It takes a special playwright to write convincingly about Shakespeare, to capture his life, times, family, friends and writing. Bill Cain, the author of “Equivocation” at Arena Stage is such a playwright, capable not only of evoking the spirit of Shakespeare, but also of adding to his mythology. A presentation of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, “Equivocation” is set in London in 1606. Shag, short for Shagspere (Anthony Heald), has been summoned by Sir Robert Cecil, spymaster to King James I, and commissioned to write a definitive play on the infamous Gunpowder Plot of 1605, a failed plan allegedly hatched by the Catholic enemies of the Protestant king. That plot was supposedly aimed at blowing up the Houses of Parliament, the king and all his family.

Most of the play demonstrates Shag’s difficulty in sifting through the lies surrounding the Gunpowder Plot in order to get the facts straight. His dilemma also involves the knowledge that if he writes something unflattering to the powers that be, it could cost his life and the lives of his company members.