ACT Reviews 2022-2023 Season

A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS by Robert Bolt Directed by – Barrie Goodwin Bollington Festival Players “A Man for All Seasons” is a play by Robert Bolt, based on the life of Sir Thomas More (1478-1535). The plot is based on historical events that lead to the execution of More, who was the Chancellor of England in the 16th century and who refused to endorse Henry VIII’s wish to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon, so that he could marry Anne Boleyn. While the timeline of events follows a pretty

accurate path and provides the background and atmosphere, the focus is on More’s character and his fortitude in faith as he navigates a path of keeping his family safe from recrimination and of his own moral conduct and conscience. During the play we see the King, nobles of court, and his own family and friends plead with him to back the changes that would eventually make for the Protestant Reformation and the formation of the Church of England. Thomas More was canonised by Pope Pius XI in 1935 as a martyr.

The play itself was first performed at the Globe Theatre on 1 July 1960. It later transferred to Broadway and enjoyed critical and commercial success. It has also been produced as a radio play, a multi academy award winning feature film in