Shakespeare in Love to Lord Wessex. Shakespeare accompanies her, disguised as her female cousin. There, he persuades Wessex to wager £50 that a play can capture the true nature of love, the exact amount Shakespeare requires to buy a share in the Chamberlain's Men. Queen Elizabeth I declares that she will judge the matter when the occasion arises. When Burbage finds out that Shakespeare has both seduced Rosaline and cheated him out of the money he was paid for the play, he goes to the Rose Theatre with his Curtain Theatre Company and starts a brawl. The Rose Theatre company drives Burbage and
Shakespeare Theatre Company Anthony Hopkins 2001 – Ralph Fiennes 2002 – Michael Kahn 2003 – Fiona Shaw 2004 – Dame Judi Dench 2005 – Jeremy Irons 2006 – Kevin Spacey 2007 – The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Acting Company 2008 – Rennie Harris, Peter Martins and Chita Rivera 2009 – Sir Ian McKellen 2010 – Annette Bening 2011 – Michael Kahn in honor of his 25th Anniversary as Artistic Director 2012 - F. Murray Abraham 2013 - Elizabeth McGovern 2014 - John Hurt, Stacy Keach and Diana Rigg 2015 - Julie Taymor 2016 - Charles Dance 2017 - Laura Linney The Emery Battis Award