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.
Average Producer Rating:
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
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?
Click here to read production tips for this play.
Awards and Accolades
- The 9th most-performed short play in North American high schools, according to the Educational Theatre Association's annual production survey.
Characters
18
4 Men, 13 Women, 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.
- 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
Related Titles
Customer Comments
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!
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.
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!
Purchase Orders accepted from US and Canadian Schools.
Info for your purchasing department.
All others must pay at the time of ordering.
Not sure what you need to order? Check out our pricing and ordering guide.
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.
Drop Dead, Juliet!
by Allison Williams
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