Connect with CT:
Cottage Theatre
  • On Stage
    • 2023 Season >
      • Charlie Brown
      • Big Fish
      • Book of Will
      • Game's Afoot
      • Producers
      • Elf the Musical
    • Next Season >
      • Frankenstein
      • Brigadoon
      • Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
      • Tennessee Wet Rub
      • Something Rotten
      • The 39 Steps
    • Special Events >
      • Rhythm & Blues
      • Roaring Twenties Youth Production
    • Past Productions >
      • The 2020s
      • The 2010s
      • The 2000s
      • The 1990s
      • The 1980s
  • Tickets
    • Season Tickets
    • Single Show Tickets
    • Seating Chart
    • Accessibility
    • Directions and Parking
    • Explore Cottage Grove
    • Common Questions
  • Donate
    • Annual Fund
    • Business Support
    • Legacy Giving
  • Get Involved
    • Audition
    • Help with a Show
    • Usher
  • Learn
    • Fall Kids Program
    • 101 Dalmations Kids Cast Resources
  • About
    • Mission & Programs
    • History
    • Staff & Board
    • Partners & Sponsors
    • Contact Us
  • News

THE BOOK OF WILL

She Loves Me
The untold story of saving a theatrical legacy​

June 9 - 25, 2023

By Lauren Gunderson

THE BOOK OF WILL is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection. (www.dramatists.com)

Directed by Tony Rust
    

“To be or not to be ... Aye, there’s the point.” It’s 1619, and William Shakespeare has been dead only three years, but already many thespians are butchering his words. Actors Henry Condell and John Heminges are determined to preserve the legacy of their friend and mentor by gathering all of Shakespeare’s plays into one volume. While they know the ins and outs of iambic pentameter, they know next to nothing about binding books. Undaunted, they borrow, beg, and form unlikely bonds to get it done. Amidst the noise and color of Elizabethan London, The Book of Will tells the humorous, entertaining, and irreverent story of the creation of the First Folio. Written by the renowned contemporary playwright Lauren Gunderson, The Book of Will gives you an entirely new perspective on our theatrical history.

TICKETS
$27 Adult / $15 Youth (18 & under)

CURTAIN TIMES:
Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 pm
Sundays at 2:30 pm 
SUPPORTED BY
Picture

CRITICAL ACCLAIM

“a lovingly crafted love letter to the Bard that shines from start to finish and is a true crowd pleaser.” — Siskiyou Daily News

"Lest you think this is a play reserved for Shakespeare nerds, think again. Gunderson has infused the script with humor, poetry, pathos and intrigue — ingredients for entertaining theater — as well as factual history. — New England Theatre Mirror

​“unequivocally announces Gunderson as a playwright with whom to be reckoned. It is, quite frankly, one of the best plays I have ever seen.” — Boulder Weekly (Colorado)

PHOTOS
View all show photos
CAST
Henry Condell / Nathan Blakely
John Heminges / James Scoggins
Richard Burbage, Compositor, Sir Edward Dering / Davis N. Smith
Ben Jonson / Tim Zay
Alice Heminges / Tracy Brous
Elizabeth Condell / Nikki Pagniano
Rebecca Heminges / Janet Rust
William Jaggard / Larry Brown
Isaac Jaggard / Kory Weimer
Ralph Crane / Blake Nelson
Elmino Bassana Lanier, Anne Hathaway Shakespeare, Marcellus, Fruit Seller / Elizabeth Peterson
Susanna Shakespeare / Alex Istudor
Ed Knight, Barman, Blount, Marcus / Mark Allen
Boy Hamlet, Crier, Bernardo / William Blakely
PRODUCTION CREW
Director & Set Designer / Tony Rust 
Stage Manager / Olivia David 
Assistant Director / Moura Stewart 
Costume Design / Rhonda Turnquist 
Lighting Design / Amanda Ferguson 
Light Board Operator / Chantal Hall 
Set & Prop Construction and Painting / Janet Whitlow, Tim Zay, Nikki Pagniano, Kory Weimer, James Scoggins, Nathan Blakely, William Blakely, Ben Blakely, Alex Istudor, Mark Allen, Amy Beasley, Mari Taylor, Davis N. Smith, Randall Brous, Tracy Brous, Blake Nelson, Moura Stewart, Elizabeth Peterson, Lance Troxel, Larry Brown, Bil Morrill 
Photography / Matt Emrich 


HOME
BUY TICKETS
DONATE
JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST
CONTACT US
Our Mission:
Engaging and enriching our community through the magic of live theatre.
Copyright © 2023 Cottage Theatre. All rights reserved.

​700 Village Drive, Cottage Grove, Oregon 97424
(541) 942-8001  |  info@cottagetheatre.org