Description:

Auditions for February-March production of The Book of Will by Lauren Gunderson, directed by Jim Masini.

Characters:

Without William Shakespeare, we wouldn't have literary masterpieces like Romeo and Juliet. But without Henry Condell and John Heminges, we would have lost half of Shakespeare's plays forever! After the death of their friend and mentor, the two actors are determined to compile the First Folio and preserve the words that shaped their lives. They'll just have to borrow, beg, and band together to get it done. Amidst the noise and color of Elizabethan London, The Book of Will finds an unforgettable true story of love, loss, and laughter, and sheds new light on a man you may think you know.

Henry Condell: Feisty and hopeful, Henry is forty years old, Shakespeare's friend, and actor in the King's Men.

John Heminges: Reasonable and serious, John is fifty years old, Shakespeare's friend, and financial manager of the King's Men. He is a good man, a gentleman, and owner of the Globe Tap House.

Richard Burbage: A seasoned lion of the stage, loud and proud, Richard is in his fifties and famous across England.

Elizabeth Condell: Savvy and fun, Elizabeth is Condell's wife. Alice Heminges: John's daughter and alewife, Alice is thirty-five years old, knows everyone, and hangs with the boys.

Rebecca Heminges: John's wife, Rebecca is strong, busy with their grocery business, and a woman who has weathered much but loves her husband, her sons, and God. She is a good wife.

Ben Jonson: Poet laureate of England and friend/rival of Shakespeare, Ben is an amazing drunk, a bear of a man, and surprisingly weepy.

Ed Knight: "Stage manager" for the King's Men, Ed is self-serious and particular.

Ralph Crane: Humble scrivener of the King's Men, Ralph is quick, sure, and quiet.

William Jaggard: Successful if shady publisher of books, plays, and playbills, William is confident in his ability to get what he wants. He is very experienced, very connected, willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done, but an ass.

Isaac Jaggard: William's son, Isaac will inherit the business. He is sensitive, an artist at heart.

Marcus: Printer's apprentice at the Jaggard print shop, twenty-year-old Marcus is nosy but honest.

Compositor: Works for Jaggard, young.

Emilia Bassano Lanier: A fiery Italian feminist and poet, Emilia is fifty years old, an independent woman, and a lover of life (and of Shakespeare).

Sir Edward Dering: A book and theatre lover, Edward is sixty years old and the first customer of The First Folio.

Anne Hathaway Shakespeare: Shakespeare's now ailing sixty-year-old wife, Anne is strong-willed, a classy lady, a survivor.

Susannah Shakespeare: A good girl and daughter of Shakespeare, Susannah is thirty years old.

Present certification of full COVID-19 vaccination, including a booster if qualified, upon arrival.