The King's Men

A new play about Shakespeare and his compatriots’ journey to create the greatest play of all time. And get money.

Created by Devon Kane and Ian Salazar

Starring:

David Chernavsky

Colmcille Donston

Maeve Munroe

Sam Gibson

Nick Scutti

& Ian Salazar

Directed by Devon Kane

Gather round ye merry lot, and lend us thy ears! The year is 1603. The place is London. The great Queen Elizabeth I has just passed, setting up King James of Scotland to take the throne. This Royal Merger betwixt countries has set the stage for restructuring, layoffs, and neck slicing across the land. Enter William Shakespeare. If The Bard and his buddies want to keep getting funding for their silly little plays, they will have to appease their new boss. The only problem? James is no Elizabeth, and getting him to care about theater is like getting a horse to care about theater. Or about anything besides hay. So, strap on your canker blossoms and wet those quills, it's time to learn about how Shakespeare and company wrote one of his greatest plays ever on the way to becoming THE KING'S MEN.

The King's Men is a satirical farce written in response to the current tumultuous climate in Hollywood (and beyond). As writers in the year 2025, we felt barreled down by the constant doom-and-gloom headlines of collapsing studios and robot takeovers in the industry we love. When art meets business, it’s a timeless and seemingly neverending struggle to come out on top. Shakespeare had to do it too! Except instead of corporate overlords, he had to please a heavenly-appointed monarch who was even more fickle and petty than Wall Street. After a deep dive into Jacobean history, we created this sharply accurate and authentic depiction of the very real struggles that William and his company had to endure in order to create their magnum opus - Macbeth!

About the Cast & Crew:

Devon Kane (Writer/Director) is a director and writer based in Los Angeles, CA. Her latest short, OBSESSION, won the Audience Award at the Nashville Film Festival 2024 and Best Film at the UCLA Extension Film Festival 2025. She is an alum of The Groundlings Theatre & School and got her start doing improv and stand up in Los Angeles and San Diego. She is managed by Luber Roklin Entertainment.

Ian Salazar (Writer/KING JAMES) is a writer and performer based out of Los Angeles, CA. His training includes The Second City, UCB, Natasha Mercado’s Soft Clown, and reading Uta Hagen’s cookbook. He does film stuff too I guess. Oh and also he hosts FUSTERCLUCK, a pop up art and comedy show at The Earl in K-Town. He wrote this play with Devon and really hopes you like it. Thanks for supporting live theater. He’s unrepped and fully vaccinated.

David Chernavsky (WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE) is an actor and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. He holds a BA in Theatre from CSU Sacramento and has trained in improv at UCB and The Groundlings, skills used for his immersive performances at Coachella, Lightning in a Bottle, and Electric Forest. His comedic work has been featured in sketches from College Humor, Nerdist, and SMOSH. As a filmmaker, David’s short ALIKE was an official selection at the Collaboration Filmmakers Challenge, and his film FRENCH FRIED took home top prize at Sacramento’s 10x10 Film Fest. David is repped by TalentInk Management.

Colmcille O’Toole Donston (RICHARD BURBAGE) is an actor hailing from Hoboken, New Jersey where he studied at Hoboken Children’s Theater, Mile Square Theater, HTHS Drama Program, and the Public Theater of New York. He then attended Emerson College in Boston, MA and he graduated with a BFA in Visual Media Arts. While there he had the pleasure of working at ArtsEmerson, The American Repertory Theater, and The Geffen School of Drama at Yale. Now Los Angeles based, he is represented by Elev8 Talent Agency and has appeared in various commercials and short films.

Maeve Munroe (JOHN HEMINGES) is an actor based out of Los Angeles, hailing from that part of New York City that’s in North Jersey. Since earning her BFA in Acting from Emerson College, she’s been in a wide range of films, including her upcoming feature film debut in Dawn Carol Garcia’s Skate Meat. www.maevemunroe.com

Sam Gibson (QUEEN ANNE)

Nick Scutti (THE FOOL) is a writer, performer, high school theater teacher, and five-time Rebel Spy on Star Tours (yes, really). He has performed at La Jolla Playhouse, North Coast Repertory, Looseleaf Theatre, and made his LA debut with The Insomniacs in Rhinoceros as Jean. As a writer, his work has been produced through Blindspot Collective for the WOW Festival and San Diego International Fringe Festival, and most recently was commissioned to write a play for Loud Fridge Theatre Group, which produced a staged reading of his work. He received his BA in Theatre Arts from Concordia University Irvine, and completed improv and sketch writing programs through UCB, The Second City, and iO. "Please clap." --Jeb Bush.

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