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Will Wilhelm Indy Shakes

“Gender Play, or what you Will” opens at Actors Theatre of Louisville (316 W. Main St.) on Friday, June 13. Part of the Bingham Shakespeare Series, “Gender Play” introduces audiences to a trans actor named Will who is desperate for purpose and a sense of belonging, despite never seeing their story reflected in media. In an act of desperation, they hold a séance to summon one of the oldest and queerest playwrights of the English language — William Shakespeare. The play follows Will and Will as they reclaim the Bard’s plays in all their original, homoerotic, cross-dressing, genderfluid glory.

LEO had the good fortune of talking with Will Wilhelm, a trans nonbinary actor, writer, and educator who co-created “Gender Play” (with femme futurist Erin Murray) and is the solo performer, as well as director Emily Tarquin about Shakespeare, language, and queerness. 

“Gender Play” is described as a mystical journey of queer joy, laughter, Tarot, and self-discovery through the classics. Can you share any details about the source material that inspired this play?

Will Wilhelm (WW): The source material is Shakespeare’s canon, which has been infinitely redefined and reinterpreted over the centuries since they were written. He is required reading in basically all English-language education and his works have been translated into countless others. “Gender Play” is a translation of Shakespeare’s writing and spirit into an extremely personal context: “How I might encounter his stories if he were a close friend sharing them salaciously in my living room?”

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What can audiences expect to see in this production at Victor Jory Theatre?

Emily Tarquin (ET): My directing style is rooted in immersive experiences and centering the audience as an active participant. So whether I am working on a more traditional text, like our upcoming production of “A Christmas Carol” or a world premiere like “Won’t you be my May-bor?” or “Gender Play, or what you Will,” which is a little of both, I try to build a as fully realized of a world as is possible and pay attention to the before and after as much as the during.

Will Wilhelm in “Gender Play, or what you Will” Indy Shakes

Were there any challenges during development?

ET: I mean, there are always small bumps in how a piece evolves from the initial conversations to the final execution, but for the most part, this production has been surrounded by support, an amazing team of mostly trans and nonbinary artists, and infused with love and energy from audiences. I think the challenges are much more rooted in our systemic challenges.

At the time Shakespeare was writing his plays, every member of a cast would have been male, even female characters. Although, yes, this was done because women were just not allowed to perform on stage in Pre-Restoration England, but do you feel that Shakespearean theater lends itself well to our contemporary notions of gender nonconformity?

WW: One thousand percent. Shakespeare’s players were performing gender, which implies performing an accepted or, at minimum, understandable set of behaviors in order to tell the stories of both men and women — often with a single character embodying both. Perhaps this was titillating or humorous or perhaps it just was. But there were certainly conventional ideas of gender roles in Elizabethan England and actors had the ability to transgress these in public.

From a contemporary vantage point, I would argue that we are all performing gender all the time. Both on and off stage. There is an idea that performance cannot be genuine or authentic, but I very much disagree. When one is aware that they are being perceived, there is an inherent notion to perform. Part of child-rearing is teaching young people how to correctly perform things such as good manners (which can often be gendered). So what I’m doing in “Gender Play” is attempting to use some of the most widely studied material in the English language to illuminate elements of the contemporary trans experience. What differentiates trans folks’ relationship with gendered performance is merely our awareness of it. Consciously or not, this is something we are all doing and Shakespeare’s plays include some very famous explorations of this topic.

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On a related note, Shakespeare uses the singular “they” on at least two occasions: in the play “The Comedy of Errors” and the poem “The Rape of Lucrece.” So we can agree that gender neutral pronouns didn’t suddenly emerge from the depths of the internet to disrupt the lives of “normal” people in the 21st century. But how does Shakespeare’s use of language lend itself to a queer narrative like “Gender Play?”

WW: Shakespeare is one of the most famous wordsmiths of the English language. His collected works contain the first printed examples of over 1700 words in the English language. Words like “generous” and “eyeball.” Idioms like “break the ice,” “good riddance,” and “wear your heart on your sleeve.” Language is constantly evolving and Shakespeare was directly participating in the act of creating new language.

As one would expect, we’ve continued creating language over the four centuries since his works were created. As a queer writer, I am utilizing our contemporary vernacular to cross those four hundred years and highlight the queer themes that were always present. Queer people know that names particularly hold power. They can evolve. They can be reclaimed.

The word “queer” itself has had a long history. Though the word never appears in his writing, to Shakespeare it would have meant “strange.” To us today, it may hold a fierce empowerment or a deep pain depending on the context, the speaker, the hearer. “Gender Play” tries to blend language — his and mine — to create some sort of space-time continuum that holds all of these many truths. There is a direct investigation of the use of language: both the times that Shakespeare needed to invent words when nothing was sufficient and, just as crucially, when he did not.

Will Wilhelm Indy Shakes

What can you share about the connection between Actors Theatre of Louisville and Indianapolis Shakespeare Company, where this production of “Gender Play” originated?

ET: The connection began as a conversation between me, Interim Artistic Director, Amelia Acosta Powell, and Indianapolis Shakespeare’s Executive Artistic Director, Ryan Artzberger about our love of this play and Will Wilhelm. We found a lot of overlap in our programming, our missions, and the ways in which we hope to serve the communities we’re in. Indy and Louisville are not only in proximity of each other, but they share a lot of the same issues and opportunities and having more trans stories and representation on our stages was a shared goal. So, working together to bring this play to our region and to cities full of Shakespeare fanatics became our collective ambition. The fact that it then also went to [Chicago and Washington D.C.] is testament to how hungry audiences are for this unique take on a beloved author.

“Gender Play” is now touring nationally — and internationally — at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, WorldPride in Washington, D.C., and the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival, among other places. How has the experience of performing for so many different audiences been for you?

WW: Every individual performance of “Gender Play” feels significantly different. Not just because it’s a live event, but because the audience is invited to have an impact on the show. From city to city, I have felt distinct vibe shifts based on the relationship to queer community in that place. Queer people are everywhere but the resources to protect them, to gather them in safe spaces are not. “Gender Play” invites all audiences — queer or not — into an ephemeral space of possibility and expansion.

The conversations that I’ve had both during and after the show have ranged greatly from giggly celebration to tenderhearted relief. I think that has everything to do with the different challenges that queer people face across North America. I am writing after finishing my final performance in Washington, D.C., where hearts felt quite heavy. I can’t imagine how they wouldn’t with the daily atrocities that our federal government orchestrates to cast trans people as some existential threat to American society. I am both curious and very excited to see how the show plays outside the U.S.

Emily Tarquin Actors Theatre of Louisville

Can you speak about the value of sharing queer stories, especially during this long moment of uncertainty and fear provoked by the current administration?

ET: There is value in sharing queer stories, trans stories, Black stories, Latine stories, disabled stories, and all stories underrepresented but significantly part of our history and our present — all day, every day. To share them in the context of now is to strike a balance between fully celebrating and supporting these artists so they can continue to tell their stories and sustain their art while creating the opportunity to experience collective joy for those who are most directly impacted while also sharing these narratives with those who may have not had a chance to hear and share in them in their circles and daily life.

What do you hope audiences take away from the show?

WW: I hope people walk away wanting to learn from the magic and wisdom of the things they don’t yet understand. There is a community power that queer people have been cultivating for a very long time. I suspect Will Shakespeare himself was a part of that. When I am in queer community, I find myself slipping into an alternate dimension of the multiverse. One where absolutely anything is possible. “Gender Play” is in an invitation for queer people to tap into our power. And it’s an invitation for non-queer people to both witness and join in that expansion for an hour or two. To see what we could accomplish when we allow everyone to be.

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ET: Like all art, and Tarot, each audience infuses the experience with their own perspective and ultimately arrives at their own interpretation by design. While “Gender Play” may guide you through a journey, ultimately, we hope it will be a tool to confront and embrace your own thoughts and feelings. I think we also hope people walk away feeling more connected to their true selves and ready to dance into the night!

“Gender Play, or what you Will”
Co-created by Will Wilhelm and Erin Murray
Directed by Emily Tarquin
Performed by Will Wilhelm

Actors Theatre of Louisville
Victor Jory Theatre
316 W. Main St.

Friday, June 13 – Sunday, June 22 | showtimes vary
$12.50 – $25.00
Recommended for ages 14 and older, accompanied by an adult

Closed captioned performances Sunday, June 15 at 2:00 p.m. and Friday, June 20 at 7:00 p.m. ASL interpretation and accessible video making with YouDescribe available by request. Email boxoffice@actorstheatre.org to make arrangements.

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This article appears in May 23 – Jun 5, 2025.

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Aria Baci is a writer and critic who has been working in print and digital media since 2015 for outlets as varied as Design*Sponge, Geeks OUT, Flame Con, and The Mary Sue. She is passionate about literature,...