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Much Ado About Nothing by John Minigan play script cover

Much Ado About Nothing

cutting and notes by John Minigan from the original by Shakespeare

The sparkling wordplay of Beatrice and Benedick are at the centre of this romantic comedy, which also brims with villainy, schemes, and deceit.

Comedy Classical Adaptation Shakespeare Shakespeare in an Hour

Recommended for High Schools and Middle Schools

At a Glance

Running Time
About 45 minutes
Approximate; excludes intermissions and scene changes
Cast
16 Characters
5 M 4 F 7 Any Gender
Doubling Possible
Set
Interior and Exterior
Length
26 pages
Free Excerpt
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Performance Royalty Fees

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.

16 Characters

  • 5 Males
  • 4 Females
  • 7 Any Gender
  • Doubling Possible

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.

MALE:

  • DON PEDRO Male 53 lines
    A Prince from Aragon. Benedick and Claudio’s commanding officer.
  • DON JOHN Male 27 lines
    Don Pedro’s bastard brother.
  • BENEDICK Male 72 lines
    A soldier. In a relationship with Beatrice.
  • CLAUDIO Male 42 lines
    A soldier. In a relationship with Hero.
  • FRIAR FRANCIS Male 13 lines

FEMALE:

  • BEATRICE Female 60 lines
    Leonato’s/Leonata’s niece. In a relationship with Benedick.
  • HERO Female 24 lines
    Leonato’s/Leonata’s daughter. In a relationship with Claudio.
  • MARGARET Female 5 lines
    Gentlewoman to Hero.
  • URSULA Female 11 lines
    Gentlewoman to Hero.

EITHER MALE OR FEMALE:

  • LEONATO/LEONATA Any gender 51 lines
    Governor of Messina. Hero’s father and Beatrice’s uncle.
  • BORACHIO/BORACHIA Any gender 17 lines
    Follower of Don John.
  • CONRADE/CONSTANZA Any gender 11 lines
    Follower of Don John.
  • DOGBERRY Any gender 22 lines
    A constable.
  • VERGES Any gender 13 lines
    A police recruit.
  • MESSENGER Any gender 5 lines
  • SEXTON Any gender 4 lines

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