A Noise Within presents The Book of Will. Written by Lauren Gunderson. Directed by Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and Geoff Elliott. The Producing Sponsors are Terri Murray and Patricia Hoppe.
It is incredible to think that the literary legacy of William Shakespeare could’ve been lost if it hadn’t been for the dedication of the playwright’s closest friends and associates. Two fellow actors and members of Shakespeare’s theatrical company the King’s Men, Henry Condell (Jeremy Rabb, Animal Farm) and John Heminges (Geoff Elliott Animal Farm, Metamorphoses), worked tirelessly to put together Shakespeare’s collection of plays and poetry in a high-end format known as a folio, a broadsheet folded once to make serious tomes or luxury books. Previously, most of Shakespeare’s plays were printed in quartos, a smaller and cheaper format.
According to Professor Linda Woodbridge, up to 90% of plays written in Shakespeare’s days didn’t survive, they just perished without trace. Many of those plays were performed, but never printed. Thus, the importance of ensuring Shakespeare’s legacy by printing the First Folio, a cultural capital for the subsequent generations to enjoy.
The First Folio contains 36 of Shakespeare’s plays and some short poems. Even though all of the details of the whole process to get the folio done are not fully known, Lauren Gunderson imagines what it was like to undertake such an expensive and arduous task. In the play, a jealous Ben Johnson (played on Friday by an extraordinary Alex Morris) finally agrees to write two poems in the Folio’s preface to honor Shakespeare’s talent. Money, of course, was a factor to make it almost impossible to publish the book. Throughout the process, Elizabeth (Trisha Miller, Metamorphoses, Animal Farm) Alice, (Nicole Javier, Metamorphoses, Animal Farm), and Rebecca (Deborah Strang, Animal Farm) encourage Condell and Heminges to keep going when everything seems lost.
The characters of Condell, Heminges, and Richard Burbage (Frederick Stuart, Much Ado About Nothing) reference Shakespeare’s phrases in many of their conversations, a sign of their deep admiration for the playwright’s witty poetry and the close relationship they all enjoyed as fellow actors. To make the story even more appealing, the secondary character Ralph Crane (a fascinating Kasey Mahaffy, Metamorphoses) delivers outstanding comedy to the play to keep things amusing as the Folio starts to take shape.
The set design and lighting are stunning. Scenic designer Frederica Nascimento and lighting designer Ken Booth play with soft, directional, and natural colors and textures that add an emotional atmosphere to the ample stage, and in the case of the props, give co-Directors Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and Geoff Elliott plenty of space to have the actors move around the stage freely.
The Book of Will is a celebration of one of the greatest writers of all time, the Swan of Avon, William Shakespeare. And just like Shakespeare’s plays, putting together the Folio becomes an experience of loss, dedication, and a sacrificial love for such a noble expression called theatre. The survival King’s Men understand that although a performance is a sizzling and titillating experience, it is ephemeral by nature. A book, on the other hand, can transcend centuries and generations.
The Book of Will
A Noise Within
3352 E Foothill Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91107
Performances May 13–June 7
• Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.: May 25; June 1 (dark May 18)
• Fridays at 8 p.m.: May 26**; June 2**
• Saturdays at 2 p.m.: May 27; June 3
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: May 13 (Opening Night); May 20; May 27; June 3
• Sundays at 2 p.m.: May 28; June 4
**Post-performance conversations with the artists every Friday (except the preview) and on Sunday, May 21 (included in ticket price).
An INsiders Discussion Group will be held on Tuesday, May 16, from 6 p.m.–8 p.m. on Zoom ($38 per individual or $45 per household).
There will be three student matinees at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 16; Wednesday, May 17; and Thursday, May 18. Interested educators should email education@anoisewithin.org.
Tickets: www.anoisewithin.org
Written by Lauren Gunderson. Directed by Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and Geoff Elliott. Starring Geoff Elliott, Stanley Andrew Jackson, Nicole Javier, Kasey Mahaffy, Trisha Miller, Kelvin Morales, Alex Morris, Jeremy Rabb, Deborah Strang, and Frederick Stuart. Producing Sponsors Terri Murray and Patricia Hoppe. Sponsored by Kathy and Jim Drummy. Presented by A Noise Within, Geoff Elliot and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, producing artistic directors. Creative team: Scenic designer Frederica Nascimento; lighting designer Ken Booth; sound designer Robert Oriol; video designer Nicholas Santiago; costume designer Angela Balogh Calin; wig and make up designer Shelia Dorn; dialect coach Andrea Odinov; and dramaturg Miranda Johnson-Haddad. The rehearsal stage manager is Deena Tovar.
