As webmaster and AACT State Contact, I get e-mails all the time from playwrights and licensing houses promoting their plays. Recently I received another of those types of e-mail, but this time it was for some free plays. To quote the author from the bottom of the email: “There is no fee for a performance by a community theatre.” Because of this, I am passing along the information. You can download the scripts here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iJOnILy4_DDL72Df9kAWKNFheoCuRG4X?usp=sharing
Two of these plays have one-act versions that might work for MACT*Fest. I suspect the author would be very receptive to your making whatever changes you needed to use the shows in a festival. (But, of course, you must get his permission.)
Here’s the text of the e-mail I received describing the shows:
“I got your email addresses from the American Association of Community Theatre. I have written four Shakespeare-themed comedies that a community theatre may want to perform.
Two Actors from Stratford is a play of bawdy Tudor humor. A young William Shakespeare and his friend Hamnet Sadler are traveling to London to seek their fortune as actors. They have sworn to forsake women for three years while studying acting in London. However, in the Forest of Arden, they meet a saucy wench and an innocent milkmaid. William lusts after the wench, and Hamnet falls in love with the milkmaid. Also in the forest, William and Hamnet meet odd people who inspire characters in Shakespeare’s future plays. In the finale, William marries the wench, and Hamnet marries the milkmaid. To top it all off, they make their fortune by inventing Stilton cheese.
In A New Shakespeare Comedy, the greatest (and oldest) living Shakespearean actors assemble for the world premiere performance of a newly-discovered Shakespeare play, a history play, Elizabeth and Mary Queen of Scots. In Act I, the actors rehearse the play and reminisce. Old rivalries and romances flare up. Act II is the opening night performance. The serious history play unintentionally turns into a raucous comedy. My play is like Michael Frayn’s Noises Off and The Play that Goes Wrong. My play could be renamed Shakespeare Done Wrong.
In The Curse of Macbeth, two celebrated actresses compete for an Olivier Award and the love of a man. Because the actresses sabotage each other’s performance, they lose the Olivier Award. They also lose the man, but they gain friendship.
In Much Ado About Notices, the worst traveling troupe of Shakespearean players in Tudor England dreams of performing at the Globe Theatre. Until they get good notices from the critics, their dream will not come true. After a member of the troupe is injured in a freak accident, he is replaced by a woman, who must be disguised as a man to maintain the respectability of the troupe. The light-hearted bickering between the leader of the troupe and the actress leads to the discovery of the troupe’s unexpected comedic talent. Finally receiving good notices, the troupe’s dream of playing at the Globe comes true. The play ends with the leader of the troupe and the actress falling in love.
There is no fee for a performance by a community theatre. Please feel free to share my plays with anyone who may be interested.
Best regards,
David Howard McDonnell”