Asheville – What happens to a playwright’s words after they’re gone? This question drives The Book of Will, Lauren Gunderson’s moving and imaginative tale of friendship, legacy, and literary salvation, which opens on May 9 with Montford Park Players in Asheville.
Directed by Adam Kamporius, this season opener centers on the efforts of Shakespeare’s friends and fellow actors to preserve his work for future generations in what is now known as the First Folio. Following the Bard’s death, two of his closest companions, John Hemings and Henry Condell, embark on a nearly impossible mission: to collect and publish his scattered plays before they vanish forever.
“It’s a fictional history based on real people and real stakes,” says Kamporius. “Most plays back then were printed cheaply, but the First Folio was a massive, expensive undertaking—something usually reserved for royalty or scripture.” Without this effort, modern audiences might never have read or seen Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, or fifteen other now-iconic works.
While the play dramatizes the creation of the First Folio, Kamporius notes that its heart lies elsewhere. “It’s really about the impressions we make on each other, not just on the page. It’s about friendship, grief, love, and how those bonds give us the strength to do what seems impossible.”
The production showcases both Montford Park Players veterans and fresh faces. Alan Steele, new to the company, stars as John Hemings, bringing humor and heart to the role. He joins favorite Montford performers John Stockdale and Mandy Bean. The ensemble is rounded out by a mix of experienced performers and newcomers, reflecting Kamporius’ commitment to community-centered casting. “We wanted to give as many people as possible a chance to be on stage,” he says. “It’s community theater—we’re building this together.”
That collaborative spirit extends to the artistic design. Drawing inspiration from Gunderson’s focus on language and legacy, Kamporius created an abstract, ensemble-driven world he likens to an inkwell. Movement coach Ayla Claypool developed a vocabulary of gestures based on water and ink—splashing, swirling, pooling—to embody the ephemeral nature of memory and storytelling. “The ink becomes a character itself,” Kamporius explains. “It helps shape the stage and guide the audience through scene transitions, almost like a living narrative.”
Costume design also carries special significance. In a nod to Montford Park Players’ long history, several pieces from past productions are woven into the current show. “Our costumer is putting together a kind of visual timeline, tying our present to our past,” Kamporius says. “It honors the legacy we’re building here—not unlike what the play is about.”
Sound design mixes period texture with modern resonance. Duke Ellington’s Such Sweet Thunder, inspired by Shakespeare’s work, plays alongside UK artists and lyrical hip-hop tracks that mirror the Bard’s rhythmic brilliance. “If Shakespeare were alive today, I think he’d be a rapper,” Kamporius laughs. “That lyrical flow, the wordplay—it’s all there.”
As director, Kamporius wears many hats: set builder, sound designer, movement collaborator, and community cheerleader. It’s his first time directing a show from the ground up. “It’s been a huge learning experience,” he says. “But what matters most is the love everyone brings to it. We’re not doing this for profit—we’re doing it because we care.”
Montford Park Players has long believed in the power of free, inclusive performance. Their mission to bring Shakespeare—and now stories about Shakespeare—to everyone is alive and well. “This show reminds us that even legends like Shakespeare needed friends to carry their voice forward,” Kamporius says. “It’s a story about making something that lasts.”
The Book of Will by Lauren Gunderson opens May 9 and runs every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until May 31. Shows are at 7:30 PM and admission is free. Performances are held in the Hazel B Robinson theater at 92 Gay Street in the historic Montford neighborhood of Asheville.
The Book of Will kicks off the 2025 season for Montford Park Players, now in their 52nd year of producing accessible theater for the community. Other performances this year include Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and King Lear, the classic play Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, and She Kills Monsters, a newer work by Qui Nguyen.