The classic tale of Robin Hood

finally gets the telling it deserves:

in the high style of Shakespearean drama!

The critics were convinced at Robin Hood’s Chicago premiere:

“ELOQUENT! . . . Pursuing persuasive parallels, the author forges links between plucky Robin Hood and rowdy Prince Hal, between rotund Friar Tuck and rascally Falstaff, between intrepid Rosalind and a resourceful Maid Marian. . . . Overall, Robin Hood heartily recalls its great inspiration!”

~ Chicago Tribune

CLICK TO READ THE REVIEW

“DELICIOUS! . . . Robin Hood keeps you on your mental toes to follow the intricacies and delights of a Shakespearean script you’ve never heard before—an almost unimaginable experience for Bardophiles!”

~ Plays International

CLICK TO READ THE REVIEW

Stephen Spencer & Roxanne Fay as Robin & Marian in the 1995 premiere of Robin Hood

~FOR MORE PHOTOS, CLICK HERE~

And in 2007 critics renewed their praise of Robin Hood in its “engaging,

high-spirited revival”* at Oak Park Festival Theatre! Take a look!

(*Barbara Vitello, Daily Herald)

Oak Park Festival Theatre production of Robin Hood, Oak Park, Ill., 2007 (photo credit: Ed Vincent)

“HITS THE BULL’S EYE . . . AND PUTS A SMILE ON THE FACE OF SHAKESPEARE FANS!

. . . In another age, Scott Lynch-Giddings might have made a successful counterfeiter. The Chicago

actor/playwright’s Robin Hood imitates Shakespeare so skillfully, he might have given the Bard a run

for his money. . . . Shakespeare’s spirit echoes throughout the nimbly composed play, with its poetry

and pentameter, wordplay and bawdy puns, plot twists and disguises. . . .”

~Barbara Vitello, Chicago Daily Herald

“I WAS THRILLED TO EXPERIENCE THIS NEW TAKE ON THE LEGEND OF ROBIN HOOD!
. . . Robin Hood is written in the style of the Bard, almost as if it were a lost work that’s just

been discovered. Lynch-Giddings penned it in the 1990s but the dialogue sounds amazingly like that

of the Elizabethan 1590s. Robin Hood is a fast-paced, energetic production inspired by the many

versions of the medieval legend, yet it’s never predictable. . . . Director Kevin Theis mounts a

dashing two-hour adventure featuring his strong, talented ensemble. . . .”

~Doug Deuchler, Wednesday Journal of Oak Park

“ENCHANTING AND WARM . . .

Oak Park Festival Theatre, known for excellent productions of Shakespeare, has mounted an

enchanting and warm production of Robin Hood written in Shakespearean-styled verse. Scott

Lynch-Giddings has the Bard’s style down nicely in his light-hearted and often funny ode to the tales

of the good bandit . . . .”

~Tom Williams, Talk Theatre in Chicago, ChicagoCritic.com

Steve Lenz & Christopher Prentice as Will Scarlock & Robin

in the Oak Park production of Robin Hood (photo credit: Ed Vincent)

~FOR MORE PHOTOS, CLICK HERE~

“JUST the right balance of wordplay and swordplay . . .

. . . smiles and thrills, romance and rough housing . . . . These diverse elements are united . . .

by the tone of the articulate and uncluttered text, its lyricism recalling 16th-century verse while

always retaining an edge of modern vernacular.”

~ Mary Shen Barnidge, Windy City Times

“ REMARKABLE! . . .

’Tis pity that Shakespeare never wrote a play about Robin Hood. But despaireth not. . . .

the next best thing is Chicago actor Scott Lynch-Giddings’ remarkable Shakespeare imitation . . .”

~ Lawrence Bommer, Theater Editor, Chicago Free Press

“HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

. . . An excellent play featuring drama, love, action, history, action, . . . more love, and then some

justice for balance. . . . (T)he writing style of the world’s most beloved Bard of the Elizabethan era

makes this tale all that more interesting and fun for all Shakespearean devotees.”

~ Ed Vincent, Oak Park Journal

Follow the links below to learn more about this new and unusual play,

as well as the legends of Robin Hood—and the facts of Shakespeare!

z About the play

z Synopsis

Including excerpts from the script

z Where to buy it

Including links to booksellers

z Email

For more information, contact info@robinhoodplay.com

z “Robyn Hood of Barnsdale Wood”

A popular abridged version of Robyn Hood, performed as an outdoor “theatre hike”

z Photo Gallery (UPDATED MARCH 2008)

Photos of Robyn Hood in performance

z Shakespeare’s Historians on Robin Hood

Holinshed, Stowe and other historians of Shakespeare’s day on the legendary thief and his place in history

z A Highly Speculative Chronology of

William Shakespeare’s Life & Times

Actor, lover, writer, rebel—and murder victim? Take a trip through Shakespeare’s amazing life and times! This unique, year-by-year chronology isn’t afraid to poke around in the shadows and take an occasional stab in the dark. What roles might Shakespeare have played on stage? Was he connected with the Gunpowder Plot to assassinate King James? Who was the Dark Lady? Was England’s second Poet Laureate the illegitimate son of England’s greatest playwright? Was Ben Jonson Shakespeare’s biggest fan—or his killer?

z E Are you a producer? Click here.

z E Are you a bookseller? Click here.

z E Are you an actor? Click here.

LINKS to learn more about . . .

. . . Robin Hood . . .

z Robin Hood, Bold Outlaw of Barnsdale and Sherwood

z Ben Turner’s Robin Hood Page

z Amy Munno’s Robin Hood Page

z The Robin Hood Project at the University of Rochester

z The World Wide Robin Hood Society

z The Legend of Robin Hood

z The Outlaw Robin Hood — His Yorkshire Legend

z The Greenwood

. . . Shakespeare . . .

z Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet

z Shakespeare’s Complete Works

z Shakespeare’s Life and Times

. . . and Renaissance faires

z Sir Clisto Seversword’s Tome of Adventure & Knowledge

z Robyn’s Roost

Meredith Siemsen as Marian rouses the troops in the

Oak Park production of Robin Hood (photo credit: Ed Vincent)

About the play

A Fancyfull Historie of Robin Hood brings to life a story that’s bred into our bones, and tells it the way it has longed to be told: in the ennobling style of Shakespearean drama.

All the classic characters are here, plucked from legend, literature and the pages of history itself: the noble King Richard the Lion-Heart, a fugitive in his own land…the daring and beautiful Lady Marian, who risks her life to save the King’s ransom…Queen Elinor, pulling the strings in a treacherous game of royal power and political intrigue…Earl John of Oxford, whose envy of his lion-hearted brother drives him to treason…Will Scarlock, the outlaw with a rough exterior that hides a wounded heart…the flim-flam Friar Tuck, who faithfully shepherds his flock—straight to the nearest pub!…Nature’s nobleman Little John, the truest friend a man could have…Sir Richard de la Lee, “the good old knight of Wakefield,” whose journey from wealth to ruin and back again is one of the oldest Robin Hood tales of all…Falconberg, the Sheriff of Nottingham, whose blood-thirsty ambition claims the lives of Robin’s kin…and, of course, Robin of Locksley himself—“he of the eagle eye and the arrow keen”—who battles both the enemies of the King and the demons of his own troubled soul.

While A Fancyfull Historie of Robin Hood was written by a Chicago playwright in the mid-1990’s, it looks, sounds and acts as if it were written by an English playwright in the mid-1590’s. In fact, “William Shakspeare's Robin Hood” was its tongue-in-cheek title when it premiered at Chicago Dramatists Workshop in 1995. In that Equity Library Theatre production, Robin Hood was staged with a cast of 14 men and 4 women, but the play’s length and cast size can vary through editing and doubling of roles. Language, running time, costumes and props are all like those of a typical Shakespearean production. It makes Robin Hood the perfect alternative for Shakespeare festivals, repertory companies and Renaissance faires looking for something new to offer their audiences.

For more information about Robyn Hood, contact info@robinhoodplay.com.

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“Robin Hood of Barnsdale Wood”

Robin Hood of Barnsdale Wood is an abridged version of A Fancyfull Historie… that has been performed at various outdoor venues around the Chicago area, including the Morton Arboretum and the Chicago Botanic Garden. Produced by Equity Library Theatre, these shows are performed as “theatre hikes”—an intriguing style masterminded by Chicago actor/director Frank Farrell (pictured above) in which the audience follows a hike leader from one scene to the next. It’s a delightful way to enjoy a play in gorgeous settings designed by Mother Nature herself—and it’s a style for which Robin Hood is a natural. Theatre hiking gives a whole new meaning to “all the world’s a stage”!

Robin Hood of Barnsdale Wood is essentially the same as the full-length version of Robin Hood minus the subplots and indoor scenes. Performance rights are controlled by the author, who can provide details regarding cuts as well as a few script changes that can help the play along. For information, contact info@robinhoodplay.com or click here to visit Theatre Hike’s website.

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Script Availability

Robin Hood is available in a $14.95 trade paperback edition from your favorite online bookseller—which might be one of these: amazon.com, Booksamillion, Barnes and Noble, fatbrain.com, iUniverse.com, smartshop.com or Wal-Mart.

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Title: “A Fancyfull Historie of That

Most Notable & Fameous Outlaw Robyn Hood”

Author: Scott Lynch-Giddings

Publisher: Writers Club Press, an imprint of iUniverse.com

Drama/Poetry ISBN: 0-595-18078-7

Trade Paperback Publication Date: July 2001

Size: 6″ x 9″ On Demand Printing

167 Pages Price: $14.95 (U.S.)

To order direct from the publisher, call toll-free 1-877-823-9235 or visit www.iuniverse.com.

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“You speak a mighty oak for such an acorn!”

Scarlock (Paul Connell) squares off against a disguised Lady Marian

(Roxanne Fay) in Act IV sc.iii of Robin Hood. (photo credit: Equity Library Theatre)

Production Information

Robin Hood was first performed by a cast of 14 men and 4 women, though the play’s length and cast can vary through editing and doubling of roles (see Robin Hood of Barnsdale Wood). Language, running time, costumes and props are all like those of a typical Shakespearean production.

A Fancyfull Historie of That Most Notable & Fameous Outlaw Robyn Hood and Robin Hood of Barnsdale Wood are protected by federal copyright law. Performance rights are retained by the author. For royalty and other production information, contact info@robinhoodplay.com. Sheet music for the songs in the play can be provided for no additional fee.

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Pssst: Actors!

Robin Hood is a unique source for Shakespearean-style monologues that casting directors have never heard before. The roles of Robin, Earl John, the Sheriff and Lady Marian all offer material to showcase your language skills in a brand-new “classical” piece that will make the typical ho-hum auditor sit up and take notice. For script samples, click here.

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About the author

Chicago actor, writer, and teacher Scott Lynch-Giddings has appeared in productions of Hamlet, Henry V, Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Richard III, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, The Comedy of Errors and As You Like It among others—including Robin Hood. Other playwriting credits include the comedy Argonuttica: Jason and the Quest for the Golden Fleece and Louisa’s Little Women, a unique stage adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel co-authored with his wife Beth Lynch, now available from Eldridge Publishing Company.