''Merely Players'' was a one-man stage show written and performed by

Barry Morse Herbert "Barry" Morse (10 June 19182 February 2008) was a British-Canadian actor, writer, and director. He was known for playing Lt. Philip Gerard, the principal antagonist of the American television series '' The Fugitive'' (1963–67), as ...

. It examined the lives of a series of actors and others from

Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The Roman symbol of Britannia (a female per ...

times up to present day. The title is derived from lines by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

in his play ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...

'':

''All the world's a stage,''
''and all the men and women merely players:''
''They have their exits and their entrances;''
''and one man in his time plays many parts.''

The two-act drama included several vignettes from the life and career of "mere player" Barry Morse, features over a dozen characters (three of them women), and two musical numbers. Looking for a stage piece that he could perform for benefits and fundraisers, in 1959 Morse debuted ''Merely Players'' on stage for the first time in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. He later performed the show in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1965 (at the height of popularity of his television series '' The Fugitive'') and in other cities for various causes and concerns, as well as for fundraising for local and repertory theater companies in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. The most recent form of ''Merely Players'' coalesced in 1984 when Morse mounted a nationwide tour of Canada to raise both publicity and funds for the Performing Arts Lodges of Canada (PAL); retirement centers for performers (actors, singers, dancers, and others) who are connected to the performing arts. Following the tour, he continued to perform the show throughout North America for the next two decades, between television and film projects, including on a number of occasions to raise both funds and awareness for

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

treatment and research. Morse died in February 2008. Other significant productions of ''Merely Players'' included

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

in 1993;

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

and

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...

in 1997;

Calgary, Alberta Calgary () is a major city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a Metropolitan area, metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the List of ...

in 2000; and

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

;

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

; and

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in 2002. He also did a show at the King's Theater in Annapolis Royal Nova Scotia. The book, ''Merely Players - The Scripts'', was published in 2003. The following year, in 2004, Morse debuted the show in

London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

at the Theatre Museum in Covent Garden as a benefit for The Royal Theatrical Fund. A new comprehensive omnibus volume ''Presenting Barry Morse & Merely Players'', edited by

Robert E. Wood Robert Elkington Wood (June 13, 1879 – November 6, 1969) was an American military officer and business executive. After retiring from the U.S. Army as a brigadier general, Wood had a successful career as a corporate executive, most notably ...

and

Anthony Wynn Anthony Wynn (born 1962, Eugene, Oregon) is an American author of ''Conversations at Warp Speed'' and co-author of ''Remember With Advantages: Chasing "The Fugitive" and Other Stories from an Actor's Life'', and as playwright authored ''Bernard and ...

, is being readied for future publication, along with the release of the show on DVD.

External links

Website for ''Merely Players''
{Unreliable source?, date=July 2011
Official Website of Barry MorseWebsite of Robert E. WoodWebsite of Anthony Wynn
Plays for one performer Monodrama 1959 plays British plays