Imogen Says Nothing

by Aditi Kapil

A revisionist comedy in verse and prose featuring Imogen, a character who only appears in the first folio of William Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing', speaks no lines, and is probably a typo. A play about the voices absent from our canon and the consequences of cutting them.

A revisionist comedy in verse and prose featuring Imogen, a character who only appears in the first folio of William Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing', speaks no lines, and is probably a typo. A play about the voices absent from our canon and the consequences of cutting them.

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Imogen Says Nothing

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  • Cynthia White: Imogen Says Nothing

    I love this play. It is fresh, delightful, provocative. It caught my interest in the list of characters: IMOGEN--A Bear passing as a human. It surprised me that this is not the Imogen from Cymbeline but a character who is probably a typo in Much Ado. Requires some imaginative and theatrical staging--should be great fun. I want to direct this play!!

    I love this play. It is fresh, delightful, provocative. It caught my interest in the list of characters: IMOGEN--A Bear passing as a human. It surprised me that this is not the Imogen from Cymbeline but a character who is probably a typo in Much Ado. Requires some imaginative and theatrical staging--should be great fun. I want to direct this play!!

  • Dani Joseph: Imogen Says Nothing

    I found Imogen Says Nothing to be profoundly relevant in a #metoo era, where so much depends on making sure the story is told truthfully, with no part omitted or glossed over. Imogen is certainly a central character in this piece, but the focus of Imogen Says Nothing is on the men in Shakespeare’s troupe. Imogen’s freedom depends on them. By the end, truth depends on them. The troupe shapes the narrative (and the world around them) by the simple power of being able to write down what they think and do and have people care about it.

    I found Imogen Says Nothing to be profoundly relevant in a #metoo era, where so much depends on making sure the story is told truthfully, with no part omitted or glossed over. Imogen is certainly a central character in this piece, but the focus of Imogen Says Nothing is on the men in Shakespeare’s troupe. Imogen’s freedom depends on them. By the end, truth depends on them. The troupe shapes the narrative (and the world around them) by the simple power of being able to write down what they think and do and have people care about it.

  • Shea King: Imogen Says Nothing

    This play is full of wit and passion. It captivated me and held me in this fantastic and challenging world. It is a complex and multi-layered play but still finds a way to shock and inspire. Highly recommend reading this!

    This play is full of wit and passion. It captivated me and held me in this fantastic and challenging world. It is a complex and multi-layered play but still finds a way to shock and inspire. Highly recommend reading this!

View all 5 recommendations

Development History

  • Type Workshop, Organization Yale Repertory Theatre, Year 2015
  • Type Workshop, Organization Playwrights' Center, Year 2014
  • Type Commission, Organization Yale Repertory Theatre, Year 2013