THE BOOK OF WILL Celebrates The Enduring Power Of Live Performance At Edge Of The Wood In Chicago

The Resident Theatre at Edge of the Wood is will welcome actors and patrons back to in-person performances with a new production of The Book of Will, by Lauren Gunderson, in their space at the Edgebrook Community Church, April 22 through May 1.

After the death of their friend and colleague William Shakespeare, actors Henry Condell, John Heminges, and their theatrical and domestic families band together to borrow, beg, and beat the odds to compile the First Folio and preserve the work that shaped their lives.

"It's an unabashed love letter to the theatre and to the endurance of the human spirit against all odds," says Artistic Director John Chambers of the enormously popular play, written by the American female author who has been one of the most produced playwrights in America the past several years. "I can't think of a better way to welcome performers and audiences back to our space than with a celebration of the perennial power of live performance."

The cast of The Book of Will includes Jeff Broitman; Dakotah Brown; Chambers (who has appeared in the Resident Theatre productions of The Secret Garden, Our Town, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Holiday, Twelfth Night, and Arcadia); Beck Damron; Tori DeLaney; Stephanie Hobson; Caleb Lee Jenkins; Aimee Kleiman (Pride and Prejudice); Stephen Loch (The Secret Garden, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Our Town, The Fantasticks, Holiday, Arcadia, and Pride and Prejudice); Michael Lomenick (The Beautiful People); Herb Metzler (The Beautiful People); Jeanann Power (The Secret Garden, Our Town, The Seagull, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and The Belle of Amherst); R. Scott Purdy (Our Town, The Fantasticks, Holiday, The Seagull, Arcadia, and The Crucible); Rocco Renda (Pride and Prejudice); and Elizabeth Rude.

Tickets to The Book of Will are $24 for adults and $12 for students, and are available at edgeofthewood.com/resident-theatre, by calling 773-775-1140, or may be purchased at the door. All patrons must show proof of vaccination and wear a mask at the venue. Edge of the Wood is in residence at the Edgebrook Community Church, 6736 N Loleta Ave, Chicago, IL 60646 (Metra: Edgebrook; CTA Bus 47).