This article was published on January 4, 2017

By Lauren Gunderson
Playwright, The Book of Will

Lauren Gunderson. Photo by Bryan Derballa for Slate.

During a very early reading of The Book of Will – when I was just starting to understand my own play and how to make it the richest, most complex and soulful play I could – one of my favorite actors in America changed one word of my play.

Well. She didn’t change the word itself, but she changed her delivery of it. And with that one instinct she changed my whole play. The word was “handsomely,” and the actor was Jennifer LeBlanc, a graduate of the Denver Center’s own National Theatre Conservatory.

During a scene where our trio of heroes (John Heminges, Henry Condell and John’s daughter Alice – played by Jenn) are discussing what kind of publication their friend William Shakespeare deserved, Jenn’s character describes this future book like a strapping young man, and everyone in the scene agrees with her that they want to publish the book “handsomely.” But also in this same scene is another character, Isaac (played by Andy Nagraj), who is trying to convince the trio that he can help them publish the works of Shakespeare.

During a rehearsal of this scene Jenn (pictured at right) tried something new and, without any direction from me, turned to Andy and sent her one-word line – “handsomely” – in his direction and with a slight twinkle of flirtation in her delivery. Suddenly her character of Alice wasn’t just talking about the book but about this new young man: a smart and thoughtful person who loves theatre as much as she does, who loves Shakespeare as much as she does, who might just share her values and interests. In that moment I saw a part of the play I had never noticed before: A simple love story.

American Theatre on Gunderson and LeBlanc’s previous work

For the past months I have been developing this subplot in the play and so enjoyed watching both Jenn and Andy subtly plant clues of their character’s love throughout the production.

The mutual interest of Alice and Isaac isn’t overt or ruddily operatic in the play, but it allows me to echo the other love stories in the play like those between the main character John and his wife Rebecca, between Shakespeare and the “Dark Lady” to whom he dedicated his sonnets, and between the men and their lost friend Will. It’s a simple, fun, and rosy addition that I would have lost without Jenn’s great insight and improvisation.

This is one of those amazing moments in the creation of a new play where one actor’s instinct – in this case with a single word! – influences the entire play. This is why theatre is such a collaboration at heart. It only exists with the mutual brainpower and bravery of a group of talented and complimentary people working together to discover a story’s best self. We are finding moments like this in every rehearsal of The Book of Will here at Denver, and I truly cannot wait to share it with you. Because the final element of this production is – of course – you.

The audience completes the collaboration by offering the heart and histories you bring with you when you walk in the theater. Our story is yours, just as Jenn’s instinct became mine. We all affect, challenge, and exhilarate each other. And isn’t that the great magic and power of theatre.