Shakespeare in Love (High School Edition)

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Shakespeare in Love (High School Edition)

Full-Length Play, Comedy  /  6w, 18m

Based on the screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard
Adapted for the stage by Lee Hall

Music by Paddy Cunneen
Originally produced on the West End by Disney Theatrical Group & Sonia Friedman Productions, directed by Declan Donnellan, and designed by Nick Ormerod

Based on the Academy Award-winning movie, this charming reimagining of William Shakespeare's inspiration to write Romeo and Juliet has now been carefully crafted for high school performers and audiences.

Shakespeare in Love (High School Edition)

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    6w, 18m
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Teen (Age 14-18)
Accolades
Accolades
  • Nominee: 2015 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy
Shakespeare in Love (High School Edition)
Also Available
Shakespeare in Love

Details

Summary
Young Will Shakespeare has writer's block. The deadline for his new play is fast approaching, but he's in desperate need of inspiration. That is, until he finds his muse... the feisty, brilliant and beautiful Viola. This crafty young woman is Will’s greatest admirer and will stop at nothing (including breaking the law) to appear in his next play. Against a bustling background of mistaken identity, ruthless scheming and backstage theatrics, Will’s love for Viola quickly blossoms, inspiring him to write his greatest romantic masterpiece.
History
Shakespeare in Love premiered on the West End at the Noel Coward Theatre in London in July 2014 under the direction of Declan Donnellan.
Keywords
Performing Groups
TILNEY
WILL SHAKESPEARE
RALPH
KATE
VIOLA DE LESSEPS
QUEEN ELIZABETH
HENSLOWE
ROBIN / FREES
MOLLY / MISTRESS QUICKLY
BURBAGE
SIR ROBERT DE LESSEPS
SAM
NURSE
PETER / BARMAN
MARLOWE
WABASH
ADAM / BOATMAN
WESSEX
NED ALLEYN
LAMBERT / GUARD
FENNYMAN
WEBSTER
NOL
ENSEMBLE MEMBERS / MUSICIANS / ATTENDANTS
  • Time Period 16th Century/Elizabethan
  • Setting Multiple locations in and around Elizabethan London
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Additional Features Play with Music
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)

Media

5 STARS! “An absolute joy from beginning to end!” – Daily Express

5 STARS! “Funny, often genuinely moving, and generates a glow you could warm your hands by... The best British comedy since One Man, Two Guvnors and deserves equal success.” – Daily Telegraph, Read More

“There's the elating sense that the material – with its rivalry between the public playhouses echoing between the Montagues and the Capulets – is reveling in its natural elements in the theatre... It makes you feel grateful to be alive.” – The Independent, Read More

“Marvelously fluid, riotously funny, and often intensely, even startlingly poignant... This may be, in part at least, a comedy about Shakespeare falling in love; but joking aside, it could just make you fall, all over again, in love with Shakespeare.” – Chicago Tribune, Read More

5 STARS! “An absolute joy from beginning to end!” – Daily Express, Read More

ON BREAKING CHARACTER

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The Structure of a Sonnet
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March 12, 2019

Shakespeare in Love from Screen to Stage
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March 12, 2019

Wherefore Art Thou? 10 things you didn't know about Shakespeare in Love

Katie Coryell
January 28, 2019

Videos

  • Shakespeare in Love Trailer youtube thumbnail

    Shakespeare in Love Trailer

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £85 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Music Rentals

Concord offers a full suite of resources to help you put on the show of a lifetime!
4 Full Scores
1 Rehearsal Piano-Vocal
Digital Assets: Performance tracks with all recorded music, Guide Vocal tracks, Production Handbook, Logo Pack
Vocal parts for the actors are available at the back of the Acting Edition

Scripts

Available Formats:
Get the Script

Add-Ons

Take a look below at how you can enhance your show!

Authors

Tom Stoppard

Tom Stoppard

Tom Stoppard’s most recent play, Leopoldstadt, opened at Wyndham's Theatre in 2020 and transferred to Broadway in 2022. It won multiple Awards, including an Olivier Award and Tony Award for Best Play. He wrote his first play, Enter a Free Man, whilst working as a journalist i ...

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Lee Hall

Lee Hall

Lee Hall was born in Newcastle Upon Tyne in 1966 and studied English Literature at Cambridge University. He has worked as a writer in theatre, TV, radio and film. He has been writer in residence at the Royal Shakespeare Company and Live Theatre, Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Theatre: W ...

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Author

Marc Norman

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