Auditions
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The Book of Will
By Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Janet Noble
Auditions: Saturday 8 & Sunday 9 November 2025
Callbacks: Tuesday 11 November 2025
Read through: 16 November
Rehearsals: 18 November 2025 - 3 February 2026
Performance Dates: Wednesday 4 February - Saturday 14 February 2026
Packout: Sunday 15 February 2026
“Those words are our lives’ work, Will’s life. If we don’t find them, they die with us.”
London. 1619. William Shakespeare has been gone for three years, and the other members of the King’s men are starting to make their final exits. The remaining members of the company are horrified to realise that their dear friend’s plays, the plays that they spent their lives bringing to life, are in danger of being lost to time. It’s a mad scramble to find what copies they still have, fill in the blanks with their memories, claw back the rights to print from unscrupulous publishers, and find enough money to print a giant book in an era where the majority of people couldn’t read. Without this labour of love, most of the works of a beloved playwright would have been lost to time.
This play is a celebration of theatre, a meditation on legacy, and a (mostly) true history of loyal friends.
Shakespeare is for everyone and London in the 17th century was not all white. The genders below are the gender the character will be played as, but don’t let that limit you. While this play can be done with 10 actors, if you’re new to the theatre and want to give it a go, there are smaller roles available.
There will be some moments of intimacy and physical affection between characters, such as hugs and other gestures of closeness, and a kiss or two between the married couples.
Auditions will be on Saturday 8 & Sunday 9 November, with callbacks the evening of Tuesday 11 November at Toi Poneke Arts Centre, 61/69 Abel Smith Street, Te Aro, Wellington.
To book an audition slot please complete the Iron audition form or, if you have questions about the production, please contact auditions@stagecraft.co.nz
Access
We are not anticipating any major access issues.
Characters
Henry Condell (male, 40s - 50s) - Feisty, actor in the King's Men, the optimistic one (will not double with any other role). Shares a kiss with Elizabeth.
John Heminges (male, 50s - 60s) - A good and serious gentleman, financial manager of the King's Men, owner of the Globe Tap House, the reasonable one (will not double with any other role). Shares a kiss with Rebecca.
Richard Burbage (male, 50s-60s) - Seasoned lion of the stage, loud and proud (will double with other roles).
Alice Heminges (female, 30s) - John's daughter, knows everyone, one of the boys (will double with other roles).
Boy Hamlet (male, 20s) - Young, thinks he's Burbage but definitely isn't (will double with other roles).
Ben Jonson (male, 50s) - Poet laureate, a drunk with big feelings (will double with other roles).
Elizabeth Condell (female, 40s) - A lot of fun and very sharp. Henry's wife (will double with other roles). Shares a kiss with Henry.
Rebecca Heminges (female, 50s) - A strong, independent woman who has seen a lot. John's wife (will double with other roles). Shares a kiss with John.
Ed Knight (male, 40s-50s) - Stage manager of the King's Men, an odd duck (will double with other roles).
Ralph Crane (male, 40s-60s) - The original Shakespeare nerd, quiet and shy (will double with other roles).
William Jaggard (male, 50s-70s) - A used car salesman of a man even though he's a few centuries early (will double with other roles).
Isaac Jaggard (male, 30s-40s) - A not-so secret romantic and a lover of the theatre (will double with other roles).
Marcus (male, 20s) - A blunt printer's apprentice (will double with other roles).
Emilia Bassano Lanier (female, 50s) - the dark lady of the sonnets (will double with other roles).
Anne Hathaway Shakespeare (female, 60s) - The lady who got the second-best bed (will double with other roles).
Susannah Shakespeare (female, 30s) - Shakespeare's daughter (will double with other roles).
Additional roles (any age) - Barman 1, Barman 2, Fruit seller, Horatio, Marcellus, Bernardo, Franciscos, Crier, Compositor, Sir Edward Dering (cameo sized roles to be filled out by the rest of the cast).
Book an audition
Audition are now open!
To book an audition slot please complete the Iron audition form or, if you have questions about the production, please contact auditions@stagecraft.co.nz.