William Shakespeare brought much to the stage during his storied career, and now the Department of Theatre is bringing his life to the LSU stage. “A Cry of Players,” written by Tony Award-winning playwright William Gibson, will open in the Reilly Theatre on Friday and run through May 9. “This is a speculative account of what might have happened that finally led Shakespeare to leave a wife and three kids and head for London and, as it turns out, become Shakespeare,” said Rick Holden, theater professor and director of the production, said. The play focuses on Shakespeare’s last three days in Stratford-upon-Avon, his birthplace, before moving to London, Holden said.”This is the story of a 21-year-old guy who we know very little about,” Holden said. “It asks, ‘Do I dare make a life in the theater? Am I really going to be an artist?'”The play was originally placed on the theater lineup in fall 2008, but Hurricane Gustav ripped through Baton Rouge, taking the “Players” production with it. To compensate, the department ran a staged reading of the performance with the intent of running the play in its entirety the following year, according to Holden.Now, “Players” is taking the stage as a full-fledged production. Several cast members are reprising the roles they held in 2008, including Glenn Aucoin, theater senior, who plays Shakespeare. “It’s really interesting to me and relevant as a budding actor because [Shakespeare] has to make choices,” Aucoin said. “Like whether he wants to stay in Stratford with his family or go with his traveling actor troupe to London.”Aucoin said he doesn’t concentrate on the fact that he’s portraying an historical legend.”I focus on the script that Gibson wrote and trying to be true to it in the moment,” he said.”Players” opens Friday at the Reilly Theatre. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online. Admission is $12 for students, $15 for staff and seniors and $18 for the general public. —-Contact Matthew Jacobs at [email protected].