A Canterbury musical about William Shakespeare is returning to Christchurch more than three decades after its orchestral scores disappeared.

Written and composed by Neill Pickard QSM in 1977, Sweet William or Born to be Bard will be revived by Enchanting Productions at The Piano from 16 to 18 October.

The musical presents a lively account of Shakespeare’s childhood in Stratford upon Avon, his early marriage and domestic life, and his struggles as a young writer in plague ridden London.

Pickard told chrislynchmedia.com that the idea was influenced by seeing an Australian production of Jesus Christ Superstar.

“As I had dabbled in a variety of styles as an amateur musician, I could see a way of applying these styles I knew and loved freely to a subject I felt worthy of exploration from an educational perspective,” he said.

“Once I had committed to the concept, there was no going back.”

Pickard said gifted jazz pianist, composer and arranger Doug Caldwell provided essential support in translating his songs onto the musical page and score.

Sweet William was performed several times between 1978 and 1995, with past productions involving Christchurch Boys’ High School, Avonside Girls’ High School, St Andrew’s College, Christchurch Girls’ High School and Cashmere High School.

However, its orchestral scores were lost around the time of the final production in 1995.

Pickard believed they might have been thrown out when the Jazz School moved from St Asaph Street to High Street.

The scores were unexpectedly discovered in a teacher’s garage after the Canterbury earthquakes and returned to Pickard in 2012.

“I couldn’t believe my ears. I had given them up as either lost or thrown out with rubbish,” he said.

“I just had to get hold of them and photocopy wildly before anything else happened.”

The absence of any video or audio recordings meant the musical remained dormant despite the recovery of the scores.

Enchanting Productions director Louise Glossop, who performed in the 1986 production, approached Pickard’s son Richard in 2025 about bringing the work back to the stage.

Glossop has since worked alongside Neill Pickard to edit the script and assemble a cast and creative team from Canterbury’s theatrical community.

Pickard said he was delighted that a director who had appeared in the musical almost 40 years ago wanted to recreate it.

“Louise has brought a vitality and keen focus to a script and songs I always felt deserved reviving and presenting with a multi generational cast, a professional band and modern technology,” he said.

He said the timeless nature of Shakespeare’s story meant little needed to be changed for modern audiences.

“Apart from some director’s tweaks and the odd injection of poetic licence, the show is virtually as conceived,” he said.

“Louise has brought her personal lens to the production and I am stoked with her subtle and creative handling of both songs and script.”

The new production will feature a cast of 45 performers and an eight piece live band, making it the first time the musical has been presented with a multi generational cast.

Nic Kyle will play William Shakespeare, while Juliet Reynolds Midgley will appear as Queen Elizabeth I.

The principal cast also includes Jonathan Densem, John Bayne, Eve Kelly Lyford, Amy Potts, Kimberley Fenton, Eli Davis, Sean Lean Massey and Reuben Oh.

Christchurch musician Gabriel Baird has created new arrangements for the score, which spans jazz, rock, swing, blues and classical music.

Baird and William Buffham will oversee the show’s musical direction in collaboration with Richard Pickard, who is coordinating the live band and musical production.

Richard Pickard said the revival would celebrate his father’s contribution to the arts.

“To present Sweet William in its truest form is an incredibly exciting opportunity and will be a fitting tribute to Dad’s many years of work as a performer, educator and innovator in the Canterbury arts community,” he said.

A Boosted fundraising campaign is seeking $10,000 to help pay performers, digitise and arrange the music, employ sound specialists and meet other production costs.

At the time of writing, the campaign had raised $3,220 from 14 donors.

Neill Pickard hoped the production would give audiences a greater appreciation of Shakespeare as a man and the period in which he lived.

“I would also hope that one or two of the songs would resonate with the audience as memorable earworms,” he said.

Pickard hoped the revival could provide an opportunity to take the musical overseas, particularly to organisations in Melbourne, London and New York that support young aspiring artists.

Five performances will be staged in The Philip Carter Family Concert Hall at The Piano.

Shows will be held at 7.30pm on 16 October, 2pm and 7.30pm on 17 October, and 1pm and 6pm on 18 October.

Tickets are priced from $26 to $46, with family and group packages available through The Piano.