About the Visual Shakespeare Project
I am a York based artist interested in narrative painting and am currently exploring the works of the playwright, William Shakespeare, who needs no introduction. I have created a project called The Visual Shakespeare Project which is intended to promote Shakespeare's work and my interpretation of it, via the visual arts. Additionally, I provide financial support for small Shakespeare theatre companies, by selling these paintings and prints. We welcome new actors into our Project, so please send a photo of you performing as a Shakespearean character and include a few words explaining it. With your permission, we may use you as a model in a painting! Contact Rodolphe Fonty: rodolphefonty@gmail.com
Antony and Cleopatra: ‘The Actor Meets the Artist’ at The Theatre du Nord-Ouest' Upcoming - 29th (16:30hr) and 30th November 2025 (20:30hr)
The production, ‘Antony and Cleopatra – The Actor Meets the Artist,’ was a brilliant show staged by director/actor Rodolphe Fonty at the Théâtre du Nord-Ouest in Paris, running from November 29th to 30th, 2025.
This unique performance was an ensemble of excerpts from Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, punctuated by on-stage interviews with the participants. The event was based upon the paintings created by me, forming an integral part of the project itself.
Rodolphe Fonty is a permanent collaborator on the project, and he cast a highly talented company of French stage actors:
* Cleopatra: Joana Kojundzic Misevic
* Antony: Alexandre de Pardailhan
* Eros, Presenter, Enobarbus, and Ensemble: Rodolphe Fonty (Stage Director/Actor)
* Enobarbus and Ensemble: Vincent Gauthier
* Musician: Janet Smarr Pape
* Artist, originator of the Visual Shakespeare Project: Iain Will
The performances received excellent reviews and were centered around two paintings, presented as a diptych, each depicting a different scene. The artwork served as a pivot point for the exploration of the characters’ frantic and tragic love affair, with the actors performing directly before the paintings.
* One painting featured Cleopatra (in Egypt).
* The other showed Antony and Octavious (in Rome).
The painting of Antony depicted the actor Alexandre de Pardailhan. The model for the Cleopatra painting was the late Operatic Soprano, Madame Ariel Daunizeau, from the 1960s–70s. Her son, Emmanuel, regarded it as a great honour for his mother to be featured in the Project, during his on-stage Interview.
The show incorporated the paintings deeply into the narrative, such as when Cleopatra's monologue was addressed directly to the painting’s portrayal of Antony, and vice versa.
I was interviewed on stage at various points, where I explained the inspiration for the paintings and their relationship to Shakespeare’s play. Alexandre de Pardailhan also offered insight, detailing how he used the painting to channel and inform his performance.
Musical accompaniment was provided by Janet Smarr Pape, whose composition featured echoes of contemporary Shakespearean music alongside Egyptian-sounding themes.
At the conclusion of the successful show, the actors were presented with portraits of themselves. Emmanuel Daunizeau, the son of the Cleopatra model, received a high-quality giclée print of the painting.
Future collaborations were also planned: Joana Kojundzic Misevic, our amazing stage Cleopatra, is to have her portrait painted by me and will also appear in a future painting of Macbeth’s weird sisters, a character and painting of her choice.
Theatre website: Performance Dates
Book Here
Our Paris Exhibition November 2021 - March 2022
The project has proven to be a great success, thanks to the inclusion of some wonderful and talented actors. The first of these was the Parisian actor/director Rodolphe Fonty from The Theatre du Nord-Ouest. He has become a dear friend and permanent collaborator on this project, and you can see him pictured on this webpage. Rodolphe and his colleagues have appeared in these paintings, and Rodolphe curated an exhibition of the works in Paris. He also produced three concurrent theatrical events there.
The exhibition ran at the theatre from November 2021 to March 2022. It opened with two events. The first was a reading of the sonnets by Rodolphe Fonty, Joane Rubio, and Arthur Dragon, set before a painting of The Poet, Fair Youth, and Dark Lady. The second event featured Olivier Bruax and Laetitia Leloutre, who performed in front of the Hamlet, Macbeth, and Henry VIII paintings. This also included an interview with the artist, Iain Will, and Isabelle Watel, who directed the Henry VIII play where one of the paintings was used on stage. Rodolphe hosted these events with great professionalism and stage presence.
The closing event in March 2022 featured the famous French actress Christiane Marchewska, who performed readings from Shakespeare. Iain Will read a sonnet, and Rodolphe Fonty gave the audience an insight into Shakespeare’s response to painting and poetry. You can view a discussion of two paintings from the theatrical event that opened the exhibition here:
Henry VIII and Macbeth
Alternatively: download a catalogue of the paintings
Another successful actor is the New York actor/director/film-maker Chelsea LeSage. Like Rodolphe, she is a very versatile actor. Her acting ranges from Shakespeare to the horror/thriller genre. She and her actor friends dressed and posed for a painting based on the play Much Ado About Nothing. I look forward to working with her in future paintings based on the play, Henry VI, when she will pose as Joan of Arc. Chelsea is also pictured on this page.
Another group of actors are based in York and are part of the York Shakespeare Project. Many have expressed an interest in appearing in one of these paintings and I will contact them in due course.
In each case the theatre companies that my actor friends belong to will, or have, benefited form the sales of the paintings that I have created for this Project.
Each painting captures a significant moment in a specific play, and all around are related objects, places and people that give clues to what is happening at other points in that play. I describe my paintings as a theatrical performance that is captured for the viewer to enjoy whenever they gaze upon the artwork. As such, I have left room for me to reinterpret the plays, so as to allow me to express my reaction to events. I want people to be able to return to the painting again and again and discover more of its iconography and symbolism. I would be delighted if you kept an eye out for upcoming paintings which will be added to this gallery.
Shakespeare in Words and Pictures: University of York, 18th April 2024 Link to the event
On 18th April we had the great honour of holding a Shakespeare themed event at the University of York, one of the top Russell Group Universities in the UK. Over 220 tickets were acquired. We staged a 2 hour event, during which I drew the participating actors, live. This was projected on a large screen, and the audience loved this. Rodolphe Fonty gave a fascinating and informed talk on Shakespeare's responses to painting. Actors joined in to provide illustrative examples of Rodolphe’s observations and I read sonnet no. 24. Chelsea LeSage from New York visited us and took part in our event, which was delightful. We had the honour of having Tina Packer, and her son Jason Asprey, in our audience too.
During the interval the audience had the opportunity to view an exhibition of all the Shakespeare inspired paintings. After the interval the audience were treated to 4 short cameo performances in front of 4 of the paintings, which Rodolphe directed and performed in. The event ended with a musical finale, sung by Rodolphe and the cast.
This project tries to help early and mid-career actors gain exposure, and to network. We are always open to working with other people when possible, so please do get in touch. If you wish us to perform for you, we would be delighted to discuss this.
Cast list, Alphabetically: Nick Clark, Christopher Commander, Rodolphe Fonty, Evie Gallagher, Freya Leadbetter, Chelsea LeSage, Erin Martin & Iain Will.
You can read this wonderful MUSE newspaper review of our Shakespeare in Words and Pictures event, by Emily Stevens, via this link:
MUSE arts review
York City Screen Exhibition: 15th July to 11th August 2024
Our exhibition of the Visual Shakespeare Project paintings took place at York City Screen Cinema, from 15th July to 11th August 2024 and we were delighted by the positive feedback from those who saw them. There were 16 paintings in total, and many people visited the exhibition, which was located up-stairs along a beautifully lit corridor gallery. Each painting had an informative explanation next to it. The exhibition included a portrait of Dame Judi Dench, who was delighted to be included in our project.
Celebrating Shakespeare's birthday : watch now
British Shakespeare Association (BSA) conference 2025 at The University of York
It was an honour to be able to showcase some of the Visual Shakespeare Project paintings at this year's British Shakespeare Association conference at the University of York. A huge thanks to the organisers who facilitated this. The event was international and was a great success for the school of Arts and Creative Technologies.
Link: back to the Shakespeare paintings
Antony and Cleopatra: ‘The Actor Meets the Artist’ at The Theatre du Nord-Ouest' Upcoming - 29th (16:30hr) and 30th November 2025 (20:30hr)
The production, ‘Antony and Cleopatra – The Actor Meets the Artist,’ was a brilliant show staged by director/actor Rodolphe Fonty at the Théâtre du Nord-Ouest in Paris, running from November 29th to 30th, 2025.
This unique performance was an ensemble of excerpts from Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, punctuated by on-stage interviews with the participants. The event was based upon the paintings created by me, forming an integral part of the project itself.
Rodolphe Fonty is a permanent collaborator on the project, and he cast a highly talented company of French stage actors:
* Cleopatra: Joana Kojundzic Misevic
* Antony: Alexandre de Pardailhan
* Eros, Presenter, Enobarbus, and Ensemble: Rodolphe Fonty (Stage Director/Actor)
* Enobarbus and Ensemble: Vincent Gauthier
* Musician: Janet Smarr Pape
* Artist, originator of the Visual Shakespeare Project: Iain Will
The performances received excellent reviews and were centered around two paintings, presented as a diptych, each depicting a different scene. The artwork served as a pivot point for the exploration of the characters’ frantic and tragic love affair, with the actors performing directly before the paintings.
* One painting featured Cleopatra (in Egypt).
* The other showed Antony and Octavious (in Rome).
The painting of Antony depicted the actor Alexandre de Pardailhan. The model for the Cleopatra painting was the late Operatic Soprano, Madame Ariel Daunizeau, from the 1960s–70s. Her son, Emmanuel, regarded it as a great honour for his mother to be featured in the Project, during his on-stage Interview.
The show incorporated the paintings deeply into the narrative, such as when Cleopatra's monologue was addressed directly to the painting’s portrayal of Antony, and vice versa.
I was interviewed on stage at various points, where I explained the inspiration for the paintings and their relationship to Shakespeare’s play. Alexandre de Pardailhan also offered insight, detailing how he used the painting to channel and inform his performance.
Musical accompaniment was provided by Janet Smarr Pape, whose composition featured echoes of contemporary Shakespearean music alongside Egyptian-sounding themes.
At the conclusion of the successful show, the actors were presented with portraits of themselves. Emmanuel Daunizeau, the son of the Cleopatra model, received a high-quality giclée print of the painting.
Future collaborations were also planned: Joana Kojundzic Misevic, our amazing stage Cleopatra, is to have her portrait painted by me and will also appear in a future painting of Macbeth’s weird sisters, a character and painting of her choice.
Theatre website: Performance Dates
Book Here
Our Paris Exhibition November 2021 - March 2022
The project has proven to be a great success, thanks to the inclusion of some wonderful and talented actors. The first of these was the Parisian actor/director Rodolphe Fonty from The Theatre du Nord-Ouest. He has become a dear friend and permanent collaborator on this project, and you can see him pictured on this webpage. Rodolphe and his colleagues have appeared in these paintings, and Rodolphe curated an exhibition of the works in Paris. He also produced three concurrent theatrical events there.
The exhibition ran at the theatre from November 2021 to March 2022. It opened with two events. The first was a reading of the sonnets by Rodolphe Fonty, Joane Rubio, and Arthur Dragon, set before a painting of The Poet, Fair Youth, and Dark Lady. The second event featured Olivier Bruax and Laetitia Leloutre, who performed in front of the Hamlet, Macbeth, and Henry VIII paintings. This also included an interview with the artist, Iain Will, and Isabelle Watel, who directed the Henry VIII play where one of the paintings was used on stage. Rodolphe hosted these events with great professionalism and stage presence.
The closing event in March 2022 featured the famous French actress Christiane Marchewska, who performed readings from Shakespeare. Iain Will read a sonnet, and Rodolphe Fonty gave the audience an insight into Shakespeare’s response to painting and poetry. You can view a discussion of two paintings from the theatrical event that opened the exhibition here:
Henry VIII and Macbeth
Alternatively: download a catalogue of the paintings
Another successful actor is the New York actor/director/film-maker Chelsea LeSage. Like Rodolphe, she is a very versatile actor. Her acting ranges from Shakespeare to the horror/thriller genre. She and her actor friends dressed and posed for a painting based on the play Much Ado About Nothing. I look forward to working with her in future paintings based on the play, Henry VI, when she will pose as Joan of Arc. Chelsea is also pictured on this page.
Another group of actors are based in York and are part of the York Shakespeare Project. Many have expressed an interest in appearing in one of these paintings and I will contact them in due course.
In each case the theatre companies that my actor friends belong to will, or have, benefited form the sales of the paintings that I have created for this Project.
Each painting captures a significant moment in a specific play, and all around are related objects, places and people that give clues to what is happening at other points in that play. I describe my paintings as a theatrical performance that is captured for the viewer to enjoy whenever they gaze upon the artwork. As such, I have left room for me to reinterpret the plays, so as to allow me to express my reaction to events. I want people to be able to return to the painting again and again and discover more of its iconography and symbolism. I would be delighted if you kept an eye out for upcoming paintings which will be added to this gallery.
Shakespeare in Words and Pictures: University of York, 18th April 2024 Link to the event
On 18th April we had the great honour of holding a Shakespeare themed event at the University of York, one of the top Russell Group Universities in the UK. Over 220 tickets were acquired. We staged a 2 hour event, during which I drew the participating actors, live. This was projected on a large screen, and the audience loved this. Rodolphe Fonty gave a fascinating and informed talk on Shakespeare's responses to painting. Actors joined in to provide illustrative examples of Rodolphe’s observations and I read sonnet no. 24. Chelsea LeSage from New York visited us and took part in our event, which was delightful. We had the honour of having Tina Packer, and her son Jason Asprey, in our audience too.
During the interval the audience had the opportunity to view an exhibition of all the Shakespeare inspired paintings. After the interval the audience were treated to 4 short cameo performances in front of 4 of the paintings, which Rodolphe directed and performed in. The event ended with a musical finale, sung by Rodolphe and the cast.
This project tries to help early and mid-career actors gain exposure, and to network. We are always open to working with other people when possible, so please do get in touch. If you wish us to perform for you, we would be delighted to discuss this.
Cast list, Alphabetically: Nick Clark, Christopher Commander, Rodolphe Fonty, Evie Gallagher, Freya Leadbetter, Chelsea LeSage, Erin Martin & Iain Will.
You can read this wonderful MUSE newspaper review of our Shakespeare in Words and Pictures event, by Emily Stevens, via this link:
MUSE arts review
York City Screen Exhibition: 15th July to 11th August 2024
Our exhibition of the Visual Shakespeare Project paintings took place at York City Screen Cinema, from 15th July to 11th August 2024 and we were delighted by the positive feedback from those who saw them. There were 16 paintings in total, and many people visited the exhibition, which was located up-stairs along a beautifully lit corridor gallery. Each painting had an informative explanation next to it. The exhibition included a portrait of Dame Judi Dench, who was delighted to be included in our project.
Celebrating Shakespeare's birthday : watch now
British Shakespeare Association (BSA) conference 2025 at The University of York
It was an honour to be able to showcase some of the Visual Shakespeare Project paintings at this year's British Shakespeare Association conference at the University of York. A huge thanks to the organisers who facilitated this. The event was international and was a great success for the school of Arts and Creative Technologies.
Link: back to the Shakespeare paintings
Me, Rodolphe and Joanna at The Theatre du Nord Ouest, Paris, Nov 2022
Christiane Marchewska at The Theatre du Nord Ouest, Paris, Nov 2022
Isabelle Watel at The Theatre du Nord Ouest, Paris, Nov 2021
Me and a very generous patron of the theatre, Nov 2021
Chelsea and the cast of Much Ado About Nothing at the Stag and Lion Theatre, New York
The cast of our York Shakespeare in Words and Pictures Event, April 2024
Chelsea LeSage receiving her portrait from Iain, April 2024
Iain and part of his University of York Exhibition, April 2024
Rodolphe Fonty at our York City Screen Exhibition, August 2024
Iain Will at the York City Screen Exhibition, August 2024
BSA associaton conference 2025
Joana Kojundzic Misevic, Dec 2025
Alexandre de Pardailhan addressing Cleopatra, Dec 2025
Joana Kojundzic Misevic - the final act, Dec 2025
Rodolphe Fonty (Stage Director/Actor), Dec 2025