Henry VIII

Illinois Shakespeare Festival presents its first production of Henry VIII, bringing the company one step closer to completing the Bard’s entire canon. Shakespeare’s treatment of the familiar history focuses on the loss of favor for Henry’s first Queen, Katherine of Aragon, and Cardinal Wolsey, Henry the Eighth’s trusted friend and advisor. As Katherine and Wolsey suffer their tragic falls, new figures rise to fill their places, and a young princess is christened. Directed by ISF Managing Director Don LaCasse, this colorful, rarely-produced history play comes from the very end of Shakespeare’s dramatic career.