'Why Will? The Seven Ages of Shakespeare Edition', The Mermaid Inn, Rye

'Why Will?' explores the importance of Shakespeare by presenting speeches and scenes from The Bard’s works to convey the impact his works have had on our everyday lives. Jumping from character to character, play to play, Stephen John utilises ‘The Seven Ages of Man’ speech to its utmost by looking at the writer’s life and works in seven stages. This one man show was first produced in 2021 with summer shows at Half House Farm exclusively and a winter visit to The Stables Theatre; now in 2026, Bowler Crab return to the show by popular demand with a redesigned and updated script.

Facilities at the Mermaid Inn, Rye

• All performances are indoors.

  • Allocated seating in comfy padded seats.

• A bar with alcoholic, hot and soft drinks will be provided by The Mermaid in the auditorium itself.