Meet the cast: Wesley Mann 'The Book of Will'

Wesley Mann. The Book of Will.  Wesley Mann, right, at the first rehearsal for ‘The Book of Will.’   

MEET WESLEY MANN

William Jaggard, Barman 2, and Sir Edward Dering in The Book of Will



At the Theatre Company: Debut. Other theatres: Ebenezer Scrooge at Portland Center Stage, 10 Seasons with Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival appearing in 17 of Shakespeare’s plays. World premiere of Lovers And Executioners (Arena Stage); Elephant Man (Arkansas Rep); three plays at The Arts Center Of Coastal Carolina; Feste in Twelfth Night, Larry in Burn This at American Conservatory Theatre). Multiple roles and plays at PCPA Theatrefest. Most recently: Polonius at Inner Circle Theatre LA, The Dock Brief (Pacific Resident Theatre), You Never Can Tell (A Noise Within in Pasadena). Film and TV: 47 credits so far including recent appearances on “2 Broke Girls” and “Liv and Maddie.”


  • Wesley Mann Quote The Book of WillHometown: Vallejo, California
  • Web site: wesleymannactor.com
  • Training: Conservatory Training Program at PCPA Theatrefest in Santa Maria, Calif.
  • What was the role that changed your life? Playing Fagin in Oliver when I was 13.
  • Why are you an actor? Because I simply must be. It’s what I’m on the planet to do.
  • What would you be doing if you weren’t an actor: It certainly would be arts-related. I enjoy teaching and bringing the arts to the next generation. I’m pretty sure that is what I’d be doing full-time.
  • A Wesley Mann Laurence OlivierIdeal scene partner: I would’ve liked to have had the chance to work with Laurence Olivier in a Shakespeare scene.
  • Why does The Book of Will matter? I guess you could say this play matters because we have the First Folio. However, I think it is more than that. This play matters because of the unseen trials and tribulations and sheer guts and cooperation that resulted in the folio’s initial printing and publishing in 1623. Beyond that, so many of us have a very strong connection to Shakespeare’s plays. I’ve been in 17 of them so far, and the words become very personal when you spend time with them and share them with an audience. If these men hadn’t screwed their courage to the sticking place, we never would have been swept away by so many stories, and the truly remarkable poetry. This play also matters because it moves you in a way that only live theatre can.
  • What do you hope the audience gets out of seeing it? A newfound respect for something we often take for granted. Also, as with any theatrical endeavor, a hope that they come away thinking in new ways.
  • Finish this sentence: “All I want is …”
    ” … for the Arts to thrive in a climate where they will be under attack in this country for the next four years.”
  • The Book of Will: Ticket information
    The Book of WillWithout William Shakespeare, we wouldn’t have masterpieces like Romeo and Juliet. But without two of his friends, we would have lost Shakespeare’s plays forever. A comic and heartfelt story of the characters behind the stories we know so well.

    Through Feb. 26
    Ricketson Theatre
    ASL and Audio-Described Matinee 1:30 p.m. Feb. 4
    303-893-4100 or BUY ONLINE

    Selected previous NewsCenter coverage of The Book of Will:
    Perspectives: Why is there a bobble-head on that set?
    Guest columnist Lauren Gunderson: How one word can change a play
    Five things we learned at ‘The Book of Will’ opening rehearsal
    ‘The Year of Gunderson’ has begun in Colorado
    Shakespeare in a season with no Shakespeare
    First Folio: The world’s second-most important book heads to Boulder
    Video: Our look back at the 2016 Colorado New Play Summit
    Summit Spotlight: Playwright Lauren Gunderson
    Lauren Gunderson wins Lanford Wilson Award from Dramatists Guild of America
    Just who were all the king’s men, anyway?
    2016-17 season: Nine shows, two world premieres, return to classics



    More 2016-17 ‘Meet the Cast’ profiles:

    Michael Bouchard, The SantaLand Diaries
    Steven J. Burge, An Act of God
    Aubrey Deeker, The Glass Menagerie
    Thaddeus Fitzpatrick, Frankenstein
    Meridith C. Grundei, Frankenstein
    Steven Cole Hughes, An Act of God
    Sullivan Jones, Frankenstein
    Mark Junek, Frankenstein
    Charlie Korman, Frankenstein
    Rodney Lizcano, The Book of Will
    Amelia Pedlow, The Glass Menagerie
    Jessica Robblee, Frankenstein and Siren Song
    Erik Sandvold, An Act of God
    John Skelley, The Glass Menagerie
    Wesley Taylor, An Act of God

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