Book of Will: Educational Resources

The Contemporary Voices Play Festival at BYU celebrates award winning plays and playwrights whose work we think our audiences and students should know. These plays present an opportunity to think deeply and explore the art and the language of theatre.

Lauren Gunderson’s Book of Will has won multiple awards, including the American Theatre Critics Association's (ATCA) Steinberg New Play Award in 2018 and the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award in 2017. The playwright herself is also the recipient of numerous awards, including the William Inge Distinguished Achievement in Theatre Award, the Lanford Wilson Award, and she was a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Fortunately for BYU, Gunderson was first Redd Residency Guest Playwright in 2022, spending three days visiting with TMA students, teaching playwrights and dramaturgs and offering professional advice. We are delighted to be presenting a reading of this play.

Below you’ll find several links to resources across the web that will help you engage deeper with, and enhance your enjoyment of, Lauren Gunderson’s Book of Will.

Pasadena theatre, A Noise Within, created this study guide for teachers and audience members, curated by Education Director Alicia Green.

Oregon Shakespeare Festival offers this interactive guide to Book of Will.

Here you can find a podcast (with transcript) from The Folger Shakespeare Library about Book of Will.

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By Amelia Johnson, assistant dramaturg World War I had drastic consequences. Many had lost family members and friends in battle. Those who fought in the battle and survived were affected emotionally if not physically. As a result of of fighting in the war 250,000 soldiers suffered a full or partial amputation. The generation who had just missed the age of being drafted felt extremely lucky. Seeing so many die from the war and Spanish influenza in such a small time period made everyone very aware that life is short. This impacted the younger generation. They felt the need to live life to the fullest for themselves and for those who no longer had the chance to. [caption id="attachment_5293" align="alignnone" width="300"] An extravagant party thrown with the spirit of the Bright Young Things.[/caption] With this sentiment, the Bright Young Things or the Bright Young People became an active group in society. Wealthy young aristocrats and socialites, the Bright Young Things rebelled against the values that they and their parents had been brought up with so that they could enjoy living. Their parent’s values had done nothing to protect them from the terror that the war had brought, so what was the purpose in playing by the rules? Life was mean to be enjoyed. [caption id="attachment_5291" align="alignnone" width="243"] A waiter experiences shock as a young woman publicly smokes a cigarette.[/caption] The Bright Young Things threw elaborate parties and participated in car races and treasure hunts. They also drank, smoke, and used drugs. Concerned only with what was fun, they gave no thought to what was proper. Their behavior caught the attention of journalists who were very interested in reporting their wild antics to the public. It is with the Bright Young Things that paparazzi originated, as reporters would follow individuals from this group of young people to get a good stories. Because of how much these individuals appeared in the press, many of the names of the Bright Young Things are still known to this day. [caption id="attachment_5289" align="alignnone" width="217"] Nancy Mitford. One of the known Bright Young Things who later became a novelist.[/caption] As you watch Chariots of Fire, pay attention to behaviors that may be associated with the Bright Young Things. In comparison, Harold and Eric were a little different then the young people at this time. Both found their fun in running and focused their efforts on this. Eric also found joy through the religious work he did. These men seized the day in their own way.

Book of Will: Educational Resources

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