About the Play:

Head is a full-length musical with book, lyrics, and music by Debbie Patterson. A musical tragicomedy, Head traces the last days of England's ill-fated Anne Boleyn, who was executed in 1536 after she failed for the second time to give her husband King Henry VIII a male heir.

Head is about the downfall of Henry VIII's wife Anne Boleyn. The historical accounts from King Henry VIII and Queen Anne's time are steeped in controversy, contradiction, and irony. Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII, was put to death on trumped up charges of adultery and incest. In fact, her husband, frustrated by his wife's failure to provide him with a son, simply wanted a way out of his marriage. Within days of Anne's execution, Henry married his third wife, Jane Seymour. The injustice of Anne's situation, coupled with the obvious hidden agendas and wilful ignorance of the people in power make this story irresistibly compelling. In a fresh and remarkably contemporary take on this fascinating story, Debbie Patterson captures the intricate web of suspense, intrigue, and complicated human relationships in a script that is at turns hilarious, devastating and disturbing, but ultimately uplifting.

Head was first performed in 2006 by Shakespeare in the Ruins (SIR) at the Assiniboine Park Conservatory in Winnipeg, Manitoba to a completely sold out run.

Cast: 5 women, 4 men

What people say:

"The tale of Boleyn has been told many times, but Patterson uses her skilled hand as a playwright and musician to take the story in new directions... Head is an enormous undertaking and a resounding success as vital new work." — Uptown Magazine

"Patterson artfully examines not just the inevitability of death, but the rewards to be gained by accepting it with some dignity. Head is everything theatre should be." — Winnipeg Sun

About the Playwright:

Debbie Patterson is a Winnipeg-based Canadian playwright, composer, director and actor. She is an alumnus of the National Theatre School of Canada and the former Artistic Director of the Popular Theatre Alliance of Manitoba (PTAM). Currently she is a member of the Playwright's Unit and serving as Artistic Associate for Prairie Theatre Exchange. She served as Playwright in Residence for Theatre Projects Manitoba 2013/14 season. In 2010/11 she was the Theatre Ambassador for Winnipeg's Cultural Capital of Canada celebrations and in 2012 she was the Carol Shields Writer in Residence at the University of Winnipeg.