“For you know, nuncle,

The hedge-sparrow fed the cuckoo so long,

That it’s had it head bit off by its young.”

OUR STORY BEGINS IN A TIME LONG, LONG AGO…

Long before any Norman ever landed in Britain. The king of Britain is an old, stubborn man called Lear, and he has grown tired of ruling. But before retiring to his three daughters’ care, he must divide his kingdom between them, each receiving a part based on their show of love, in front of the assembled court of all of Britain. The eldest two, Goneril and Regan, flatter their father, and are given their portions of his realm, the duchies of Albany and Cornwall respectively. Yet, Cordelia, the youngest and most beloved of the princesses, refuses to do the same. She is exiled to France, and her two sisters are charged with caring for their ailing father, cracks begin to show in the royal family’s castle walls.

Meanwhile, Edmund, the bastard son of the earl of Gloucester, plots against his legitimate brother and works his way into the affections of both Goneril and Regan. As tensions rise and plots thicken on all sides, in castles and keeps  across Britain, there are  whispers of war between the powers of Albany and Cornwall. As a storm gathers on the horizon, the question remains, who will open their gates for despised old men, and who will shut up their doors? It is a wild night to be left out in the storm…

The play will be performed in English with French and English surtitles