Welcome to our play!
~ EVER WILL ~ The Early Years & Final Days of William Shakespeare
Countdown to Staged Readings, with Music and Songs,
At The Long Beach Shakespeare Company!
About EVER WILL
Book & Lyrics, Pamela Gilbreath Kelly
I wrote EVER WILL to bring William Shakespeare out of the clouds and down to earth, to experience who he was, as an individual - his character, circumstances, conflicts and choices. In my play, we meet the older WIlliam, retiring from The Globe Theatre and returning to Stratford, where he comes to terms with the losses, betrayals and dangers of his youth. We also meet the little boy and adolescent, the younger Will, who has to choose between saving his family from penury or following his star. In the end, he chooses both and opens the door to his genius.
Composer Carlos Garza
Giving wings to my words are Carlos Garza's glorious music and songs. There are six original songs expressing emotional turning-points in Young Shakespeare's story. Another is based on the actual Elizabethan "Kemp's Jig", which we hear in EVER WILL when 17 yr-old Will is performing. A final song is a beautiful 14th Century Troubadour love ballad that Will sings to a swooning Anne Hathaway. You can hear all these original and traditional songs during our staged readings at The Long Beach Shakespeare Company's Helen Borgers Theatre, January 2025.
Staged Readings & Songs!
These staged readings of EVER WILL, with the music and songs, will be on January Saturday Jan 4 at 7pm and Sunday Jan 5 at 2pm, at The Long Beach Shakespeare Company;s Helen Borgers Theatre, in Long Beach, CA. These will be workshop productions, followed by audience Q & A and feedback, to benefit a full production of EVER WILL later in the year.
Artistic Director Holly Laveque
Directing our staged readings and songs is the Artistic Director of The Long Beach Shakespeare Company's Helen Borgers' Theatre, Holly Laveque. Holly first joined LBSC in 2010 and has been performing, producing and writing in LA, studying theatre around the world, including at the Moscow Art Theatre and performing at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, Netflix and ABC. Since 2020, Holly has been the proud co-founder of the International Pandemic Theatre Company, "Good Night Good."
EVER WILL: THE BEGINNING
Research "How Did Shakespeare Become Shakespeare?" By Pamela Gilbreath Kelly
Research "How Did Shakespeare Become Shakespeare?" By Pamela Gilbreath Kelly
Research "How Did Shakespeare Become Shakespeare?" By Pamela Gilbreath Kelly
After a lifetime of being moved by Shakespeare's plays and poetry - as a student and playgoer, a Shakespearean actress and a voice and speaking coach - I became obsessed with this question and began reading every book I could find about the man William Shakespeare.
Turn Research Into "Young Will Shakespeare"
Research "How Did Shakespeare Become Shakespeare?" By Pamela Gilbreath Kelly
Research "How Did Shakespeare Become Shakespeare?" By Pamela Gilbreath Kelly
A few years later, while reading and building my library, I began jotting down on notecards the chronological facts and persistent rumors about Shakespeare's life. Before you know it, I was writing "Young Will Shakespeare".
Give Musical Wings to My Words
Research "How Did Shakespeare Become Shakespeare?" By Pamela Gilbreath Kelly
Give Musical Wings to My Words
Carlos Garza, a film-score composer who had taken my public speaking course at UCLA several years before, loomed in my memory. After inviting him to read my script, with newly-written lyrics, he agreed to compose the music for them and that began our collaboration - over 3 1/2 years ago!
EVER WILL: What Happened next
start recording songs & fundraising
celebrate shakespeare's birthday & revise play
celebrate shakespeare's birthday & revise play
Carlos and I made a video showcasing our 3 recorded songs for a 2022 Indiegogo campaign and the title changed to "Becoming Shakespeare: Young Will." Then in 2023 and based on my one-woman show, "Shakespeare's Love Child," we celebrated the Bard's 459th Birthday.
celebrate shakespeare's birthday & revise play
celebrate shakespeare's birthday & revise play
celebrate shakespeare's birthday & revise play
I performed monologues demonstrating how Shakespeare transcends age (Juliet) and gender (Petruccio) and played our then 5 recorded songs. Later, as my own life was going through a transition, I rewrote my script as a stage play, with a mature Shakespeare facing retirement and looking back over his youth. EVER WILL was born!
complete the music & stage this play
celebrate shakespeare's birthday & revise play
complete the music & stage this play
Our final song is recorded, leaving only the Overture to be composed. Holly Laveque is directing 2 staged readings, with the music and songs, for Jan 4 & 5, 2025, at The Long Beach Shakespeare Company. A full production is planned for later in the year. Ever Onward EVER WILL!
EVER WILL GALLERY: singers david mecher, desson Thomson, christian douglas, flo anito, angela watson, jessica arcura, dave coyne, brian lyons-burke.
.jpg/:/cr=t:0%25,l:0%25,w:100%25,h:100%25/rs=w:370,cg:true)
EVER ONWARD EVER WILL!
Sealing the Deal with Artistic Director, Holly Leveque
Pamela hands a check over to the Artistic Director of The Long Beach Shakespeare Company, Holly Leveque. Holly's powerful vision for the theatre is already making a difference in the community, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it!
Jesse Seann Atkinson Plays Young Will in Our Rom-Com Film
With a B.A. from the University of Tampa, Jesse Seann Atkinson has been acting, directing and writing most of his life. As Artistic Director with Action Youth America and Mid-World Players, he directed middle and high school students from his theater classes in "Romeo and Juliet," "Pippin," and "A Midsummer's Night Dream." His acting credits include Cassius in "Julius Caesar," Philip in "King John" and Richard in "The Lion in Winter". He has directed, choreographed and acted in musicals, including "Bare, A Pop Opera," "Green Day's American Idiot," "Spelling Bee" and a review he created of Shakespearean scenes with modern songs, called "Love, Shakespeare!" Jesse and his Mid-World Players are also credited for creating our dramatic Shakespeare poster on the home page.
Jess Be Plays Anne Hathaway Opposite Jesse's Will
A Los Angeles native, Jess Be earned her B.A. in Theatre Arts at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and her credits include Hermione in "A Winter's Tale," King Alonso in "The Tempest," Mollie in "The Mousetrap," and Emma in "Betrayal," among other roles. Jess loves to sing, dance, write and produce; she gives a shoutout to her husband and son, their cat and dog and to all who create and support the arts! IG@jessbesee / IMDb.me/JessBe
Andrew Roberts shoots ever will rom com scene with jess be & jesse seann atkinson
.JPG/:/rs=w:370,cg:true,m)
EVER WILL GALLERY: Shakespeare coat-of-arms, 2024 Birthday fundraiser hosted by emily & sasha
more About EVER WILL
Composer Carlos Garza
Our Executive Producers
Pamela Gilbreath Kelly
Composer, arranger and orchestrator, Carlos Garza's life's work is music - beginning as a songwriter and musician with rock bands; performing with Rhythm and Blues, Pop and Jazz groups and then scoring films, including the 1997 award-winning THIRTEEN and three recent features on Prime Video. With his group, Silent Orchestra, Carlos re-sc
Composer, arranger and orchestrator, Carlos Garza's life's work is music - beginning as a songwriter and musician with rock bands; performing with Rhythm and Blues, Pop and Jazz groups and then scoring films, including the 1997 award-winning THIRTEEN and three recent features on Prime Video. With his group, Silent Orchestra, Carlos re-scored 14 classic works of Edgar Allan Poe, which originally accompanied a stage production.
Pamela Gilbreath Kelly
Our Executive Producers
Pamela Gilbreath Kelly
With degrees from Northwestern University and Cal State U in Northridge, and after a storied career as a stage actress, playing Beatrice in "Much Ado About Nothing," Ophelia in "Hamlet," Hermia in "A Midsummer's Night Dream," Julia in "Two Gentlemen of Verona" and other roles; as an acting, voice & speech coach, a public speaking & accent
With degrees from Northwestern University and Cal State U in Northridge, and after a storied career as a stage actress, playing Beatrice in "Much Ado About Nothing," Ophelia in "Hamlet," Hermia in "A Midsummer's Night Dream," Julia in "Two Gentlemen of Verona" and other roles; as an acting, voice & speech coach, a public speaking & accent reduction instructor at UCLA Extension, a corporate consultant & course developer in the US & abroad, and as the author of "Speak with Passion, Speak with Power," Pamela is thrilled to be returning to her roots in the theater with EVER WILL.
Our Executive Producers
Our Executive Producers
Our Executive Producers
Flanked by Emily Serebryany and Firouzeh Banki, Pamela wishes to thank them and Dr. James Dohn, Michael and Johanna Hollowich, Dr. Connie Fischer, Sandford Robbins, Jane Brockman, Ted Graeber, Rudy Vucelich, Rajkumar Rajappan, Gynene Smith, Alex Lombardi, Annie Zuckerman, Lisette Torres, Tiiu Lukk, Kim DeCelles, Richard Kline, Tina Misura
Flanked by Emily Serebryany and Firouzeh Banki, Pamela wishes to thank them and Dr. James Dohn, Michael and Johanna Hollowich, Dr. Connie Fischer, Sandford Robbins, Jane Brockman, Ted Graeber, Rudy Vucelich, Rajkumar Rajappan, Gynene Smith, Alex Lombardi, Annie Zuckerman, Lisette Torres, Tiiu Lukk, Kim DeCelles, Richard Kline, Tina Misuraca Coover, Thursa Stair, Diana Thomason, David & Kinga Attias, Seth Kibel, Nick Marconato, Jennifer Boyd, & Erica Parrish, for their generous donations.
"Your support allows us to continue moving forward with this testament to the inspiration that Shakespeare is and to his superpowers of following his star and working hard, consistently and collaboratively to support his family and be a contribution for all time!"
DONATE AND RECEIVE ~
"Behind the Lyrics" Songs from EVER WILL
"Behind the Lyrics" Video about the Lyrics
"Behind the Lyrics" Video about the Lyrics
3 gorgeous songs and 6 glorious singers!
"Behind the Lyrics" Video about the Lyrics
"Behind the Lyrics" Video about the Lyrics
"Behind the Lyrics" Video about the Lyrics
Pamela Gilbreath Kelly reveals the inspiration behind the 3 songs. Video included with the songs.
Full 5-minute Rom Com Scene from EVER WILL
"Behind the Lyrics" Video about the Lyrics
Full 5-minute Rom Com Scene from EVER WILL
"A Surprise in the Woods" changes Will's life forever!
EVER WILL BLOG
The Case of the Missing Memorabilia
It seems odd that our greatest playwright left no memorabilia from his daily life behind, like other writers have done… no scribbled or doodled pages, diary entries, to do lists, not any love letters or receipts, and no books bearing his signature or notes in the margins! In fact, no books at all! After spending years researching and thinking about Shakespeare and his life, I have arrived at an answer to the question "Why no memorabilia?" Shakespeare’s primary purpose, from the time he started being paid for his work, before and during his time in London, was to support his family in Stratford. Yes, he had a natural gift and passion for acting and writing; but his ambition was in service of his larger purpose. By developing his skills, he became more versatile and popular, more sought after and better able to keep his large family fed and sheltered - his parents, 3 or 4 siblings, his wife and 3 children. At the Globe, Shakespeare’s calendar was booked 24/7 with learning lines, rehearsing, sometimes directing and performing, researching with borrowed books, writing new plays, re-writing old plays and he was a stockholder in charge of box office receipts. Every time the Plague shut theatres down, he earned money writing for patrons and dedicating his works to them. In short, Shakespeare led a hand-to-mouth life of scrimping and saving his earnings to support his family. It paid off and eventually he was able to buy them the grandest house in Stratford, in addition to large plots of investment property. This was his big purpose and why he left nothing personal from his daily life behind. There was nothing left to leave. NEXT: The Case of the Second Best Bed.
