On Thu, Apr 24, 2025, the Newnan-Coweta History Center’s Historic Train Depot in downtown Newnan will become an arena in which individuals and teams will compete in a rowdy night of artistic achievement and bardolatry, complete with cheers and jeers from the crowd. Come join us as Lacuna Group partners with the NCHC to bring The Ultimate Shakespeare Death Smackdown! roaring back to life!
(This is a fundraiser for the History Center.)
The Rules
- A fee for each entry is required: $10/individual, $25/team. You pay the fee at the event.
- Register your entry here. You will need to know:
- Your real name
- Your real contact information
- The organization you represent (if any)
- Your stage name or team name (Be creative — think pro wrestling or roller derby.)
- The scene (Play, Act, Scene, Lines) you’re doing. Because different editions number the shows differently, we will ask for the actual first and last lines of your scene, not line numbers. (Sonnets are permissible. Venus & Adonis is not.)
- Your interest in attending the two free “training sessions” (See below.)
- You may register more than one scene, a separate registration for each scene.
- Rehearse.
- Show up at the Historic Train Depot (60 E. Broad St, Newnan) on Thu, April 24, at 6:30 p.m. (an hour before showtime) fee in hand.
- Prepare to SMACK DOWN!
- Each team will have no more than 60 seconds to take the stage and be ready to start, so keep your props/set pieces to a minimum. The Depot will have chairs. Other simple furniture may be available.
- Scenes have a time limit of 8 minutes. There will be a timer projected on the screen behind you. (Yes, the audience will count down your last 10 seconds.)
- Adjudication will be based on:
- clarity
- theatricality
- audience response
- tip jar score (this is a fundraiser)
- bonus points for scenes that include or refer to death
- Fabulous prizes (TBD) will be awarded.
There will be two training sessions, free of charge, at the Newnan-Coweta History Center on Jackson Street (Newnan). You can sign for them without registering an act here.
Sun, Mar 30, 2:00 pm: “How to Do Shakespeare” (for anyone and everyone)
Even if you’ve never done Shakespeare before, local theatre legend Dale Lyles will get you up and running with this two-hour training session. It’s easier—and a lot more fun—than you think!
Mon, Apr 14, 7:00 pm: “Coaching Sessions” (for registered performers)
Sign up for a coaching session with Dale Lyles for your team. Get tips and strategies for improving your scene’s clarity and theatricality!
FAQ
Why are you calling this a smackdown?
Because we want a rowdy good time, with cheering and kibbitzing and smack talk.
Can I play?
Absolutely. Even if you’ve never done Shakespeare before. Even if you’ve never been onstage before. Come on down!
Do we have to do an entire scene?
No: given the 8-minute time limit, that’s neither possible in most cases nor desirable in general. You can do just a monolog or just a portion of a scene. Cutting is perfectly acceptable.
Can I do a sonnet instead of a scene?
Yes. But let’s leave the other poems (Venus & Adonis, The Rape of Lucrece, et al.) out of it.
Do you want these things done in Elizabethan style?
In the sense that you will have a bare stage and no lighting, yes. However, if you want to do it like Star Wars or Downton Abbey or The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, go for it. The end of Hamlet staged as a pie fight? Sure. (You have to clean up the mess.) All-female cast? Fine. All-male cast as a drag queen fest? Why not? Solo version of the R&J balcony scene? Jeans and t-shirts? Full Elizabethan drag? We’re looking for a good time here. Give us one.
Do we have to have it memorized?
Nah, but you get extra points if you do.
Exactly what kind of prizes are we talking about here?
We haven’t decided yet. They will not be huge.
Where can my friends and family get tickets?
Tickets are $10 at the door. Members of the Newnan-Coweta Historical Society get in free.
Still have questions?
