PLAYS by Meredith Bean McMath

Millie Juraschek and Don Frye as Juliet and her Romeo in the 2001 production

BILL, the BARD:

An EVENING of SHAKESPEAREAN ENTERTAINMENT

Narration by Meredith Bean McMath

A romp through the Best of the Bard of Avonlea, this play was first produced in February of 2001 by The Not Just Shakespeare Theatre Company of Loudoun County, Virginia. It begins with narration by a "frustrated actor," a fellow who's sure Shakespeare doesn't need help from the performers backstage - because he'd rather act out the material himself. His anti-actor tirade is interrupted when an actor waiting behind the curtain can take no more and bursts forth with the Chorus from Henry V: "OH, for a muse of FIRE!"

The various aspects of Shakespeare's works are then represented: pathos, comedy, history, love stories (and a sonnet), monologues, dialogues, and, as grand finale, the Rustic Play from A Midsummer Night's Dream, tied together by the narrator's explanatory remarks.

During the course of the show, the narrator has a change of heart as he slowly comes to respect the actors' craft. In the end, the actors show their appreciation for the narrator by allowing him the "last word," Puck's lines from A Midsummer Night's Dream beginning "If we shadows have offended..." And curtain.

Two hour production. Suggested set: Black Box. 6 men; 4 women.

Production History: 2001 - Not Just Shakespeare, Inc., Hillsboro, VA, Directed by Tim Jon.

For performance rights, contact Meredith Bean McMath at meredith@storyroot.com