Drop Dead, Juliet! by Allison Williams - Theatrefolk

Drop Dead, Juliet!

Recommended for High Schools and Middle Schools

Drop Dead, Juliet!

by Allison Williams

Juliet has had enough! No more poison, stabbing, or dying. Romeo and Juliet will never be the same - or will it? Not everyone's so keen on the changes.

 About 30 minutes

Times given are approximate and do not include intermissions/scene changes/breaks

 18
4 M | 13 W | 1 Any Gender

Simple Set

 30 pages

Comedy Classical Adaptation Shakespeare

Average Producer Rating:

Reviews from Past Producers

Juliet has had enough! Enough with the poison, enough with the stabbing, and especially enough with the dying. She wants a new story and she wants it now. More parts for girls! More romance! Less death!

Romeo and Juliet will never be the same - or will it? Not everyone's so keen on the changes. And why is Romeo sneaking off with Rosaline?

Free Classroom Study Guide

Click here to read production tips for this play.

18 Characters
4 M, 13 W, 1 Any Gender

Characters in this play are currently identified as male or female. Directors are welcome to assign any gender (binary or non-binary) to any character and modify pronouns accordingly.

Capulets
Juliet [W] 134 lines
Is scripted to die. Doesn’t.
Nurse [W] 12 lines
Knows there are no small parts.
Lord Capulet [M] 6 lines
Juliet’s dad. A believer in tough love.
Lady Capulet [W] 14 lines
Juliet’s mom. Is just happy she’s not in “The Tempest.”
Gregory [W] 3 lines
Lover of wordplay.
Sampson [W] 6 lines
He does bite his thumb, ma’am.
Tybalt [W] 10 lines
Prince of Cats. Only one life, though.
Montagues
Romeo [M] 58 lines
Wherefore art him.
Abram [W] 4 lines
Initiates the Dance Off.
Mercutio [W] 12 lines
Generally good-natured, when he isn’t wishing a plague on your house.
Lady Montague [W] 5 lines
Romeo’s mom. Thinks :Love at first sight” is a little contrived.
A Montague [A] 1 line
Worried that they just got served by the Capulets.
Others
Shakespeare [M] 72 lines
The Bard himself. Knows that the pen is mightier than the sword.
Prince/Princess [W] 5 lines
Immediately exiles Romeo hence. It’s nothing personal, though.
Friar/Sister Lawrence [W] 13 lines
Your go-to gal for poison.
Friar John [M] 1 line
The stupid one.
Ophelia [W] 0 lines
The strong, silent, “runs off crying” type.
Desdemona [W] 1 line
Should start hand-washing her handkerchiefs.

Awards and Accolades

  • The 9th most-performed short play in North American high schools, according to the Educational Theatre Association's annual production survey.

Customer Feedback

Our high school drama class performed Drop Dead, Juliet! The principal was so impressed with the production, that despite having only three hours sleep and planning to stay only twenty-minutes, she stayed for the entire show.

What impressed me the most about this play was that the students did what I asked them to do, which was to "own" the play. They just loved it so much and they had formed a very tight ensemble. They asked me if they could do the play one last time just for themselves. After it was over, everyone was very still and quiet for a minute, they knew that we had to let it go.

Thank you for such a high quality script, it gave the students such a worthwhile experience!

Gail S. Benge
Drama/Advisory Teacher
Whitmore Charter School of the Arts and Technology

We have been using your scripts for a few years, after I met Lindsay Price at the EDTA convention.

Last year we performed Drop Dead, Juliet! at the International Thespian Festival.

I really like your scripts because they are timely, age-appropriate and don't have bad words in them.

Melinda Middleton, Billings West High School

I would like to inform you that after I purchased Drop Dead, Juliet! for the one-act I directed for Bothell High School's annual one act festival, that I won best play, best director, and many other awards for this show.

We will be attending the Washington State Thespian Festival this March to perform it and then possibly go on to nationals in Nebraska. This play is great and thank you for bringing this excellent opportunity to me!

Emily Hurtin, Bothell High School

Subgenres
Parody Adaptation

Settings
16th Century / Elizabethan

Dress
Elaborate costumes Period costumes

Audience
Teen

Features
Physical comedy Stage combat Dance

Set
Simple set Interior set

Cautions
Adult themes Onstage murder Physical violence

Themes
Adolescence Death Memory Women's issues Relationships Self-image Theatre

Cross-Curricular Uses
Shakespeare

Other uses
Competition Audition material Class work

Awards & Accolades
Plays with Awards & Accolades

Prop List

Cup, bottle, dagger, script, big feather quill pen, tiny Lone Ranger mask, flashlights, tiny masks (x4), axe, piece of paper, cardboard railing, big hook (optional), notepad

Production Photos

Multimedia
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Royalty fees apply to all performances whether or not admission is charged. Any performance in front of an audience (e.g. an invited dress rehearsal) is considered a performance for royalty purposes.

Exemption details for scenes and monologues for competition.

Related Titles

We accept orders worldwide using the following payment methods:
Purchase Orders accepted from US and Canadian Schools.
Info for your purchasing department.

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