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Shakespearean Plays - ROYALTY FREE

Shakespearean Plays - for Teens and Adults

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

This is one of Shakespeare’s most popular and picturesque “romantic” comedies. Though abridged, the verse is as Shakespeare wrote it.We have only edited the orginal to keep the story and character unfoldment moving quickly.

Story summary: In Athens, a young girl, Hermia, is forbidden by her father to marry the man she loves, Lysander. She is brought before the Duke of Athens who gives Hermia four days to obey her father and marry Demetrius or receive the penalty of death. Lysander, in love with Hermia, arranges for them to run off to his aunt’s house beyond the forest and there be married. Hermia confides her plan to Helena who then tells Demetrius, whom she loves. They follow the runaway lovers into the forest. Now the wood they enter is enchanted. Oberon, King of the Fairies, and his queen, Titania have recently quarrelled. Oberon employs a mischievous fairy called Puck to find a special flower so he may cast a spell on Titania and make her fall in love with the first creature she sees. Puck mistakenly squeezes the juice of the flower into the eyes of Lysander who then believes himself in love with Helena. In the meantime, a group of rustic actors appear in the forest to rehearse a play they are to perform before the Duke at his nuptial feast. One of the actors, Bottom, is turned into an Ass by Puck and it is this Ass that Titania sees upon waking from her spell-cast sleep. In the end, the lovers are reconciled as are Titania and Oberon and the actors are triumphant before the court of the Duke. .

Music accompanies the play script. This music is edited from Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Cast: 12 male roles (8 principal/4 minor); 9 female roles (4 principal/5 minor)
Running time: 1 hour. No Intermission

To order this play, please click here.

The Merchant of Venice

Story summary: Antonio, a rich and noble merchant of Venice, takes out a loan from Shylock the Jew to help his kinsman, Bassanio, court the wealthy and fair Portia. In his will, Portia’s father bound her wedded fate by creating a lottery whereby only he who chooses rightly among the caskets of gold, silver or lead can win her for his bride. Soon after Bassanio chooses the right casket, he receives news of the demise of Antonio’s ships and thus the forfeiture of his bond to Shylock. By means of Portia’s clever disguise as a Doctor of Law, Shylock receives his full justice and all is reconciled. We have included beautiful illustrations for our title and scene divider pages.

Cast: 2 Narrators (Male or female)
10 male roles (9 principal/1 minor); 3 female principal roles.
Note: The role of Balthasar - Portia’s servant, may be played by a woman - thus increasing the female roles to 4
Running Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes

To order this play, please click here.

Story summary: The play is set in the time when France was divided into dukedoms. Duke Frederick has usurped his brother's throne and banished the elder duke to the Forest of Arden. Here he and his faithful followers live the merry life of bold foresters. The story follows its heroine Rosalind, the daughter of the banished duke. Persecuted by her uncle, she flees the court in the guise of a boy and, accompanied by her cousin Celia and Touchstone the court jester, wanders into the Forest of Arden. Rosalind meets Orlando, who has also fled to the forest, following ill-treatment and disinheritance by his brother Oliver. Rosalind and Orlando fall in love and she has fun wooing him in her boyish guise. Meanwhile, Oliver follows Orlando into the forest with the intention to kill him, but falls in love with the bewitching Celia instead. Not until the last scene are all identities revealed and the elder duke restored again to his rightful kingdom.

Music accompanies the play script.

Cast: 11 male roles (9 principal/1 minor); 7 female roles (4 principal/3 minor)

Running Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

To order this play, please click here.

Story summary: Shipwrecked on the shores of a foreign country called Illyria, a young noblewoman by the name of Viola disguises herself as a boy, Cesario, and obtains employment as a page in the court of Duke Orsino. She falls in love with her master, but he is already in love with Olivia, a beautiful countess whose brother has recently died, and for whom she vows to remain veiled in mourning for seven years. When the duke sends his new page to Olivia to press his suit of love, Olivia scorns the message but is charmed by the messenger. Fascinated by Cesario's disdainful manner, as well as his poetic use of words, Olivia fancies herself in love with him. Viola's twin brother, Sebastian, who was also shipwrecked and is believed dead by Viola, turns up and is mistaken for Cesario, and vice versa. Olivia's affections are quickly drawn to the more appropriate object of her affection, while the duke is not at all displeased to discover that his loyal page is actually an enchanting girl who is only too willing to return his love.

Cast: 2 Narrators (Male or female)
12 male roles (9 principal/3 minor); 4 female roles (3 principal/1 minor).

Running Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

To order this play, please click here.

Shakespearean Plays - for the Littlest Players

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

This is an adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s most popular and picturesque “romantic” comedies. Though abridged, the verse is as Shakespeare wrote it. It is neither contemporized nor dumbed down, only edited in quantity to keep the story and character unfoldment moving quickly. We have included beautiful illustrations for our title and scene divider pages.

Story summary: In Athens, a young girl, Hermia, is forbidden by her father to marry the man she loves, Lysander. She is brought before the Duke of Athens who gives Hermia four days to obey her father and marry Demetrius or receive the penalty of death. Lysander, in love with Hermia, arranges for them to run off to his aunt’s house beyond the forest and there be married. Hermia confides her plan to Helena who then tells Demetrius, whom she loves. They follow the runaway lovers into the forest. Now the wood they enter is enchanted. Oberon, King of the Fairies, and his queen, Titania have recently quarrelled. Oberon employs a mischievous fairy called Puck to find a special flower so he may cast a spell on Titania and make her fall in love with the first creature she sees. Puck mistakenly squeezes the juice of the flower into the eyes of Lysander who then believes himself in love with Helena. In the meantime, a group of rustic actors appear in the forest to rehearse a play they are to perform before the Duke at his nuptial feast. One of the actors, Bottom, is turned into an Ass by Puck and it is this Ass that Titania sees upon waking from her spell-cast sleep. In the end, the lovers are reconciled as are Titania and Oberon and the actors are triumphant before the court of the Duke.

To order this play, please click here.

The Merchant of Venice

Another abridged adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s romantic comedies though this one is more a romantic drama. We have included beautiful illustrations for our title and scene divider pages. For those of you with younger actors, please click here to find out about our Littlest Player’s adaptation of the same play.

Story summary: Antonio, a rich and noble merchant of Venice, takes out a loan from Shylock the Jew to help his kinsman, Bassanio, court the wealthy and fair Portia. In his will, Portia’s father bound her wedded fate by creating a lottery whereby only he who chooses rightly among the caskets of gold, silver or lead can win her for his bride. Soon after Bassanio triumphs, he receives news of the demise of Antonio’s ships and thus the forfeiture of his bond to Shylock. By means of Portia’s clever disguise as a Doctor of Law, Shylock receives his full justice and all is reconciled. We have included beautiful illustrations for our title and scene divider pages.

Cast: 2 Narrators (Male or female)
10 male roles (9 principal/1 minor); 3 female principal roles.
Note: The role of Balthasar - Portia’s servant, may be played by a woman - thus increasing the female roles to 4
Running Time: 50 minutes

To order this play, please click here.

	These are abridged Shakespearean adaptations using all original Shakespearean verse. Our package includes the script of the play, story summary, character summaries, set and property list, costumes, and notes on casting. We have striven to incorporate the original purity, literacy, and intent of William Shakespeare with no dumbing down of his verse to appease contemporary standards.
	To order any product, please click here. If you have any questions or wish to order several items, please email us at familyplayhouse@rcn.com and we will be happy to send you a paypal invoice with combined shipping.

		A Midsummer Night’s Dream This is one of Shakespeare’s most popular and picturesque “romantic” comedies. Though abridged, the verse is as Shakespeare wrote it.We have only edited the orginal to keep the story and character unfoldment moving quickly. Story summary: In Athens, a young girl, Hermia, is forbidden by her father to marry the man she loves, Lysander. She is brought before the Duke of Athens who gives Hermia four days to obey her father and marry Demetrius or receive the penalty of death. Lysander, in love with Hermia, arranges for them to run off to his aunt’s house beyond the forest and there be married. Hermia confides her plan to Helena who then tells Demetrius, whom she loves. They follow the runaway lovers into the forest. Now the wood they enter is enchanted. Oberon, King of the Fairies, and his queen, Titania have recently quarrelled. Oberon employs a mischievous fairy called Puck to find a special flower so he may cast a spell on Titania and make her fall in love with the first creature she sees. Puck mistakenly squeezes the juice of the flower into the eyes of Lysander who then believes himself in love with Helena. In the meantime, a group of rustic actors appear in the forest to rehearse a play they are to perform before the Duke at his nuptial feast. One of the actors, Bottom, is turned into an Ass by Puck and it is this Ass that Titania sees upon waking from her spell-cast sleep. In the end, the lovers are reconciled as are Titania and Oberon and the actors are triumphant before the court of the Duke. . Music accompanies the play script. This music is edited from Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Cast: 12 male roles (8 principal/4 minor); 9 female roles (4 principal/5 minor) Running time: 1 hour. No Intermission To order this play, please click here.


		The Merchant of Venice Story summary: Antonio, a rich and noble merchant of Venice, takes out a loan from Shylock the Jew to help his kinsman, Bassanio, court the wealthy and fair Portia. In his will, Portia’s father bound her wedded fate by creating a lottery whereby only he who chooses rightly among the caskets of gold, silver or lead can win her for his bride. Soon after Bassanio chooses the right casket, he receives news of the demise of Antonio’s ships and thus the forfeiture of his bond to Shylock. By means of Portia’s clever disguise as a Doctor of Law, Shylock receives his full justice and all is reconciled. We have included beautiful illustrations for our title and scene divider pages. Cast: 2 Narrators (Male or female) 10 male roles (9 principal/1 minor); 3 female principal roles. Note: The role of Balthasar - Portia’s servant, may be played by a woman - thus increasing the female roles to 4 Running Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes To order this play, please click here.