Put many of Shakespeare’s tragic characters together in a self-help group and you get a smart, laugh-out-loud comedy that’s also quite educational!  Salomonsson studied at the National Shakespeare Conservatory and has combined her loves for Shakespeare, teaching, and writing in this creative play. 

Tragic characters Ophelia, Desdemona, King Lear, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Romeo, Juliet, and others seek support at the Tragedians Anonymous group led by Prospero, where the meeting’s theme is “Identify those who wrong us and those who we wrong.” The characters proceed to confront the other characters in their plays, including Iago, Shakespeare’s worst scoundrel.  They’re also forced to face their Fatal Flaws, who come to life onstage!  When the confrontations don’t work out as planned, the tragic characters seek revenge!  Plans go awry, and the group members are ultimately forced to make some difficult decisions about fate, forgiveness and foolery. 

This is a fantastic comic send-up and tribute to Shakespeare’s tragedies that also re-familiarizes us with the storylines and characters from some of Shakespeare’s greatest works. 

Winner of the Shubert Fendrich Memorial Playwriting Contest