Fall Play: The Book of Will

Book of Will tickets are 8$ and they perform on October 6th and 7th at 7:00 PM and October 9th at 2:00. Act one is 60 min and Act 2 is 45 min. This is a family-friendly show so bring as many people as you can to show your support for this amazing troupe and show!

The Book of Will is a play by Lauren Gunderson. It is an American playwright who produced the most plays in America between 2017-2019. The show is based on a TRUE story that is very history-heavy with a comedic and eventful twist. The show is about finding all of William Shakespeare’s work after he died.

It takes place in 1619 London. The play features John Hemmings, played by senior Will Bower. In real life, John was a friend of Shakespeare who also acted in some of his plays and managed the company. During this play, he goes through a lot of hardships and challenges while trying to produce Will’s book, but through it all, he perseveres for his friend, since he wants Will’s wonderful work out into the world

“Folio?! That’s – come on – I love Will’s work but it’s not a Bible. And quartos cost a penny; a folio imprint could be a pound or more. Who could pay a year’s wages for a book? of plays?” ~ John”. The next leader in this show is Henrey Condell played by Sam Nigg, a senior. Henry like John was a good friend of William Shakespeare and the main component and getting Will’s first book out.

These two face many problems and even have to look in some unlikely places, but through it all, they continue to work to keep Will’s legacy alive. Along with John’s daughter, Alice is played by sophomore Ana Bull. Alice is an advocate for Will’s plays because she has seen so many and before cares for them deeply.

I think a lot of people when they hear Shakespeare tune out and become bored. Some people think of the old-timy language used in his plays and want to take a nap. But the Book of Will is not like that it talks about the events and period around the plays. Ana Bull states how it is a great interpretation of what happened for us to know Shakespeare today. So it doesn’t feel like you are watching some of Shakespeare’s work if that’s not what you are into. Junior Noah Koatz, shared his first impression of the show and how that has changed: “The play is moving, and even though the idea of it might seem boring at first it is anything but boring.”

Junior Isabelle Meyer, who plays Rebecca Hemmings, John’s wife, shared her favorite part of being in this show! “The whole play is a rollercoaster emotion! Usually, when you hear Shakespeare your mind goes to what you read in English, but this play takes it to a whole new level. I love everything in this play from our amazing set made by our hardworking set crew, to the spectacular costumes designed and put together by the costume crew! I love being able to work with an awesome cast and crew who are all so passionate about this production”.

Ana Bull, a sophomore in the play, said “As someone who is a big theatre participant myself, I know how important energy at rehearsal is. And how that affects the show. The cast said that the energy is always high but focused! Which is a perfect combination. Ana Bull summed up all of that perfectly with this quote. “It’s wonderful! There’s a lot of energy and everybody’s excited to be there. We all work our hardest to improve and adjust, and we always have fun. It’s like one large family!”

Sophomore Atiana Pilipovic, said that she enjoyed getting to know everyone and bonding with people in different grades. She said what she finds special about this play specifically. “My favorite part of the play is watching it unfold because as an audience member you don’t get to know that process.” Other members of the cast said that they enjoyed watching the show get better and better as rehearsals continue.

So as you can see the environment in The Book of Will is a great script that the actors bring to life. The Waukee Thespian Troupe 1451 wants you as the audience to be so wrapped up in the acting that you forget that they are classmates. There are so many people working towards putting on this fantastic show, and their effort is truly paying off! So if you are free this week I would recommend going to see the Fall play!