I. THE PLAY

In the programme note for the 2000 Stratford Festival premiere of Elizabeth Rex, playwright Timothy Findley explains the inspiration for his riveting drama:

This play was born in answer to a conundrum which has fascinated me for years: because women were not allowed on stage in Elizabethan theatre, the female roles were played by male actors. These were so-called "boy actors" - but who was it who played the women of a maturity and depth far beyond the range of any boy? Who played Cleopatra - Lady Macbeth - Mad Margaret? It seemed to me that there must have been actors in Shakespeare's time who had passed well beyond boyhood and who therefore could undertake the portrayal of such strong and demanding female roles. Without such men, would Shakespeare have written such women? . . . Pondering the question of a contradiction of genders, I remembered that Elizabeth I often referred to herself as a "Prince of Europe" and even declared that in order to maintain her grasp on the British monarchy and to rule her England, she was called upon to be more man than woman. Suddenly the phrase drifted into my mind. Elizabeth Rex, King Elizabeth.
 

Here, then, was the possibility of a glorious theatrical confrontation - between the woman who throughout her reign had played the role of a man, and [a] man who in his theatrical career had always played the role of a woman.
 

In 1997, the play was workshopped at Stratford with a core company of actors and with director/dramaturg Paul Thompson working with the playwright. As an exercise, Findley was required to act out the role of each character. This work led to significant discoveries about the complex roles, as well as a deeper understanding of this striking and unique story Findley had created.

Elizabeth Rex was the hit of the 2000 Stratford season. Critics hailed the work as an "extraordinary new play" and a "passionate and powerful tale of tragedy." Later that year, Timothy Findley was awarded Canada's highest honour in literary achievement, the Governor General's Award.
 

"I have been so many . . . lived so many other lives. And all the while, my own life burning down around me while I barely noticed it - failed to live it."
 

The play begins with Shakespeare. The date is April 22, 1616, the eve of his death. He is alone, contemplating his life - the many roles he created while his time passed by. He also reflects on his work - the stories he wrote and those he failed to write. One particular story haunts him: a tale that could not be told in its time, but which the writer now feels compelled to share.

Time shifts to an evening from the past - Shrove Tuesday, 1601. Shakespeare and his company have performed Much Ado About Nothing at the court of Elizabeth I. Their performance provides more than simply entertainment for the Queen, but offers the Monarch a temporary departure from what is perhaps the most troubling episode of her reign. Within hours, Elizabeth's lover Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex, will be executed for treason, by her order.

Due to the threat of riot and uprising in support of Essex, a curfew is in place. Shakespeare and his company of actors must spend the night in the Queen's barn. Here, they are paid an unexpected visit from their sovereign, desperate for an escape from her conflicting roles of monarch and woman.
 

"I have come here to be in your company, Master Shakespeare. I require a distraction. And I warn you - I shall keep as many of you as I can on your feet until dawn."
 

The Queen's "sparring partner" for the evening is Ned Lowenscroft, a veteran actor with the company who throughout his career has played female characters. At this point in his work, Ned plays the mature women crafted by Shakespeare. His talent as an actor, in bringing these complex women to life on stage, is inspiration for Shakespeare to continue to develop challenging female characters in his plays. Ned's flair for playing a woman is a curiosity to Elizabeth, just as the Queen's determination to fulfill the role of "king" is amusing him. Queen and actor prove matched in wit, spirit and verbal aggression:

Elizabeth: Master Lowenscroft? Tell me - would you truly be a woman?

Ned: Never.

Elizabeth: Why? Why would you not be a woman - when you play her with such skill?

Ned: I would rather be housed as I am.

Elizabeth: Housed?

Ned: In this . . . male flesh.

Elizabeth: It gives you so much pleasure to be a man?

Ned: Did I say it was pleasure?

Elizabeth: No. But there was pleasure in your voice.

Ned: Then my voice betrays me.

Elizabeth: If your voice betrays you, it is your voice that tells the truth.

Ned: As your voice does, whenever you speak his name. . . . Ess-ex!! You love him . . .

Elizabeth: I love no one.

Ned: Liar.

Elizabeth: What?

Ned: Liar!!

Elizabeth: You poxed buffoon!!

Ned: You overpainted efficy!!

Elizabeth: I'll have you drawn and quartered!!

Ned: You should be stewed in brine!! And pickled!! Kept in jars!!

Elizabeth: You poisonous -

Ned: Poisoned!!!

Elizabeth: - toad!!

Ned: Ha!!

Elizabeth: Hagh!!!

Ned: Hagh!!

Elizabeth: You Beatrice in britches!!

Ned: And you . . . King Hen-er-y in skirts!!

As confrontation unfolds, Elizabeth and Ned realize they share common frailties as well. Each wages an intense emotional & psychological battle, and struggles to find the strength that will enable them to face and endure their conflicts.

Throughout her reign, Elizabeth has been aware of her necessity to play the role of King - to rule with power, aggression and to "play" out the traditional characteristics expected in a male monarch. She foregoes compassion, emotion and qualities that a Queen - a woman - might be permitted to experience and enjoy. "I killed the woman in my heart," she mourns, "that England might survive."

Counter to this is Master Lowenscroft, who struggles with syphilis. His death is imminent and he struggles to face the end with the strength and courage expected of a man.

The Queen proposes a bargain to the actor, "If you will teach me how to be a woman . . .

I will teach you how to be a man." And in the course of one evening, Queen, actor, playwright and company witness and experience a series of profound accounts and revelations - a story so great, but which cannot be told until years later when, at the end of his life, Shakespeare shares, with an audience, the tale he failed to write.

Elizabeth Rex is a rich blend of history and contemporary sensibility, highlighting issues of gender, sexuality, ambition, politics, mortality and, of particular concern to the playwright, integrity - having the ability to identify who you really are and remaining honest and truthful to that person. In this intriguing and profound drama, Timothy Findley employs some of the rich traditions of Shakespeare's work - play within a play; role playing as a method of self-discovery, a device for unveiling the truth. The result is a powerful and beautiful play that places us back in time and reminds us of the superb talent and genius of Shakespeare, and of an age that passionately embraced the theatre. At the same time, we are reminded of basic human qualities and needs that transcend time, era, gender and social standing.
 

II. THE PLAYWRIGHT

Prior to becoming a writer, Findley acted for fifteen years and was a charter member of the Stratford Festival. His theatre background has had a direct impact on his writing. In addition to his plays, Findley's novels, novellas, short stories, screen plays and film scripts are characteristically "infus[ed] . . . with the pageantry of the stage," emphasizing the importance of "sound, spectacle and style."

As well as stylistic links, his fiction shares common themes and recurring images. Themes of violence, loneliness and survival in a world gone mad stand out. Dark, serious motifs are reinforced. At the same time there is underlying hope, triumph and emphasis on a philosophy that an artist's responsibility is "to speak out against society's injustices and failures." The "leitmotifs of Findley's literary universe" continue in Elizabeth Rex, in which themes of death, disguise, betrayal and power struggle are explored, while hope endures in the characters' ability to face fear and adversity in their struggle to maintain integrity.

In addition to his writing, Timothy Findley is recognized for his commitment to the Canadian literary community through his work as a founding member and chair of the Writers Union of Canada, as well as past President of the Canadian Chapter of P.E.N. International. He has also been a staunch AIDS activist since the plague's outbreak in the 1980's. In Elizabeth Rex, Findley engages a metaphor for AIDS in Ned Lowenscroft's struggle with syphilis, emphasizing the personal turmoil, fear, suffering and social stigma that accompanies such an ailment.

Globe Theatre is proud to feature Timothy Findley's challenging, profound and beautiful play, Elizabeth Rex, on the Main Stage.

Sources:

Contemporary Authors New Revision Series, Vol 12.

Garebian, Keith. "Finding the Note, the Way." Xtra! www.xtra.ca

National Library of Canada Online, www.nlc-bnc.ca
 

III. THE PRODUCTION

Elizabeth Rex is a rivetting story that blends history and contemporary awareness. Timothy Findley has brilliantly taken a moment in time and a collection of historical figures and has re-invented the characters, setting and circumstances, creating a wonderfully original story in which his own thoughts and perceptions can function.

The play is rich in all its elements and is an exciting challenge for any theatre. Globe Theatre's production has been in process for months, with design research underway in the summer and fall of 2001, costume building beginning in February and set construction following in early March. Approximately eighty period costumes pieces have been designed and built. Their design and cut reflect the look of late Elizabethan Court fashion, as well as that of lower orders as characters from varying social ranks suddenly find themselves sharing a most confined space and intimate moment. The set transforms Globe's 20' x 20' in-the-round stage into a two level medieval barn with a loft. This design, too, is based on sketches and information from the period about the building of such structures.

The cast consists of thirteen professional actors, plus three apprentices from the University of Regina.

Students in grades 11 & 12 are encouraged to attend this wonderful production featuring beautiful and intricate costumes, a colourful and complex array of characters, and a uniquely designed and constructed set. Elizabeth Rex explores a number of compelling themes, and is an interesting examination of the power and influence of theatre then, and now. These issues, along with its historical setting, offer a range of discussion topics and activities of interest to a variety of classes and disciplines.

The play is approximately 2 ½ hours in length. Students are encouraged to visit our website for Globe Theatre information and updates, www.globetheatrelive.com. Please e-mail us your reactions and feedback: onlive@globetheatrelive.com.

IV. ELIZABETH I (1533-1603)

Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn, who was beheaded for treason in 1536. Elizabeth was not yet three years old.

She was third in line for the throne when her father died. Odds were unlikely that she would inherit the crown. However, her half-brother, Edward VI, died at age fifteen, having been King less than six years. Her half-sister, Queen Mary I, reigned for only five years. Elizabeth I was crowned in 1559.

She inherited a role that was ultimately challenging. Expectations of, or at least hope for, Elizabeth as Monarch would be that she be able to rule like a man and King, as well as fulfill her role as Queen and bear a successor. She would reign for forty-five years, during which time she would come to know "the business of Kingship" well and prove her ability to rule with strength, determination and astute political sense. She chose councillors and advisors wisely. Robert Dudley (Master of the Queen's Horses, Privy Councillor 1559-1588), William Cecil (Secretary of State 1558-72, Lord Treasurer 1572-98), Francis Walsingham (Secretary of State 1573-90) and Robert Cecil (Secretary of State 1596-) made up the loyal circle that would assist and serve her throughout her reign.

Elizabeth inherited a country threatened by religious strife, handed down from the reign of Henry VIII during which the Church of England was established with the Monarch as Supreme Head. Edward VI would reign as a staunch Protestant, while Mary I, a devout Catholic, would attempt to bring back the Mass and re-instate Catholic bishops previously deprived of their power. Elizabeth I was able to strike a balance of Catholicism and Protestantism and establish a secure Church of England.

Her reign was an era of exploration and discovery which set the stage for the years of expansion, colonization and trade that would follow. During her rule the arts flourished. Elizabeth I was intelligent, well-educated and fluent in six languages. She loved literature and had a passion for the theatre, which experienced its Golden Age while she was Monarch.

Elizabeth I would fail to fulfill certain expectations of her as Queen. She refused to marry, preferring to "use her marriage prospects as a political tool in foreign and domestic policies." However, she was not without suitors: the most loyal was Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester; the most notorious - Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex, who she would eventually order executed for treason.

Elizabeth's awareness of conflicting roles of woman and Monarch seems echoed in speeches, such as that given to the English army at Tilbury in 1588, in which she states, "I know I have the body of a weak, feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a King - and of a King of England."

Late in her reign, Elizabeth would deliver what is known as the "farewell" Golden Speech to Parliament in 1601. Here, too, there seems an awareness of the contrary roles of King and Queen, of the characteristics separating each and, perhaps, of the balance that this understanding has allowed her to bring to the role of Monarch:

. . . I know the title of a King is a glorious title . . . To be a king and wear a crown is a thing more glorious to them that see it than it is pleasant to them that bear it. For myself I was never so much enticed with the glorious name of a King or royal authority of a Queen as delighted that God hath made me his instrument to maintain his truth and glory and to defend his kingdom as I said from peril, dishonour, tyranny and oppression. There will never Queen sit in my seat with more zeal to my country, care to my subjects and that will sooner with willingness venture her life for your good and safety than myself. For it is my desire to live nor reign no longer than my life and reign shall be for your good. And though you have had, and may have, many princes more mighty and wise sitting in this seat, yet you never had nor shall have, any that will be more careful and loving.

Elizabeth I died in 1603. She was succeeded by her cousin, James VI of Scotland, who became James I of England and under whom the crowns of England and Scotland were united.

Sources:

Historic Royal Profiles, The British Monarchy, www.royal.gov.uk.

The Horizon Book of the Elizabethan World. New York: American Heritage Publishing Co., 1967.

Modern History Sourcebook: Queen Elizabeth I of England Selected Writing and Speeches, www.fordham.edu

V. HISTORICAL CHARACTERS

Elizabeth Rex involves a blend of historical and fictitious characters. In addition to Elizabeth I and William Shakespeare, the character of Robert Cecil, Secretary of State is featured in the play.

Robert Cecil (1563-1612) As Secretary of State, Cecil held the highest civil office of England during the latter period of Elizabeth I and into the reign of James I. His father was William Cecil, Lord Burghley, who also served Elizabeth I as Secretary of State and Lord Treasurer. In 1591 at age 28, Robert Cecil became the youngest member to be sworn as a member to the Privy Council. He had more than one clash with the Earl of Essex throughout the 1590's. Essex's demise would ultimately prove advantageous for Cecil who would have chief influence over crown and court once this opponent was out of the way.

Though not appearing in the drama, but critical to the story and affecting the other characters are Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex and Henry Wriotheseley, Earl of Southampton.

Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex (1566-1601) arrived at the Court of Elizabeth I when he was seventeen. His intent was to capture wealth. He would ultimately capture attention wherever he went. Describing Essex as a mix of Shakespearean characters, biographer Robert Lacey writes:

Robert Devereaux was an enigma to his contemporaries, a question mark who first intrigued, then baffled, and ultimately annoyed Queen Elizabeth, her Court and the world beyond it. He could be as mercurial and inspiring as Henry V, as amorous and captivating as Anthony, but then too he could be haughty and domineering as Coriolanus, uncertain and moody as Hamlet, ambitious as Macbeth and obtuse as Othello.

By 1587, a relationship between him and the Queen seems to have been established. Essex may have been attracted by wealth and political power, Elizabeth possibly found a distraction from ageing in the friendship with a man thirty-four years her junior.

Essex rose to hold several titles: Privy Councillor, Master of the Ordinance, Master of the Queen's Horse, Earl Marshal of England. He also received several military commands. He fell from favour with the Queen in 1599 after a failed expedition to Ireland that saw his desertion of his troops and return to England. A trial secured Essex's disgrace. He retaliated by attempting to initiate an uprising and land Irish troops in Wales. His efforts failed and he was beheaded for treason on February 25^th, 1601.

In Elizabeth Rex, a more intimate relationship between Shakespeare and Southampton is suggested, Shakespeare thus sharing, with the Queen, fear and anxiety as the hour of execution nears.
 

Sources:

Lacey, Robert. Robert, Earl of Essex: An Elizabethan Icarus. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1971.

Britannia Biographies. www.britannia.com
 
 

VI. DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES
 

• •Complex character development is a major strength of the play. These roles offer exciting challenges to actors and require intense preparation. What are some of the obvious challenges to actors in this production? How might playing an historical figure be difficult? As an audience, did you have any pre-conceived ideas about the characters? Were you surprised by any of the choices the actors made in the development and delivery of their character?

 
 
• •Elizabeth Rex is a challenging project for designers. Globe's production is ultimately unique in its presentation of the play on a 20" x 20" in-the-round stage, rather than a large thrust or proscenium.

 

Students may be interested in creating their own designs for the play, experimenting with different stage configurations. What are some of the challenges? In exploring costume design, what are some alternatives? How might the worlds of the Court, the players and the stage be contrasted differently?
 

• Students may be interested in discussing the role of the author in writing and dramatizing "factual" history versus creating their own interpretation of history or writing historical fiction. What might some of the challenges be in writing roles that involve historical figures or creating drama that is based on historic events? What do we know of Elizabeth I that may counter the information or interpretation put forth by Findley in the play? Does contradictory knowledge affect our enjoyment of the story?

 
 
• Students may find it helpful to learn, through reading, documentary or Internet research, more about Elizabeth I and history as it unfolded during her reign. This could be a vast undertaking, so keep it limited to a few manageable topics. Some which might be of interest include:

 

The Cult of Gloriana - Elizabeth I was one of the most celebrated and influential royal figures in history. She went to great lengths to cultivate a following and "market" her popularity. Can comparisons be made to Elizabeth's tactics and those of modern royals? Are some of her methods of embracing her people reflected in the Monarchy today? Is there a modern comparison to the near "mythic" quality that she reportedly sought and secured, and which ultimately helped to elevate her position.

Elizabeth's Suitors - Students might find it interesting to compare different accounts of some of the Queen's suitors. Are they stories in agreement? What are some of the differences? Whose accounts, if any, are we most likely to believe? Why does scandal reporting such tales and involving Royal figures fascinate us?

Elizabethan Fashion - Elizabeth I reigned for over forty years. Compare some of her fashions from different periods of her life - the period shortly before her crowning, the years following, and the latter years of her reign. What are some of the obvious changes in her appearance and in the design of her wardrobe? What do these changes indicate?

Art, Literature and Theatre - The arts flourished during the reign of Elizabeth I. Explore some of the work of artists, poets and playwrights during her time. What is the treatment of Elizabeth I in some of the work? In which discipline is she an obvious presence? Where are her influences more subtle? How did different artists treat Elizabeth as a subject for their work? Which poets honoured her in their work? How was she described? What influence had she on drama? How was she depicted onstage?