Shakespearean Dating Show, A

One-Acts 20

By: Lavinia Roberts
Cast: 13 M, 13 F, 1 flexible, extras (With doubling: 8 M, 8 F, 1 flexible. Tripling possible.)
Performance Time: Approximately 30 minutes, 31 pgs.

FARCE. In this reality-TV show, characters from Shakespeare’s "A Midsummer Night’s Dream," "The Taming of the Shrew," "King Lear," and "Romeo and Juliet" compete to find true love. Bachelors battle it out for a date with Juliet and Hermia, and bachelorettes pull out the stops to win a date with Hortensio and the King of France. In the midst of the chaos, the ghost of Hamlet’s father appears, the Chorus constantly comments on the action, Juliet’s hot-headed cousin chases Romeo off, and some witches create havoc for Macbeth, the stage manager. A fun way to introduce students to Shakespeare. Easy to stage.

Freeviews: To read play excerpts click here.

Lavinia Roberts is an award-winning playwright and educator. She has a MA in Theatre Education from New York University and an MFA in Playwriting from Southern Illinois University. Roberts has been a theatre teacher for more than a decade. She is an Assistant Professor and Murphy Fellow in Theatre Arts at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas.