"That would be a new kind of success. For the real plays to go on without us."
Three years after Shakespeare's death, theatre companies and publishers are still pirating and printing his plays without permission. Now, it's up to Henry Condell and John Heminges, supportive family, and surprising allies, to ensure that the Bard's true words are preserved for generations to come.
Warm, witty and suspenseful, Lauren Gunderson's THE BOOK WILL finishes its run at Hickory Community Theatre this Thursday and Friday, March 20th and March 21st.
Making his Firemen's Kitchen stage debut as Shakespeare friend and Pericles fan boy Henry Condell is Paul Sapp.
A Hickory resident and dad about town, Sapp can be found working front-of-house at HCT, working backstage for Hickory Ballet & Performing Arts, or ordering a Chai latte en route to either. When not working or supporting the local creative scene, he can be seen coaching from the sidelines for YMCA soccer, or shuttling his kids to and from their various practices and performances.
Sapp made his HCT stage debut in PUFFS, and has gone on to appear there in THE PIRATE QUEEN and MACBETH. He has been a director, assistant director and stage manager for such productions as THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT, THE CAKE, BUGSY MALONE, EVITA, and THE JUNGLE FUN ROOM, and is the recipient of a Charles E. Jeffers Award. Sapp's area performing credits include THE NUTCRACKER with HBPA, LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST with the Green Room Community Theatre, as well as NOISES OFF and THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST with the Lenoir-Rhyne University Playmakers. This April, Sapp will be directing an adaptation of the book La Guitarrista for Lenoir-Rhyne's Little Read program.
Sapp is honored to be part of HCT's ongoing efforts to bring new works to area audiences, and hopes that this production of THE BOOK OF WILL inspires audience members to revisit the Bard's work. Including Pericles.
THE FINAL PERFORMANCE of THE BOOK OF WILL is Friday, March 21st at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $18 for adults, $12 for youth and students. VERY FEW SEATS ARE LEFT!
Tickets are available online at hickorytheatre.org, or by phone at 828-328-2283. The theatre box office is open from 12-5 PM Wednesday through Friday, or one half-hour before a performance.
THE BOOK OF WILL is rated PG. Some material may not be appropriate for children.
THE BOOK OF WILL is produced in association with Alice and John McDonough, and David and Maria Williams, with additional support from Steve Austin and Sherry Griffin. The Hickory Community Theatre’s 76th season is sponsored by A Cleaner World, Belle Age, Covington Dental, LifeRootz, Protection Products, Inc., and Shurtape Technologies. HCT is a Funded Affiliate of Arts Culture Catawba and receives additional support from the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
(Photo by Eric Seale)
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