Shakespeare in Shorts is just what it sounds like: a fast-paced, laugh-out-loud, and delightfully irreverent dive into the world of William Shakespeare, crafted for young performers and their unsuspecting audience members (AKA the parents).
Playwright David Overton masterfully breaks down Shakespeare’s plays into bite-sized, digestible morsels, all while contextualizing the Bard’s work within the world that shaped it. Guided by a chorus of witty narrators (wearing shorts, obviously), the cast bounces between iconic scenes—you got your star-crossed love of Romeo and Juliet, your existential musings of Hamlet, and just a whisper of The Tempest as a li’l bonus treat. Outside of the scenes, the fourth wall is knocked squarely over, to make sure the audience gets all the juicy details of that spicy Tudor family drama, the actual timelessness of these themes, and plenty of theatrical mischief. Shakespeare in Shorts makes the perfect first introduction to this guy: here, he's relevant, relatable, and really worth watching, for actors and audiences alike.
The playwright has given his permission for licensees to cut lines and/or scenes as necessary to meet the festival or competition's time requirements without seeking prior approval from Uproar. Lines must still be performed sequentially as written, and words may not be changed or substituted without prior written approval.
