[Translated from Je suis William by Rébecca Déraspe. Music by Chloé Lacasse and Benoit Landry.]

Margaret Shakespeare – William’s sister – must write her remarkable plays in secret, under cover of night… because in 1577, a girl of thirteen who can read and write is in danger from the Witch-Hunters. After all, as her father keeps reminding her, a woman’s place is in the home… next to a big pile of laundry. Once the sweet but dim William discovers his sister’s astonishing talent, a chain of events is set in motion that will change both their lives forever. What happens to women of genius in a world that wants only their silence? Can a sister’s determination, and a brother’s unfailing love, really conquer all? This play with music tackles the big feminist questions with wit, heart, and infectious energy.

Cast size: 1F/2M (or, 2F/2M)

Je suis William was named Best Play for Young Audiences of the 2017-18 Season by AQCT, the association of Québec theatre critics. It was also awarded the 2019 Prix Louise-LaHaye for best text for young audiences by CEAD, the organisation of Québec playwrights.

The translation I Am William was commissioned and produced by Théâtre le Clou. It had its world premiere at Les Coups de coeur in Montréal in 2018, directed by Sylvain Scott, and the company plans to tour next season in both French and English.

A new version of I Am William is currently running at the Stratford Festival. This production, directed by Esther Jun, is on until Sept. 12, 2021, and will then be available on the streaming service Stratfest@Home.

Rébecca Déraspe is one of the leading Québécois playwrights of her generation (whose other award-winning plays You Are Happy and Gametes are also available through this website.) You can find her headshot and bio here.

CRITIC’S PICK: Fresh and delightful.
– Kelly Nestruck, The Globe and Mail

…a clever, funny, and thoughtful family-friendly production that is sure to have theatre-goers of all ages engaging in meaningful conversations one minute, while singing a catchy 'horse' song to themselves the next.
– BroadwayWorld.com

I Am William radiates both charm and substance… Déraspe’s clever faux-Shakespeare could be the real thing in terms of rhythm and rhyme, and I stand in awe of the playwright’s long-time translator, Leanna Brodie, who rendered the lines into Shakespearean English.
– Paula Citron, ludwig-van.com

Rébecca Déraspe has written a wonderful play in I Am William and it is beautifully translated by Leanna Brodie. The language dazzles. At times it seems we are witnessing linguistic gymnastics on the level of Simone Biles—words and syllables rhyme in triplicate. Women and girls are championed and credited with creativity and tenacity at a time when both were dangerous.
– The Slotkin Letter

…balances lighthearted comedy with heartfelt emotion to explore themes of gender equality and societal oppression… If younger audience members can take just one lesson from I Am William, it’s this: true talent comes in all forms, sizes, genders and races.
– London Free Press

The young protagonists of I Am William explicitly aspire to the total emancipation of girls and boys from our gendered expectations of them. A text as playful as it is intelligent, and as sensitive as it is politically engaged. Its sense of humour, among other things, ensures that the script never veers into the didactic, much less into moralizing. – JEU magazine

Through this story of two siblings, Déraspe sheds light on the inequalities and injustices that held women back for so long. – Le Devoir

I Am William turns this fragment of the sixteenth century into a magnifying mirror of our own era. Because, to this day, being born a boy or girl dictates at least part of the road we take. – theatre-contemporain.net

Rébecca Déraspe offers us a brilliant text, blending truth and fiction in order to speak of love and the power of dreams. – montheatre.qc.ca

…Yes it’s a play for adolescents, but it was written for whoever is interested in the subject [of the place of women and girls in our society]… and in my humble opinion, there’s something in it for everyone – La Bible Urbaine.

An inspiring play for all ages. – Huffington Post

MARY: He's afraid you'll bring shame on our family with this questionable behaviour.

MARGARET: “Questionable behaviour”? What does that mean?! I do everything by the book. I hold my tongue; I hide my tears; I wash his clothes. Questionable behaviour? I could write and become the greatest author of all time, and still he would hate me, for women who have the audacity to speak are witches who should have their heads cut off. Questionable behaviour? When his sons get tangled in the slender thread of life, he sustains them with all the love in his heart. But when a daughter of his says "no", she gets a faceful of his fury. Yet I'm the one with questionable behaviour?

MARY: Don't cry. There, there. Don't cry. I didn't understand a word you just said… but stop crying.