Born With Teeth

by Liz Duffy Adams

An aging, unstable ruler, an oppressive police state, a restless polarized people seething with paranoia: it’s a dangerous time for poets. Two of them—the already great Kit Marlowe and the up-and-comer Will Shakespeare—meet in the back room of a pub to collaborate on a history play cycle, navigate the perils of art under a totalitarian regime, and flirt like young men with everything to lose. One of them may...

An aging, unstable ruler, an oppressive police state, a restless polarized people seething with paranoia: it’s a dangerous time for poets. Two of them—the already great Kit Marlowe and the up-and-comer Will Shakespeare—meet in the back room of a pub to collaborate on a history play cycle, navigate the perils of art under a totalitarian regime, and flirt like young men with everything to lose. One of them may well be the death of the other.

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Born With Teeth

Recommended by

  • Sterling Cullinane: Born With Teeth by Liz Duffy Adams
    “

    Born With Teeth threw me into a world of emotion, of betrayal, of false (or true, what is true?) love and a battle for legacy. Each character is colorful- Will with his practicality, his history, his talent, and Kit with his seductive manipulation, a web he becomes caught in. Wonderful play- it does justice for the history it bases itself on.

    Born With Teeth threw me into a world of emotion, of betrayal, of false (or true, what is true?) love and a battle for legacy. Each character is colorful- Will with his practicality, his history, his talent, and Kit with his seductive manipulation, a web he becomes caught in. Wonderful play- it does justice for the history it bases itself on.

    ”
  • Reed Richardson: Born With Teeth by Liz Duffy Adams
    “

    "I suppose I thought we could both be kings." -- I can't remember the last time I was so locked in while reading a script, I can't imagine what it would be like to see it actually performed. Hopefully I'll get to find out. People who don't care about Shakespeare are always trying and failing to make Shakespeare sexy and modern and irreverent, and Adams succeeds BY caring, by virtue of taking Marlowe and Shakespeare very seriously, not with worship but with incisive, deliberate recklessness.

    "I suppose I thought we could both be kings." -- I can't remember the last time I was so locked in while reading a script, I can't imagine what it would be like to see it actually performed. Hopefully I'll get to find out. People who don't care about Shakespeare are always trying and failing to make Shakespeare sexy and modern and irreverent, and Adams succeeds BY caring, by virtue of taking Marlowe and Shakespeare very seriously, not with worship but with incisive, deliberate recklessness.

    ”
  • Monica Cross: Born With Teeth by Liz Duffy Adams
    “

    I am a huge fan of Liz Duffy Adams, and this script is so deserving of all of the attention it is getting right now. Even reading it on the page the scenes feel electric. Both Shakespeare and Marlowe seem like such fun characters to play. The twists and turns of this script are dynamite! I hope to see it staged soon.

    I am a huge fan of Liz Duffy Adams, and this script is so deserving of all of the attention it is getting right now. Even reading it on the page the scenes feel electric. Both Shakespeare and Marlowe seem like such fun characters to play. The twists and turns of this script are dynamite! I hope to see it staged soon.

    ”
View all 13 recommendations
WILL
KIT
The historical Will and Kit were in their late 20s at this time. But they can be played by actors of any age as long as they read as being the same age (and assuming youthful energy) and of any race or even (same) gender.

Development History

  • Reading, Shakespeare & Company, 2022
  • Reading, Aurora Theatre, Calif., 2019
  • Workshop, Alley Theatre, Houston, 2019

Production History

  • Professional, Royal Shakespeare Company with Playful Productions and Elizabeth Williams, Wyndham's Theatre, London, 2025
  • Professional, Asolo Rep, 2024
  • Professional, Aurora Theater Company, 2023
  • Professional, Guthrie Theater, 2023
  • Professional, Alley Theatre, 2022

Awards

  • Steinberg-ATCA New Play Award
    American Theatre Critics Association
    Finalist
    2023
  • Houston Theater Awards, Best New Play
    The Houston Press
    Winner
    2022
  • Houston Theater Awards, Best Play/Production
    The Houston Press
    Winner
    2022
  • Edgerton Foundation New Play Award
    Theatre Communications Group
    Winner
    2021