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Shakespeare on a Shoestring - Cymbeline! by Michael Calderone play script cover

Shakespeare on a Shoestring - Cymbeline!

by Michael Calderone

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.

Comedy Shakespeare

Recommended for High Schools and Middle Schools

At a Glance

Running Time
About 50 minutes
Approximate; excludes intermissions and scene changes
Cast
12 Characters
6 M 6 F
Plus percussionist. Easily expandable.
Set
Simple set
Length
46 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.

12 Characters

  • 6 Males
  • 6 Females
  • 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 Male 36 lines
  • Yellow Lady: Pisania/Pisanio Any gender 35 lines
  • Red Man: Cloten/Jupiter Male 47 lines
  • Red Lady: Queen Female 27 lines
  • Blue Man: Posthumous Male 51 lines
  • Blue Lady: Imogen Female 71 lines
  • Purple Man: Cymbeline Male 35 lines
  • Purple Lady: Caius Lucius Female 28 lines
  • Green Lady: Guilderius/Polydore Female 40 lines
  • Green Man: Arviragus/Cadwal Male 30 lines
  • Orange Man: Iachimo Male 62 lines
  • Orange Lady: Doctor, Narrator Female 78 lines
  • Percussionist
    An onstage percussionist who punctuates the action

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