The Last Wife

Kate Parr is smart, confident, and passionate: a rising star in a world of intense competition. But her obligatory marriage to Henry is rife with the threat of violence and the lure of deceit; her secret liaisons with Thom, her husband’s former brother-in-law, could send her to an early grave; and her devotion to the education and equal rights of Henry’s daughters is putting an even bigger strain on her marriage. Does Kate risk her life to gain authority in both her relationship and her political career? Which love will she be led to if she follows her heart? And what kind of future is there for her children if she makes a crucial mistake?

AUTHOR

Kate Hennig

Kate Hennig is a playwright, performer, teacher, director, and Associate Artistic Director of the Shaw Festival. Kate’s play, The Last Wife, which premiered at the Stratford Festival in 2015, has had many subsequent productions across Canada and the US. The Virgin Trial was awarded the Carol Bolt Award for Best New Play in 2017, and was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama. The third play in Kate’s Tudor series, Mother’s Daughter, will premiere at the Stratford Festival in 2019. Visit kathennig.com for more information.

Reviews

“Here is a playwright who is taking on the big themes of feminism with a restless, probing intelligence and political savvy. Her characters are living, breathing, messy human beings who reach for the stars and who stumble in the dirt. These are not mouthpieces for politically correct punditry, but people whose emotions cause chaos and whose ideas drive their passion. In short, this is the best kind of playwriting: thoughtful, full-bodied, and redolent of the stuff of life.” —Bob White, Director of New Plays, Stratford Festival