King Francis I

‘Francis Warner’s play in celebration of the quincentenary of François I’s birth in 1494 is an act of courage. . . . It opens in 1515, on the king’s return from fighting the Swiss, and takes us to his death in 1547. 'Along the way, we meet not only the king himself, but also figures at least equal in prestige: Charles V, King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor, Clément Marot, Leonardo da Vinci, Marguerite de Navarre. . . . The play maintains a consistently coherent line. Tim Prentki, as director, deserves his share of the credit for carrying forward this complex tale. 'We hear of François as king, warrior, husband, lover/philanderer, patron of the arts, huntsman, opponent of the Sorbonne, creator of institutions free from the domination of the Church, religious bigot, and many things more. . . . The whole is constructed on the basis of serious research into the period and the characters concerned.’ Oxford Magazine