Indie film Billy Shakespeare melds theater and film together in the re-imagining of what the greatest playwright might be like in modern-day Hollywood.

Billy Shakespeare asks, What if William Shakespeare (Jason D. Johnson) never existed… until now? Our modern-day bard is caught in a love triangle of confused sexuality, cross dressing, mistaken identity, and bedroom trysts. Does Shakespeare love his lusty best friend, Wilma Hartford (Phillip David Collins), who’s also a drag queen, or his lovely long-time girlfriend Anne Hathaway (Catharine Pilafas)? This battle to understand Shakespeare’s true heart is a comedic romp. All the while, Shakespeare peddles his screenplays in Hollywood. Renaissance and modern sensibilities clash when an all-male stage version of Macbeth and the misogynistic low-budget film The Taming of the Shrew open simultaneously. The combustion makes “The Bard,” played by comedic genius Jason D. Johnson, the most controversial screenwriter in Hollywood.

Cast:

Jason D. Johnson plays the modern-day William Shakespeare. Johnson has performed extensively onstage and in films such as The Lone Ranger (2013) and Southwest (2013). His desire to play Shakespeare came out of a life-long love affair with the Bard and his words.

Catharine Pilafas plays Anne Hathaway, William’s lovely, longtime girlfriend. Catharine Pilafas received her Bachelor of Arts in Acting and minor in Dance from the University of Northern Colorado. After making her New York theatre debut in Victory Garden’s off-broadway production of Conviction, Catharine shifted her career focus to film and television and has appeared in: The Night Shift, Longmire, In Plain Sight, Fatal Encounters, Void, Dead Billy, and Billy Shakespeare. She is also, a member of SAG-AFTRA and on the board of New Mexico Women In Film. An avid athlete, and yoga instructor, Catharine loves to be active along side her husband, writer, Adam James Jones, and their pug, Tobey.

Phillip David Collins plays lead Wilma Hartford, a drag queen who is in love with Shakespeare: Phillip David Collins has performed in several plays including Claudius in Hamlet, where he played Claudius. Behind the scenes he has worked as a location assistant on several film sets including Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girl. Collins interest in the character Wilma Hartford grew out of his desire to better understand his brother, a transvestite.

 Director’s Statement: Deborah Voorhees

The idea for Billy Shakespeare came while I was working as an arts and entertainment journalist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and The Dallas Morning News. My interest in the stage grew, and I volunteered to cover anything about theater. Shakespeare became a favorite. I would sit for hours with his entire folio in my lap and read everything he wrote. At first his dialogue proved a challenge, so I checked out all his plays from the Library of Congress’ Shakespearean video collection. I chose this collection because it had recordings of his full-length plays rather than snipped-down versions. I read line by line as I watched the actors’ performance. After three plays that “ahhhh, haaaa” moment came.

Shakespeare’s words opened up and became my intimate friends, easily understood and loved. Shakespeare’s transition from Renaissance England to Hollywood came during these sessions. I often reflected on my previous life as an actress in Hollywood, where I am best known as the B-scream starlet of Friday the 13th (Part V), and I wondered how Hollywood would react to Shakespeare if he had never existed until now. It started as a few jokes to friends but then the ideas started flowing. I frantically jotted down plot points and Shakespearean dialogue that I wanted for the script. The final product melds historical facts and fiction, and modern and Shakespearean-style dialogue.

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