Breaking the Shakespeare Code

by John Minigan

FULL LENGTH: Anna arrives in a college rehearsal hall, hoping to get advice from intimidating acting instructor Curt about landing the lead in a professional production of Romeo and Juliet. Once he agrees to help, they embark on sixteen years of emotional entanglements that reshape both of their lives.

Elliott Norton Award Nomination, Best New Script, 2014
First Runner-Up, Arthur Stone Prize, 2007
Weissberger...

FULL LENGTH: Anna arrives in a college rehearsal hall, hoping to get advice from intimidating acting instructor Curt about landing the lead in a professional production of Romeo and Juliet. Once he agrees to help, they embark on sixteen years of emotional entanglements that reshape both of their lives.

Elliott Norton Award Nomination, Best New Script, 2014
First Runner-Up, Arthur Stone Prize, 2007
Weissberger Award Nomination, 2006

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Breaking the Shakespeare Code

Recommended by

  • Kate Danley: Breaking the Shakespeare Code

    An absolutely stunning two-hander! It's Educating Rita and Masterclass with more fireworks and Shakespeare! The dialog sings and the characters are so rich and complex. I devoured it in one sitting!

    An absolutely stunning two-hander! It's Educating Rita and Masterclass with more fireworks and Shakespeare! The dialog sings and the characters are so rich and complex. I devoured it in one sitting!

  • Monica Cross: Breaking the Shakespeare Code

    Breathtaking! BREAKING THE SHAKESPEARE CODE has an electric energy running right through it. Two people alone in a rehearsal hall making breakthroughs about Shakespeare, acting, and themselves. Told in three scenes, this spans 16 years and shows us how powerful the connects we make in theatre can be.

    If you are looking for a two-hander, this is the script for you!

    HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

    Breathtaking! BREAKING THE SHAKESPEARE CODE has an electric energy running right through it. Two people alone in a rehearsal hall making breakthroughs about Shakespeare, acting, and themselves. Told in three scenes, this spans 16 years and shows us how powerful the connects we make in theatre can be.

    If you are looking for a two-hander, this is the script for you!

    HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

  • John Bavoso: Breaking the Shakespeare Code

    I was hooked from the very beginning by this multilayered two-hander in which power and control ebb and flow back and forth continuously between the characters. The pace is sprightly, with just enough twists and turns to keep you interested but never so much that they distract. In the end, you’re left with a cleverly constructed and keenly observed meditation on the lines that get blurred when developing and manipulating emotions is at the very heart of your life’s work. This play is a gift to actors and highly recommended!

    I was hooked from the very beginning by this multilayered two-hander in which power and control ebb and flow back and forth continuously between the characters. The pace is sprightly, with just enough twists and turns to keep you interested but never so much that they distract. In the end, you’re left with a cleverly constructed and keenly observed meditation on the lines that get blurred when developing and manipulating emotions is at the very heart of your life’s work. This play is a gift to actors and highly recommended!

View all 14 recommendations

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization Shetler Studions, NYC feat. J Robert Spencer and Erikka Walsh, dir. by Tom Caruso, Year 2016
  • Type Workshop, Organization New American Playwrights Project, Utah Shakespearean Festival, Year 2007
  • Type Workshop, Organization Orlando Shakespeare Theater, Year 2006
  • Type Reading, Organization Orlando Shakespeare Theater, Year 2005

Production History

  • Type Professional, Organization Hey Jonte Productions, Year 2019
  • Type Professional, Organization Clockwise Theater, Year 2015
  • Type Professional, Organization Greenhouse Theatre (Chicago), Hey Jonte! Productions, Year 2014
  • Type Professional, Organization NY International Fringe, Hey Jonte! Productions, Year 2014
  • Type Professional, Organization Vagabond Theater Group, Boston, Year 2014
  • Type Professional, Organization Good Company Theater, Utah, Year 2013
  • Type Professional, Organization Wasatch Theater, Utah, Year 2008