It’s 1616, and William Shakespeare has died. In our information-on-demand world, it’s easy to assume that at the time of his death, his dramatic works were bound for posterity in organized volumes. In fact, the Bard’s plays were in fragments (some transcribed, some merely memorized) all over London. In PCPA’s production of Lauren Gunderson’s The Book of Will, playing at the Solvang Festival Theater from August 31–September 10, an intrepid group of actors, for whom Shakespeare’s work was meaningful, begin a quest to posthumously cobble together his collected works.
This boisterous comedy is not limited to fans of Shakespeare’s work, says Andrew Philpot, who plays John Heminges, one of the actors in Shakespeare’s company. “This is not a museum piece; this is not something that’s supposed to edify you and make you smarter; this is to entertain you…. It’s about people on a mission, and it’s really funny. It also has moments that are incredibly moving and beautiful.”
Says Isabella Lind, who plays Alice, Heminges’s daughter who aids the quest from behind the scenes, “It’s about people who are willing to sacrifice and put their lives on hold because they know if they don’t publish these works, they will be completely lost to time.”
