Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

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Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

Full-Length Play, Comedy  /  2w, 14m

Acclaimed as a modern dramatic masterpiece, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead is the fabulously inventive tale of Hamlet as told from the worm's-eye view of the bewildered Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two minor characters in Shakespeare's play.

Image: 2017 OId Vic Production (Tristram Kenton)

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 14m
  • Suggested Use
    • Cutting Approved for Competition
    • UIL Approved
    • Competition or Audition Material
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Senior, Pre-Teen (Age 11-13), Teen (Age 14-18)
Accolades
Accolades
  • Winner! 1968 Tony Award for Best Play
    Winner! 1968 NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play

Details

Summary

Acclaimed as a modern dramatic masterpiece, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead is the fabulously inventive tale of Hamlet as told from the worm's-eye view of the bewildered Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two minor characters in Shakespeare's play. In Tom Stoppard's best-known work, this Shakespearean Laurel and Hardy finally get a chance to take the lead role, but do so in a world where echoes of Waiting for Godot resound, where reality and illusion intermix, and where fate leads our two heroes to a tragic but inevitable end.

History
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead was first staged at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival on August 24, 1966, by the Oxford Theatre Group. It premiered in London at the Old Vic on April 11, 1967.
Cast Attributes
ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN – a pair of schoolmates and childhood friends of Hamlet
THE PLAYER – a traveling actor
HAMLET – the Prince of Denmark
TRAGEDIANS – traveling with the Player, including Alfred
KING CLAUDIUS – the King of Denmark, Hamlet's uncle and stepfather
GERTRUDE – the Queen of Denmark, and Hamlet's mother
POLONIUS – Claudius's chief adviser
OPHELIA – Polonius's daughter
HORATIO – a friend and schoolmate of Hamlet
FORTINBRAS – the nephew of the King of Norway
SOLDIERS, COURTIERS and MUSICIANS

Plus 12 extras and 6 musicians

Media

“A stimulating, funny, imaginative comedy.” – The New York Daily News

“Very funny, very brilliant, very chilling; it has the dust of thought about it and the particles glitter excitingly in the theatrical air.” – The New York Times

Photos

  • Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

    Image: 2017 OId Vic Production (Tristram Kenton)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £85 per performance plus VAT when applicable.
    This title may have restrictions in place for London based productions. Please submit a licence request to confirm specific availability.

Scripts

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Authors

Tom Stoppard

Tom Stoppard’s most recent play, The Hard Problem, opened at the National Theatre in 2015. He wrote his first play, Enter a Free Man, whilst working as a journalist in Bristol. His plays include Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead, The Real Inspector Hound, After Magritte, ...

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