(Above: A large cast at the Cottage Theatre combines history, fun, and centuries-old fashion as it tells the true tale of how after his death, William Shakespeare’s friends make sure his masterpieces are not lost.)

By Randi Bjornstad

Cottage Theatre’s next play offers an interesting concept, in the form of The Book of Will, written by prizewinning playwright Lauren Gunderson. In fact, the play won the AMerican Theatre Critis Association award for best new play in 2018. It will be onstage in Cottage Grove for three weekends, beginning June 9.

The play takes place in 1619, three years after the death of The Bard Himself, William Shakespeare. Apparently already in that short period, other actors and play producers have already hacked away at Shakespeare’s plot lines and actual lines, and two of his friends, actors Henry Condell and John Heminges, are determined to preserve the originals.

Their goal is to conserve all of Shakespeare’s writings in one huge volume, and while they know a lot of about writing, they know nothing about bookbinding.

Hence the plot of The Book of Will, a funny and freewheeling look at the creation of the First Folio, amid the characters, chaos, and colorful society that is Elizabethan London, in which they beg and borrow (but presumably don’t steal) their way to success.

Cottage Theatre’s longtime regular Tony Rust directs the Cottage Theatre show, and also designed the sets, with costume design by Rhonda Turnquist, and lighting by Amanda Ferguson.

Then there’s the sizable cast: Nathan Blakely as Henry Condell, James Scroggins as John Heminges, Davis N. Smith (Richard Burbage and other characters), Tim Zay (Ben Jonson), Tracy Brous (Alice Heminges), Nikki Pagniano (Elizabeth Condell), and Janet Rust (Rebecca Heminges). Additional cast members include Larry Brown, Kory Weimer, Blake Nelson, and several others who play multiple parts — Alex Istudor, Elizabeth Peterson, William Blakely, and Mark Allen.

Theater executive director Susan Goes says The Book of Will has been high on the “must-do” list for years, and it won’t just appeal to literature and history lovers but “also to anyone who has tackled an impossible-seeming task, like the players in this tale.”

Also, Goes points out that it’s even more timely because 2023 is the 400th anniversary of the publishing of the First Folio.

Playwright Gunderson has many accolades in her career, including ranking as one of the most-produced playwrights in the United States for the past eight years. Her plays have won many awards, and in addition to plays, she is a screenwriter, musical book writer, and children’s author. She lives in San Francisco.

At Cottage Theatre — The Book of Will

When: June 9-25, 2023; 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, with matinees at 2:30 p.m. on Sundays

Where: Cottage Theatre, 700 Village Drive, Cottage Grove

Tickets: $27 for adults and $15 for youths, available online at cottagetheatre.org or by telephone at 541-942-8001; advance purchase recommended

 

The Book of Will at Cottage Theatre features a large cast, including above, left to right, Nathan Blakely, Kory Weimer, Tracy Brous, James Scoggins, and Larry Brown.