I, Will: A Late Romance

Location

The Cast

Tim Budd – Will
Joshua Fryvecind – Dick
Kristy Hartsgrove Mooers – Marie
Joseph Lepire – Stephen
Janette Luu – Luce

Deucalion Martin – Bobby
K. Michael Moore – Mountjoy
Elizabeth Nieman – Mary
Aaron Pozdol – George / Harold

The Creative Team:

Scott Carter — Playwright
Adam Knight — Director
Rebekah Leipold — Stage Manager
Shawn Ketchum Johnson — Scenic Designer
Karlē J. Meyers — Costume Designer
Kim Fain — Lighting Designer
Dakota Parobek — Sound Designer/Composer
Stephen Polchert — Props
Miriam Gilbert — Dramaturg
Kathleen Johnson — Intimacy Director
K. Michael Moore — Fight Choreographer
Jackie McCall — Assistant Stage Manager
Victoria Wojdan — Board Operator

by Scott Carter

directed by Adam Knight

September 10 – 27, 2026 at Riverside Theatre

Synopsis: What happens when history’s greatest playwright loses his groove? The year is 1608: London is under the shadow of plague, its ruler is erratic, and the arts are in peril. (Sound familiar?) Shakespeare’s latest tragedies are no longer drawing audiences; his acting company wants a crowd-pleaser; the King needs a Psalm; and the playwright himself is questioning whether his greatest work is behind him. When an unlikely encounter sends him into the colorful world of star-crossed lovers, brash rogues, and enterprising brothel keepers, Shakespeare discovers the inspiration that propels him to his last great plays.

Written by Emmy-winning producer and playwright Scott Carter, whose previous play The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord was produced by Riverside in 2019. I, Will: A Late Romance is generously sponsored by Denice and Michael Connell and the Robert E. Yager Charitable Trust.

Run Time/Intermission: The play is expected to run 2 hours, including one 15-minute intermission. Evening performances should be done by 9:30pm; matinees by 4pm.

Content Warning: The play is intended for older teenage audiences and above. It contains bawdy Jacobean situations and language, as well as allusions to suicide.

I, Will: A Late Romance is produced at Riverside Theatre as part of a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. Other Partner Theaters are Stage West Theatre (Fort Worth, Texas) and The Invisible Theatre (Tucson, Arizona). For more information, please visit nnpn.org