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Postcards from Shakespeare by Allison Williams play script cover

Postcards from Shakespeare

by Allison Williams

Shakespeare has writer’s block. Nothing inspires him. The best he can come up with is “Now is the winter of our irritation!”

He pleads to the one person who can help him – Queen Elizabeth the First. Queen Lizzy, who could be a writer herself if she weren’t so busy crushing the Welsh, sends Shakespeare around the world in 30 minutes. Denmark! Venice! Egypt!

Join his whirlwind tour as he desperately searches for material. Star-crossed lovers! Surprise death! Shipwrecks! Something’s rotten in the state of Denmark…

Comedy Shakespeare

Recommended for High Schools and Middle Schools

At a Glance

Running Time
About 35 minutes
Approximate; excludes intermissions and scene changes
Cast
15 Characters
6 M 4 F 5 Any Gender
Productions
Produced by 30+ schools
Licensed by schools and youth theatres around the world
Set
Simple Set
Length
37 pages
Production Tips
Read production tips for this play
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.

15 Characters

  • 6 Males
  • 4 Females
  • 5 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.

  • William (Shakespeare) Male 34 lines
    The Bard, himself; One monologue
  • (Queen) Elizabeth Female 43 lines
    Long may she reign; One monologue
  • Messenger Male 6 lines
    Carries messages, as messengers do.

Richard III

  • Richard III Male 5 lines

Hamlet:

  • Hamlet Male 16 lines
  • Ghost Male 1 line
  • Laertes Male 4 lines
  • Horatio Male 2 lines
  • Gertrude Female 5 lines
  • Claudius Male 4 lines
  • Ophelia Female 1 line
  • 1st Player Male 3 lines
  • Player King Male 1 line
  • Polonius Male 3 lines

Antony and Cleopatra:

  • Antony Male 3 lines
  • Brutus Male 1 line
  • Lucius Male 1 line
  • Lepidus Male 1 line
  • Cleopatra Female 7 lines
  • Servant Male 1 line

The Merchant of Venice:

  • Antonio Male 5 lines
  • Shylock Male 7 lines
  • Portia Female 5 lines
  • Bassanio Male 2 lines
  • Nerissa Female 1 line

Measure for Measure:

  • Angelo Male 7 lines
  • Claudio Male 3 lines
  • Girlfriend of Claudio Female 0 lines
  • Isabella Female 4 lines

Romeo and Juliet:

  • Romeo Male 5 lines
  • Juliet Female 4 lines
  • Mercutio Male 2 lines

Much Ado About Nothing:

  • Beatrice Female 4 lines
  • Benedick Male 5 lines

Troilus and Cressida:

  • Troilus Male 2 lines
  • Cressida Female 2 lines

The Taming of the Shrew:

  • Katherine Female 3 lines
  • Petruchio Male 3 lines

Twelfth Night:

  • Viola Female 2 lines

The Tempest:

  • Miranda Female 4 lines
  • Ariel Female 1 line

A Winter’s Tale:

  • Antigonus Male 8 lines

Pericles:

  • Marina Female 1 line

Two Gentlemen of Verona:

  • Julia Female 1 line
  • Launce Male 5 lines
    One monologue

Othello:

  • Othello Male 2 lines
  • Desdemona Female 1 line

Julius Caesar:

  • Marc Antony Male 7 lines
    One monologue
  • Julius Caesar Male 1 line
  • Brutus Male 1 line

Macbeth:

  • Macbeth Male 0 lines
  • Birnam Wood (played by Soldiers) Male 0 lines

Cymbeline:

  • Imogen Female 1 line
  • Pisanio Male 1 line

Henry VIII:

  • Henry VIII Male 2 lines

Henry IV pts 1&2:

  • Lead Soldier Male 3 lines

Richard II:

  • Richard II Male 1 line

Timon of Athens:

  • Timon Male 1 line

Coriolanus:

  • Martius Male 1 line

Titus Andronicus:

  • Titus Male 1 line

A Midsummer Night’s Dream:

  • Puck Male 6 lines
  • Helena Female 1 line
  • Demetrius Male 1 line
  • Hermia Female 1 line
  • Lysander Male 1 line
  • Bottom Male 0 lines
  • Oberon Male 1 line
  • Mechanicals Any gender 0 lines

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