Here Come the Jesters

by Rick Bingen

A small Canadian town is host to a summer theatre festival. All of the characters from Shakespearean canon live in the town year-round hoping that the next season they will get to perform their story. The characters live in harmony with the out-of-towners (characters from non-Shakespeare plays who move to town when their show is performed during the season.) Touchstone, Benedick, and Em hang out at the local...

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Here Come the Jesters

Character Information

3M
2F
1M/F

Benedick

Benedick from Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

Character Age

20s-40s

Character Race/Ethnic Identity

Any

Character Gender Identity

Any
Can be played by:
- Actor Age
  
  20s,
  
  30s,
  
  40s
Touchstone

Touchstone from Shakespeare's As You Like It

Character Age

20s-50s

Character Race/Ethnic Identity

Any

Character Gender Identity

Any
Can be played by:
- Actor Age
  
  20s,
  
  30s,
  
  40s,
  
  50s
Em

Em is a proprietor of a poutine restaurant in a small Canadian town. She is independent and determined.

Character Age

20s-50s

Character Race/Ethnic Identity

Any

Character Gender Identity

Femme
Can be played by:
- Actor Age
  
  20s,
  
  30s,
  
  40s,
  
  50s
- Actor Gender Identity
  
  Woman
Viola

Viola from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night

Character Age

20s-30s

Character Race/Ethnic Identity

Any

Character Gender Identity

Any
Can be played by:
- Actor Age
  
  20s,
  
  30s
Player

The Player will play a plethora of Shakespearean characters and Shakespeare himself. The actor must be a good character actor.

Character Age

Any

Character Race/Ethnic Identity

Any

Character Gender Identity

Any
Can be played by:
- Actor Age
  
  20s,
  
  30s,
  
  40s,
  
  50s,
  
  60s,
  
  70s+
Iago

Iago from Shakespeare's Othello

Character Age

20s-40s

Character Gender Identity

Any
Can be played by:
- Actor Age
  
  20s,
  
  30s,
  
  40s

Development History

Type Reading, Organization Bard & Bourbon, Year 2023
Type Workshop, Organization Sunstone Studios, Year 2023

Genre

comedy,

mystery/thriller

Subject Matter Keywords

based on Shakespearean characters,

murder mystery

Length

90 minutes to two hours

Cast Size

Age of Intended Audience

all ages

Reviews

World Premiere Wisconsin

“
Like the rest of us, Bingen’s characters worry about death. But as Benedick and Touchstone conclude in one conversation, they’ll only die if we in the audience forget them. As Bingen rightly suggests, we’ll only do that if such characters cease to live.
”
World Premiere Wisconsin

“
True to its title, Jesters plays as comedy. But it’s also playing for keeps, with the fate of some of the world’s most memorable characters on the line. Will we suffocate them in our well-meaning but misinformed reverence? Or will we join Bingen, partying with them into the night.
”