category: full-length two-act
genre: romantic comedy
running time: 2 hours
setting: Merry Old England, in and around Nottingham Castle and Sherwood Forest
period:  12th century, the High Middle Ages

characters:
Robin of Locklsey, an outlawed nobleman
Lady Marian Fitzwalter, a nobel lady and his true love
George Warman, the Sheriff of Nottinham
John Plantagenet, prince of England and brother of Richard, the true king
Hadwisa of Glouchester, John’s former wife
Isabel, French princess currently engaged to John
Will Scarlet, minor nobleman who is in love with Hadwisa
Sir Guy of Gisbourne, a foolish knight and amateur actor
Friar Tuck, a monk who leads a theatre troupe
Little John, a very tall and strong outlaw
Much the Miller’s Son, a rather stupid young man
Jenny Wren, a sheperdess who Much is enamored with

story:
In the city of Nottingham, under the sanction of the evil and treasonous sheriff, George Warman, Prince John seeks to marry his lover, the Princess Isabel of France, even though his first wife, Hadwisa, has not officially consented to a divorce. Pursued in turn by her own lover, the nobel but impoverished Will Scarlet, Hadwisa learns of John and Isabel’s plans to run away in the night to the nearby Forest of Sherwood to marry in secret and have the marriage to Hadwisa thus rendered void. The four royal lovers head to the woods at the same time as another nobelmen, Sir Guy, goes there to rehearse the lead in an Everyman style Miracle Play (“Richard of Sodom”) directed by Friar Tuck, who has been using the nobelman’s “funds” for their amateur theatricals to help the poor. Under the full moon, actors and lovers alike are quickly caught up in the tricks of Robin of Locksley, an outlawed nobelman whose fiance, Lady Marian, has been betrothed against her will to Sir Guy, by the Sheriff. With the help of a fermented beer so strong it renders drinkers immediately and irrevocably drunk, the various protagonists cross paths, get into fights, abandon and discover one another, till sunrise finally brings them all back to the castle, where Robin rescuses Marion, the play is performed, and the Sheriff’s plots are foiled once again.

author’s comments: 
So, if anyone unfamilair with this play has just read the story synopsis and thought, “That sounds a lot like A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM” well… you are correct! GREENWOOD began as a personal challenge to re-write MIDSUMMER point for point, but using the aesthetic of Robin Hood, with the legendary outlaw and his band as the faeries, the lovers as the various royals Robin Hood is always butting heads with, and various side characters stepping in for the mechanicals. Initially intended to be part of Season 11 of the Olympians Festival, which was cancelled by COVID-19, it was abandoned for several years until finally I felt enough time had passed that I could work on the piece without feeling sad about it, and the ultimate fate of the festival (which was ultimately cancelled indefintely). The fourth draft made it to a public reading (that was initially also cancelled by COVID, strangely enough) where it became obvious that it still needs more work, even if it has come a long way and contains some of my best poetry. The only verse play I’ve ever written, it contains a lot of directly cribbed Shakespeare, which is funny, but works best when it’s actually me, so as it continues to grow it may move farther and farther away from the original idea. Until then, however, I’ll consider it to be “a collaboration” with the Bard himself, who never wrote a Robin Hood play, but absolutely should have.

Staged Readings:

The Actor’s Ensemble of Berkeley, September 13, 2024, part of the 2024 Staged Reading Series in LaVal’s Subterranean in Berkeley, California. Directed by Stuart Bousel. Cast: Isaac Kumpula (Robin), Elana Swartz (Marian), Francis Serpa (Sherriff Of Nottingham), Stanley Spenger (Sir Guy), Lisa Wang (Hadwisa), Tyler Null (Will Scarlet), Alejandra Wahl (Isabel), Abe Karplus (Prince John), Dillon Siedentopf (Little John), Sophie Ruf (Jenny), Erika Bakse (Much), Carl Lucania (Friar Tuck), Stuart Bousel (Stage Directions).