Shakespeare Inspired Verse Plays

Select plays listed in alphabetical order

"One of the things that has always bothered me about directing Shakespeare is the inequity of gender roles. These plays takes care of that issue, and gives us so much more." - Naomi Baker

Full Length Plays

All's Well That Ends.

Backstage shenanigans are afoot at a Shakespeare regional theatre.  Tasked with producing a "Problem Play" season, it turns out the problems are on-stage in more ways than one.  Written for the Shakespeare's New Contemporaries.  A very problematic play.
RUNTIME: 2.5 hours

SET: A stage.

CASTING: 4 F, 4M, 4NB

REFERENCES: All's Well That Ends Well, Measure for Measure, Merchant of Venice

Juliet and Her Romeo

Two adaptations of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet:

2020's Juliet and Her Romeo: Full Adaptation
2019's Romeo and Juliet Combative: An Augmentation
2018's Romeo and Juliet Honeymoon: An Interpolation
RUNTIME: Each play runs approximately 2.5 hours

SET: Minimal (Lighting and props)

CASTING: Juliet and Her Romeo - 4F, 5M
Romeo and Juliet Combative - 3F, 5M
Romeo and Juliet Honeymoon - 1F, 1M

REFERENCES: Romeo and Juliet

Malvolio - TWINS!

"A delightfully giddy gender-bending remix of the twin shenanigans from A Comedy of Errors with characters from Twelfth Night, Much Ado, and As You Like It jumping in on the fun. Directors and comic actors will have a blast with this one." - Duncan Pflaster
RUNTIME: Approximately 2.5 hours

SET: A "three door" farce; an open square in Ephesus

CASTING: 7F, 3M, 2NB

REFERENCES: Twelfth Night, A Comedy of Errors, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet

The Merry Widows of Windsor

"A fantastic feminist sequel where both Alice and Margaret have a journey to go on post husbands. Except for Alice, her husband might not be in the past. An entertaining and thrilling ride!" - Cheryl Bear
RUNTIME: Approximately 2.5 hours

SET: A public square in Windsor

CASTING: 6F, 4M, 2NB

REFERENCES: The Merry Wives of Windsor, Henry IV Pts. 1&2, Henry V, Hamlet

One Act & Radio Plays

A Midsummer Night's Brexit

"A Shakespearean take on Brexit and Trump that is richly funny! Well done." - Cheryl Bear
RUN TIME: Approximately 10-15 minutes

SET: A press conference; Titania's domain

CASTING: 4-9 people; any gender

REFERENCES: A Midsummer Night's Dream, 2016 English, European, and American politics

LISTEN: Original radio play from Radio Cote

Rosa Kranz and Guilda Stern AREN'T Dead

Two middle aged women realize they can't wait their whole life waiting in the wings.  Available as a stage or radio play.
RUN TIME: Approximately 20-25 minutes

SET: Hamlet's banquet hall, after the play is over

CASTING: 2F, optionally also 3NB (whomever resonates with the role should play the role)

REFERENCES: Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

Short & Monologue Plays

Antony and Cleopatra (After)

"A gorgeous short sequel to Shakespeare's play. This play bathes us in beautiful language and fascinating spectacle! I want to see it staged. I want to be a part of staging it! 

Did I mention the absolutely stunning language? Verse. Rhyme. The entire play just sounds good." - Monica Cross
RUN TIME: Approximately 5 minutes

SET: The Underworld, the River Styx

CASTING: 1F, 1M, 1 God (whomever resonates with a role should play the role)

REFERENCES: Antony and Cleopatra, Greek and Egyptian mythology

Coriolanus

"I played Coriolanus, and I wish I'd been able to break out this monologue with my Aufidius instead." - M.L. Earheart
RUN TIME: Approximately 5 minutes

SET: The battlefield outside of Rome

CASTING: 1M (whomever resonates with the role should play the role)

REFERENCES: Coriolanus

Edmund

"Beautifully sad" - Michelle Michel
RUN TIME: Approximately 5 minutes

SET: A boarding school in winter

CASTING: 1M (whomever resonates with the role should play the role)

REFERENCES: King Lear

Edmund + Goneril

A bastard looking for advancement, and the eldest daughter of the king looking for escape meet in the moments before the storm.
RUN TIME: Approximately 1-3 minutes

SET: The stables outside of Gloucester's estate

CASTING: 1M, 1F (whomever resonates with the role should play the role)

REFERENCES: King Lear

Gravediggers

"Hamlet's" Gravediggers act out Ophelia's funeral from their point of view...with a very different ending than Shakespeare's.
RUN TIME: Approximately 1-3 minutes

SET: A bar in Denmark

CASTING: 2A (whomever resonates with the role should play the role)

REFERENCES: King Lear

Plain Dealing Villains

Macbeth and Don John (from "Much Ado") conspire about how to overthrow a prince.
RUN TIME: Approximately 5-10 minutes

SET: Macbeth's banquet hall

CASTING: 2M (whomever resonates with the role should play the role)

REFERENCES: Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing

Portia

Portia (Merchant of Venice) yells at her father, dealing with his grief in the best way she can.
RUN TIME: Approximately 5-10 minutes

SET: Portia's family crypt

CASTING: 1F (whomever resonates with the role should play the role)

REFERENCES: The Merchant of Venice

- seems, madam -

An Actor and his Lady share a quiet moment backstage of "Hamlet." Riffing on the question of what it means to seem, madam. A play for any actor - transactors, neurospicy, code-switching - who struggle to "seem."
RUN TIME: Approximately 10-15 minutes

SET: Hamlet's dressing room

CASTING: 1F, 1M (whomever resonates with the role should play the role)

REFERENCES: Hamlet

Touchstone

Touchstone (from As You Like It) is back in the city, at a night club, with his new lady love...but he yearns for the country, and how they loved it.
RUN TIME: Approximately 5-10 minutes

SET: A nightclub; a memory

CASTING: 1M (whomever resonates with the role should play the role)

REFERENCES: As You Like It

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