Think Shakespeare was wild? Wait until you meet his peers!

This showcase dives into the strange, sensational, and sharply funny world of Renaissance drama beyond the Bard. From dark domestic tragedies to madcap meta-comedies, these rarely-performed gems serve up everything the Renaissance stage had to offer: murder most foul, lovers on the run, ghostly revenge, and star-crossed siblings. Featuring selections from Arden of Faversham, A Woman Killed with Kindness, The Knight of the Burning Pestle, and ’Tis Pity She’s a Whore, our performers bring to life tales of domestic murder, forbidden love, theatrical chaos, and poisoned soup—with a side of disguises, ghostly visits, and syphilis jokes (it was the Renaissance, after all).

These scenes and monologues, by turns tragic and comic, satirical and sincere, showcase the daring range of early modern theatre—and remind us that Shakespeare had some pretty outrageous competition.

This performance is an end of semester showcase for Audrey Becker's RC Drama course "Shakespeare's Contemporaries."