Romeo Revised & Hopeless Hamlet
In 2007 I had the pleasure of playing Mercutio at the Canyon Theatre Guild’s production of “Romeo and Juliet.” As a teacher, I have long since enjoyed reading the Bard’s work aloud. However, being able to actually perform it was a transcendent experience.
During the run of the show, I began to create a spoof of the play’s ending. I thought, what would happen if after Romeo drinks the poison, and Juliet supposedly kills herself, what if Romeo woke up and wasn’t really dead? From there, I concocted a ten-minute play that might be the funniest solid ten minutes I’ve ever written.
Heuer Publishing scooped up the script. They have a growing library of ten-minute plays — and so I was encouraged to create another one. So, I came up with “Hopeless Hamlet.” The premise of this ten-minute gem is that a student production of “Hamlet” goes horribly wrong when the ghost comes down with stage fright.
Both shows have been popular at regional and state-wide drama competitions. And I’m proud to say, Romeo Revised has won a handful of awards!
