Shakespeare on a Shoestring - Cymbeline! by Michael C... - Theatrefolk

Shakespeare on a Shoestring - Cymbeline!

Recommended for High Schools and Middle Schools

Shakespeare on a Shoestring - Cymbeline!

by Michael Calderone

Faked Death! Mistaken Identity! Parental Marital Veto! But wait, there’s more!

 About 50 minutes

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

 12
6M | 6W, Plus percussionist. Easily expandable.

Simple set

 46 pages

Comedy Shakespeare

Did you know that Cymbeline has all of Shakespeare’s most famous plot devices? It has… Faked Death! Mistaken Identity! Parental Marital Veto! But wait, there’s more!

Join our players as they tackle the play in the Shoestring style, which emphasizes ensemble, the physical space (with all scenery created by living tableaux) and audience interaction.

It’s the perfect storm for your students to sync up their Shakespeare and turn up their technique.

Awards and Accolades

  • With twelve actors and twelve plot devices, this piece had a neat symmetry to it and proved, once again, that you don’t need a fancy set and complicated props to get a story across. This team used the script, some good physical theatre and their obvious joy of being on stage to produce an uplifting example of Shakespeare on a shoestring. Source
12 Characters
6M, 6W, Plus percussionist. Easily expandable.

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.

Yellow Man: Belarius [M] 36 lines
Yellow Lady: Pisania/Pisanio [A] 35 lines
Red Man: Cloten/Jupiter [M] 47 lines
Red Lady: Queen [W] 27 lines
Blue Man: Posthumous [M] 51 lines
Blue Lady: Imogen [W] 71 lines
Purple Man: Cymbeline [M] 35 lines
Purple Lady: Caius Lucius [W] 28 lines
Green Lady: Guilderius/Polydore [W] 40 lines
Green Man: Arviragus/Cadwal [M] 30 lines
Orange Man: Iachimo [M] 62 lines
Orange Lady: Doctor, Narrator [W] 78 lines
Percussionist
An onstage percussionist who punctuates the action

Subgenres
Farce Adaptation Shakespeare

Settings
16th Century / Elizabethan Present day

Dress
Contemporary costumes Period costumes

Audience
Pre-teen Teen

Features
Mime Movement-based Physical comedy Music

Set
Simple set

Themes
Betrayal Love Jealousy Revenge Theatre

Cross-Curricular Uses
Shakespeare

Other uses
Competition Class work

Awards & Accolades
Plays with Awards & Accolades

Prop List

crowns, purple sash, tiara, skirts, pantaloons, doublets, straw fedora, blanket, letters, black hood, capes

Multimedia

Video

Trailer!

Related Titles

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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.

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

A vignette play is a collection of short scenes on a theme. You'll love working with the variety and flexibility of the scenes. Your actors will love the fast pace and fun characters.

There's more. Every Theatrefolk vignette play holds the unexpected. A showcase monologue. A dramatic moment. A change in form. A left turn.

Ideal for classwork, competitions, and more!

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