des milliers de spectateurs au Québec et à l'étranger ont pu applaudir une des 44 créations de la compagnie.
En connexion perpétuelle avec son public de prédilection qu’est l’adolescence, le Théâtre Le Clou fait la preuve, sur scène comme en coulisse, que la médiation et la création sont des alliées de choix pour repenser le monde.
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