A Few Words about

Transgendered Shakespeare

It is Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary.

Are we losing his language?

How is communication changing?

What does his language, his communication gifts mean to us in this day and age?

Historical Interpretation is exploring it through the age old problem of family communications.

A play, having its public premier at the Brighton Fringe 2016, in which a father and transgender child workout how to both communicate and relate to each othe

The play takes a fresh look at the age old problem of family communications, but with humour and a twist.

Written and performed by the said father and child.

Simon, the father is doing it as a way to understand, Rory, the child is doing it as a way to self-expression and release.

Venue – The Friends Meeting House, Ship Street, Brighton, BN1 1AF.
Dates – 7pm on each of Saturday 14^th May; Saturday 21^st May; Friday 27^th May; Saturday 28th May 2016
Produced and directed by Simon Waterfield
Written and performed by Simon Waterfield and Rory Waterfield
Tickets £9, concessions available.
To book tickets
- visit www.brightonfringe.org/box-office/shows/view/transgendered-shakespeare
- or call 01273 917272

The play takes a fresh look at the age old problem of family communications, but with humour and a twist.

Communication? Between a father and a child? How difficult can that be?

Communication? Between a father and a transgender child? How much of a nightmare can that be?

On his 400^th anniversary, can Shakespeare help?

Follow a father and child exploring each other’s worlds with the help, and hindrance of the Bard.

The Grateful Dead and Against Me provide some musical assistance.

Written and performed by said father and child. By the father as a way to understand, by the child as a way to self-expression and release.

The play will have its public premier at the Brighton Fringe.

Brighton Argus 3 Star review of first night

How do we communicate nowadays? We seem to constantly be on various bits of technology instead of talking to one another in person. With that in mind, how can a father communicate with his millennial child? Let alone his millennial child who is transgender?

With a little help from the Bard, Simon and Rory Waterfield explore one another’s worlds with musical accompaniment from the Grateful Dead and Against Me.

This personal, emotional play is mostly monologue from Simon, a father trying to understand the transition Rory is going through and what it means in the modern age. Meanwhile, Rory sits on stage on his phone reacting in typical sarcastic teenage fashion and, at the end, finally converses with his father.

The play was a personal journey for the pair and Simon told me how difficult it was to convince Rory, who is staunchly private, to participate.

Whilst there were issues it was still powerful and moving.

The small audience could feel the deep connection between the two and the communicative issues hit home for my own relationship with my parents.

Audience comments

Transgendered Shakespeare was moving @GinnySanderson

Its fantastic for the subject matter to be in this medium

Very powerful production

Well done Rory it took me 55 years to come out

Loved the use of Shakespeare as a trans gender issue

Fabulous hearing it in Rorys words

Read the Broadway Baby interview here

Listen to Fringe Interview here