#willblock4food

[portersofhellsgate]

Meet the Cast of R&J: Will Block as Romeo

Please introduce yourself! Who are you playing in R&J?

Hello! My name is Will Block. I’m a Resident Artist and Board member with the Porters of Hellsgate, and I’m playing Romeo. 

Please give us a brief summary of the play FROM YOUR CHARACTER'S POINT OF VIEW.

Because I like a challenge, and I’m a bit of a masochist, I’ve spent the last few weeks pining over Rosaline, who is a straight up nun. My buddy Benvolio convinces me to go to a party thrown by my family’s worst enemy, where I meet their only daughter, Juliet, who is easily the most charming, beautiful, kind hearted person you could ever hope to clap eyes on. 

I think we’re in a pretty good place. Onwards and upwards, amiright?!?

Tell us a bit about your history with Shakespeare and the Porters.

I’ve had a lifelong love affair with Shakespeare. My mum was an English teacher, and made sure I was introduced to the stories when I was very young. As a result, I had a comfort with the material, which turned into a passion for the material, which led me to seek it out when I became an actor. This production of Romeo and Juliet will be my 32nd Shakespeare. I first joined the Porters in 2017, playing Lysimachus and various other sundry characters in Pericles. I then proceeded to work my way through the remaining romances with them, playing Ferdinand in The Tempest, Posthumus in Cymbeline, and directing The Two Noble Kinsmen earlier this year. 

R&J may be the most famous play ever written. What surprised you about working on it? Did you have any assumptions about the play or the characters that you discovered were wrong?

*takes a sharp, cynical inhale of a cigarette* I’ve played a few leading characters before, and Romeo scares me more than any of them put together. More than Iago. More than Richard II. More than Brutus or Posthumus. The massive leaps that have to be made are insane. He’s in love with Rosaline—wait! He’s in love with Juliet! Now they’re married! Now he’s depressed again! And we have to be with him every step of the way! 

The fact that it is the most famous play ever written doesn’t help. This is the first time that I’ve felt the echo of history when speaking the words of the play, and it can be disconcerting. 

The answer always lies in your partners, and I’ve really got the best. Rachel Seiferth as Juliet is worth the price of admission alone—as she is in everything she does. She’s the kind of actor you can’t escape from onstage. She just puts you in it. Playing with her is like breathing. Dana DeRuyck is gonna be a fiery and unconventional Mercutio. Again, one of those actors who just brings you back down to earth and makes you address what’s in front of you. 

Listening is the key to acting (derrr), but also I think the key to this character. Like all teenagers who have an affinity for poetry and high fallutin romance, Romeo is a reactionary creature. So the key to not getting caught up in yourself is to—wait for it—react. Like a human being. 

What's your favorite quote (or two)?

My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep; the more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite.

Scurvy knave...

And finally, where can we learn more about you and what you're up to?

My website is www.thewillblock.com My insta is willblock4food

Romeo and Juliet opens November 2 in NoHo. Tickets HERE!