Apocryphal Shakespeare Company of Haddonfield: Thomas of Woodstock

Thomas of Woodstock is a play about a man who tried to save his country from greed and ignorance. The play is an historic tragedy set during the early reign of King Richard II of England.  Woodstock was Richard’s uncle and counseled the young King to act moderately and strive to improve the living conditions for his subjects -- especially the commonfolk who were most needful.  Unfortunately, Richard was a self-absorbed, shallow boy easily distracted and always led by flattery.  He surrounded himself with sycophants who convinced Richard to enact disastrous tax schemes to enrich themselves and further impoverish the poor.  When Woodstock attempted to oppose the sycophants, they had him arrested and shipped away to prison overseas in Calais.  Richard exercised extraordinary powers and in 1397 ordered the assassination of his uncle for failing to bend to his will.  A few years later the people of England revolted.  Richard was deposed in 1399 and imprisoned in Pontefract castle where by the end of February 1400, he starved to death.

            Although this play has not been produced for approximately 400 years it does carry a message curiously appropriate for our times.  As Winston Churchill said in 1948, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”  The Apocryphal Shakespeare Company will be presenting a staged reading of Thomas of Woodstock at The Mabel Kay Senior Center, 24 Walnut St., Haddonfield, NJ on Sunday May 4, 2025.  Doors open at 1:30 for a 2:00pm curtain.  Admission is FREE!  Reservations: ssiegel@haddonfield-nj.gov or www.haddonfieldlibrary.org