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”The Book of Will” – take a look behind-the-scenes of the European premiere

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20 April 2023

Russell Richardson and Bill Ward in rehearsals for The Book of Will — Russell Richardson and Bill Ward in rehearsals for *The Book of Will*
© Provided by the production

Take an exclusive look into the rehearsals for the European premiere of The Book of Will.

Lauren Gunderson’s award-winning comedy tells the story of The King’s Men as they band together for a near-impossible plan – to collect all of Shakespeare’s plays and compile the First Folio.

Directed by Lotte Wakeham, the play takes the audience on a race against time through 1620s London.

A co-production from Octagon Theatre Bolton, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, and Shakespeare North Playhouse, the piece features a stellar cast of ten actors: Hollyoaks stars Jessica Ellis and Helen Pearson, Zach Lee (Coronation Street), Tomi Ogbaro (Seagulls), Carrie Quinlan (John Finnemore’s Souvenir Programme), Russell Richardson (Last Tango in Halifax), Callum Sim (Coronation Street), Tarek Slater (The Jungle Book), Bill Ward (Emmerdale), and Andrew Whitehead (The Book Thief).

The creative team includes Carla Goodman as the designer, Simeon Miller as the lighting designer, Andy Graham as the sound designer, Jonnie Riordan as the movement director, Olivia Barr as the casting director, Natalie Grady as the accent coach, Ryan McVeigh as the assistant director, and Ngozi Ugochukwu as the observer director.

The production will run at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch from 27 April to 13 May, before transferring to the Octagon Theatre Bolton from 17 May to 3 June and Shakespeare North Playhouse from 19 October to 11 November.

2023 marks 400 years since the First Folio was first published.