A deceptively truthful tale by Stuart Fortey
A true story of literary fraud and family deceit in the 18th century – comic, tragic and scarcely believable.
There are two problems with deception.
The first is being found out.
The second is not being found out.
In 1794, noted antiquarian Samuel Ireland is delighted when his son William brings him unknown documents in the hand of Shakespeare, obtained from an anonymous source. But scholars question their authenticity and denounce Samuel as a forger. The household is thrown into turmoil and family skeletons come tumbling out of cupboards …
In 2026, Samuel, William and their housekeeper Mrs Freeman meet again to sort out the truth of it all, if such a thing is possible …
A TRUE STORY
Fakespeare is about truth and lies, then and now. Although the events of the play – the Great Shakespeare Fraud – happened in the 1790s, the characters are actually telling us the story in the present day, fully aware of the audience. Lies, however well-intentioned, lead to the destruction of the family in the play, and even today the truth about what actually happened then is hard to pin down. Fakespeare is an object lesson in the timeless need for honesty and truthfulness in human interactions.