London 1623. Apprentice typesetter, 17-year-old John arrives to work under the mentorship of ambitious printer Isaac Jaggard on a potentially game-changing new commission – Shakespeare’s first-ever complete works.
As John grapples to stamp a manuscript of Macbeth onto the page, fuelled by his dark past, he finds himself weaving his own narrative into the text. But as the ink sets, he begins questioning who the storytellers really are…
Presented in line with the 400th anniversary of the publication of the First Folio, Compositor E celebrates the power of words and explores the many unlikely fingerprints that write and re-write history.
Post-Show Discussion with Professor Emma Smith & Charlie Dupré
WED 27 SEP
An informal discussion about the making of the First Folio with Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at the University of Oxford and author of The Making of Shakespeare’s First Folio, and the writer of Compositor E, Charlie Dupré.
Post-Show Panel Discussion with Professor Tiffany Stern, Dr Peter Ross, Chris Pickles, George Owen & Charlie Dupré
THURS 5 OCT
After an introduction from Tiffany Stern, the panel will discuss all things First Folio – from the errors Compositors made, to printing processes in the 20th century, to the relevance and importance of the First Folio today.
