playS and MuSicalS - Contemporary Drama Service
playS and MuSicalS - Contemporary Drama Service
playS and MuSicalS - Contemporary Drama Service
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Shakespeare Shortened<br />
by DAVID R. WELLENS<br />
Five condensed plays for the classroom<br />
Cast: 7 to 14 each play, mixed<br />
Playing time: 5 to 12 minutes each play<br />
Complete playkit with 10 scripts <strong>and</strong><br />
rights to reproduce copies: $20.95<br />
Order #R-P1796<br />
Shakespeare’s Macbeth<br />
adapted by ROBERT HEROLD<br />
A student version of<br />
Shakespeare’s classic tragedy<br />
Cast: 27 to 35 roles, mixed (doubling possible)<br />
Playing time: About 90 minutes<br />
Performance rights for stage or classroom<br />
granted with purchase of 15 or more scripts.<br />
Order #R-R137 Script: $5.95<br />
Shortened <strong>and</strong> simplified from the original, this<br />
adaptation can easily be staged by young student<br />
performers. All of the classic dialog passages <strong>and</strong><br />
soliloquies remain, retaining the basic beauty of<br />
Shakespeare’s original Elizabethan version. After a<br />
single reading, students will be able to underst<strong>and</strong> the<br />
characters, the plot <strong>and</strong> the subplots. Suggestions for<br />
a simplified setting <strong>and</strong> costumes are included. May be<br />
staged or used as a text for classroom use.<br />
Shakespeare<br />
New!<br />
Five of Shakespeare’s most famous plays have been<br />
condensed into easy-to-underst<strong>and</strong> playlets for classroom<br />
study <strong>and</strong> performance. Each play is translated into<br />
modern language <strong>and</strong> abridged so that the characters are<br />
still well developed, but only the key dialogue is retained.<br />
For example, each act <strong>and</strong> scene of Hamlet is preserved,<br />
but shortened such that Hamlet’s soliloquy ends with “And<br />
by opposing, end them.” All of the important characters,<br />
lines, <strong>and</strong> action are included to show Shakespeare’s<br />
unique playwriting skills. Plays include: King Lear,<br />
Hamlet, Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice <strong>and</strong><br />
Romeo <strong>and</strong> Juliet. A great way to introduce<br />
Shakespeare <strong>and</strong> his characters to the classroom.<br />
New!<br />
www.contemporarydrama.com • toll-free 800-937-5297 • toll-free 24-hour fax 888-594-4436<br />
51<br />
Super Short<br />
Shakespeare Parodies<br />
by CLIFF JURY<br />
Ten hilarious 4-minute abridgements<br />
of his most famous plays<br />
Cast: 6 to 13 each play, mixed<br />
Playing time: 4 minutes each, 40 minutes total<br />
Complete playkit with 10 scripts <strong>and</strong><br />
rights to reproduce copies: $20.95<br />
Order #R-P1798<br />
What a fun way to introduce Shakespeare’s most famous<br />
plays! These extreme abridgements cut right to the chase<br />
by getting through the story <strong>and</strong> events of each play quickly<br />
<strong>and</strong> concisely. Elizabethan English is used only occasionally<br />
for comic effect, so that the humorous modern dialogue is<br />
easily understood. The rapid-fire stage action <strong>and</strong> quick<br />
entrances <strong>and</strong> exits make these plays fun to perform <strong>and</strong><br />
even funnier for the audience. Plays include: Romeo <strong>and</strong><br />
Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, The Merchant of<br />
Venice, The Tempest, Julius Caesar, King Lear,<br />
Henry V <strong>and</strong> Richard III. Even Shakespeare would laugh<br />
at these clever parodies!<br />
The Glory of the Tea Bag<br />
by ROBERT THISTLE<br />
A parody of Romeo <strong>and</strong> Juliet<br />
in Shakespeare’s language<br />
Cast: 3F, 3M<br />
Age level: High School to College<br />
Playing time: About 30 minutes<br />
Complete playkit with 7 scripts: $20.95<br />
Order #R-P1817<br />
New!<br />
Shakespeare himself opens this spoof where Romeo<br />
Dinkledorf <strong>and</strong> Basilio Fumblebucket are about to shed<br />
blood over the shape of a tea bag. The playwright brings<br />
forth the fair Juliet to quell the violence. She beseeches her<br />
brother <strong>and</strong> her love to stay their swords. But Romeo didn’t<br />
study his lines <strong>and</strong> forgets who she is until she recites her<br />
famous soliloquy. Then the sultry Penelope enters as<br />
Basilio’s poison-bearer <strong>and</strong> love interest. But lo! Is Romeo<br />
also besotted with Penelope? Even Shakespeare is smitten<br />
by this new lady. He decides to rewrite the play, killing off<br />
the other two guys so he can have her for himself. But<br />
Queen Elizabeth appears, telling him it’s not fair. “Who<br />
said life’s fair?” he replies. Full of funny lines <strong>and</strong><br />
humorous asides to the audience. This bawdy spoof has<br />
been performed at Renaissance festivals across the U.S.<br />
Easy to stage with one set, few props.