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Mortal Terror

Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy  /  1w, 6m

Robert Brustein

Mortal Terror is set in 1605, the year of the Gunpowder Plot, a terrorist conspiracy to blow up the houses of Parliament. Shakespeare, delicately balancing his allegiances to assure his own survival, is commissioned by King James to write a play to justify his right to the throne. That play is Macbeth.

Mortal Terror

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    1w, 6m
  • Duration
    Duration
    105 Minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Period, Docudrama/Historic
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for all audiences

Details

Summary
Mortal Terror is set in 1605, the year of the Gunpowder Plot, a terrorist conspiracy to blow up the houses of Parliament. Shakespeare, delicately balancing his allegiances to assure his own survival, is commissioned by King James to write a play to justify his right to the throne. That play is Macbeth.  

Mortal Terror is the second piece in a trilogy of plays by Robert Brustein about the life of Shakespeare. The trilogy begins with The English Channel and concludes with The Last Will. 
History
Mortal Terror premiered at the Modern Theatre in Boston in September 2011.  
Keywords
Performing Groups

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
SIR JOHN HARINGTON
KING JAMES
BEN JOHNSON
MARSTON/GUY FAWKES
QUEEN ANNE
CATESBY

  • Time Period 16th Century / Elizabethan
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Additional Features Not Applicable
  • Duration 105 Minutes
  • Cautions
    • No Special Cautions

Media

"Will picks up his quill pen in 'Mortal Terror,' a witty and worldly consideration of the compromises made in the name of art, the abuses of power perpetrated in the name of ideology (in this case, the ostensibly divine right of kings), the violence committed in the name of religion, and the multifarious forces that converge to create that mysterious thing called theater." - boston.com

"But even as Brustein thrusts us into the world of England in 1605, complete with quasi-Elizabethan dialogue, he sketches parallels to modern-day America. " - boston.com

"Brustein’s own love of language, and his skill in using it, furnish ample reason to see 'Mortal Terror'" - boston.com 

"Playwright Robert Brustein brings the spirit of William Shakespeare back to the stage with his imaginative story of political upheaval..." - Stage Source 

Music

  • Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
  • Vocal DemandsN/A (Not a musical)
  • Chorus Size N/A (Not a musical)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $110 per performance

Scripts

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Authors

Robert Brustein

Robert Brustein

Robert Brustein (1927-2023) served as the founding director of the Yale Repertory and American Repertory Theaters, and supervised well over 200 productions, acting in eight and directing 12. He wrote 11 adaptations for the American Repertory Theater and was the author of 13 b ...

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