PLAY READING SERIES
Overview
Masks, mischief, and midnight rendezvous — Aphra Behn’s The Rover is scandalously fun. Part of Oklahoma Shakespeare’s Spring Play Reading Series, this lively evening celebrates Behn’s wit, daring, and trailblazing voice as the first professional woman playwright in English literature.
Synopsis
Aphra Behn’s Restoration masterpiece crackles with energy, romance, and biting social commentary. The Rover follows a band of English cavaliers in Naples during Carnival, where masks, disguises, and flirtations lead to a whirlwind of seductions, duels, and daring escapes.
At the center is the charming but rakish Willmore, whose pursuit of pleasure collides with the desires of strong‑willed women determined to chart their own destinies. Audiences are swept into a vibrant world of music, revelry, and intrigue, where questions of love, honor, and freedom play out against a society in flux. Beneath the laughter and passion lies Behn’s sharp critique of gender roles, power, and the precarious position of women in a patriarchal world.
Why You’ll Love It
a landmark play by the first professional woman playwright in English literature
a rollicking comedy of mistaken identities, witty banter, and carnival chaos
colorful masks, bold characters, and Restoration flair
a spirited exploration of love, desire, and independence that still resonates today
Event Details
Join Oklahoma Shakespeare for this spirited romp through the streets of Naples, where Aphra Behn’s wit and daring shine as brightly as ever. Enjoy a reading of the play, then stay for a lively conversation with the cast — a chance to dive deeper into the text, themes, and theatrical mischief.
FAQ
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions — Oklahoma Shakespeare (okshakes.org)
Run Time
Approx. 2 hours, including a brief post‑show conversation.
Content Advisory
The Rover includes flirtation, innuendo, bawdy humor, and themes of desire, autonomy, and power, consistent with Restoration comedy. The reading also contains references to dueling, drunken revelry, and moments of predatory behavior presented in a stylized, text‑driven format. While the play explores mature themes, this is a script‑in‑hand reading with no explicit staging. If you have questions about the tone or themes of this production, we’re always happy to help
Overview
Step into Oklahoma Shakespeare’s Play Reading Series! Hear the words come alive in a staged reading, then join the cast for a lively conversation. It’s all about celebrating the craft of storytelling and sparking fun, thought‑provoking dialogue together.
This month features a brand‑new Romance‑Lit–inspired romp with an “audience decides” twist from Oklahoma playwright Erin Woods.
Synopsis
Erin Woods — acclaimed author of Jane Austen’s Christmas Cracker and well‑known for her adaptations of Austen’s works — turns her sharp comedic eye toward the playful (and sometimes spicy) world of Historical Romantic Fiction. In her new meta‑comedy, How to Write a Regency Romance, Woods lovingly skewers the tropes of the genre while celebrating everything readers adore about it.
Fans of Bridgerton and devotees of both Modern and Historical Romance will delight in this comic “stage adaptation” of “a novel” set in the Regency era. The script explores everyone’s favorite Romance‑Lit tropes — spirited heroines, rakish gentlemen, and the delicate dance of courtship — all while inviting the audience to shape the story.
At several key moments, the audience chooses the Hero and Heroine’s next steps, effectively rewriting the play each performance. Beneath the laughter lies Woods’s thoughtful exploration of gender, creativity, and the timeless allure of storytelling.
Why You’ll Love It
a sparkling new play inspired by the Bridgerton‑genre
a witty send‑up of romance tropes and romantic fiction, full of banter and surprises
a playful choose‑your‑path structure that lets the audience shape the story
a heartfelt love‑letter to Romantic Literature and the people who can’t read fast enough
Event Details
Join Oklahoma Shakespeare for this delightful dive into the rabbit‑hole of romantic literature, where Erin Woods’s wit and daring shine as brightly as ever. Enjoy a reading of the play, then stay for a lively conversation with the cast and playwright.
FAQ
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions — Oklahoma Shakespeare (okshakes.org)
Run Time
Approx. 2 hours, including a brief post‑show conversation.
Content Advisory
How to Write a Regency Romance includes mature, Bridgerton‑style language, spicy romance tropes, and playful references to romantic intimacy. Nothing intimate is staged — this is a script‑in‑hand reading — but stage directions are read aloud, and the vocabulary reflects the tone of modern and historical romance fiction.
This reading is not recommended for children or families. It is designed for adult romance readers and fans of authors such as Julia Quinn, Lisa Kleypas, Eloisa James, Emily Henry, Ali Hazelwood, Tessa Bailey, and others across the Romance and Romantasy genres. If you have questions about the tone or themes of this reading, we’re always happy to help.
Overview
Rival actors ignite New York City’s Astor Place Riots, where art, class, and identity collide in fiery tragedy. Forrest, Macready, Macbeth is part of Oklahoma Shakespeare’s Fall Play Reading Series — a riveting exploration of celebrity, nationalism, and the dangerous moment when theatre and politics become indistinguishable.
Synopsis
Two actors. One role. A city divided.
Forrest, Macready, Macbeth dramatizes the infamous Astor Place Riots of 1849, when American tragedian Edwin Forrest and English star William Charles Macready clashed over competing productions of Macbeth. Their rivalry — artistic, nationalistic, and deeply personal — spilled beyond the stage and into the streets, where thousands gathered and the night erupted into violence.
The play weaves Shakespearean verse with 19th‑century street chants, newspaper rhetoric, and the voices of the Bowery Boys, revealing how class tension, xenophobia, and theatrical fandom collided in a single catastrophic event. As Forrest’s muscular populism battles Macready’s refined elegance, audiences witness a society on the brink — and a tragedy where Shakespeare becomes the spark.
Why You’ll Love It
a gripping retelling of one of New York’s most explosive cultural clashes
rival Macbeths performed in starkly different styles — raw populism vs. refined elegance
a vivid blend of Shakespearean verse, historical text, and street‑level storytelling
a powerful exploration of art, politics, and the perilous line between performance and reality
Event Details
Join Oklahoma Shakespeare for this electrifying journey into history, where the stage and the street collide, and the timeless questions of ambition, identity, and power echo as loudly as Macbeth itself. Enjoy a reading of the play, then stay for a lively conversation with the cast.
FAQ
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions — Oklahoma Shakespeare (okshakes.org)
Run Time
Approx. 2 hours, including a brief post‑show conversation.
Content Advisory
Forrest, Macready, Macbeth includes themes of political unrest, mob violence, and public disorder, consistent with the historical events surrounding the Astor Place Riots. The reading contains references to conflict, class tension, and the staging of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, but all material is presented in a script‑in‑hand format with no graphic depiction. If you have questions about the tone or themes of this production, we’re always happy to help.
Overview
Step into Oklahoma Shakespeare’s Play Reading Series! Hear the words come alive in a staged reading, then join the cast for a lively conversation. It’s all about celebrating the craft of storytelling and sparking fun, thought‑provoking dialogue together.
This October, we’re thrilled to feature a bold, atmospheric adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein — a gothic tale of creation, consequence, and the fragile line between genius and obsession.
Synopsis
In a burst of fevered brilliance, young scientist Victor Frankenstein defies the natural world and animates a being stitched together from the dead. Horrified by what he has made, Victor abandons his creation — a choice that sets in motion a devastating chain of events.
As the Creature struggles to understand life, loneliness, and the cruelty of a world that rejects him, Victor is consumed by guilt and fear. Their intertwined journeys lead across laboratories, mountains, and frozen wastelands, each man pursuing the other in a desperate search for meaning, justice, and absolution.
Shelley’s timeless story unfolds as a gripping psychological drama, asking what we owe the things we create — and what happens when we refuse to take responsibility for them.
Why You’ll Love It
a bold, atmospheric adaptation of Mary Shelley’s iconic novel
a gripping story of ambition, responsibility, and the cost of unchecked genius
haunting imagery and dynamic language that bring the gothic world to life
a powerful exploration of humanity, empathy, and the longing to belong
a literary classic reimagined through the immediacy of a play reading
Event Details
Join Oklahoma Shakespeare for this chilling and deeply human retelling of Mary Shelley’s masterpiece. Enjoy a reading of the play, then stay for a lively conversation with the cast — a chance to explore the themes, questions, and theatricality of this enduring story.
FAQ
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions — Oklahoma Shakespeare (okshakes.org)
Run Time
Approx. 2 hours, including a brief post‑show conversation.
Content Advisory
Frankenstein contains themes of scientific experimentation, grief, abandonment, and moral responsibility. The reading includes moments of stylized violence, sudden theatrical effects, and emotionally intense scenes consistent with the gothic genre. There is no explicit content and no strong language beyond the script. If you have questions about the tone or themes of this production, we’re always happy to help.