Nick Bottom: A struggling, ambitious, and often frustrated playwright who is the older brother to Nigel. He is deeply jealous of William Shakespeare and seeks out a soothsayer to find the “next big thing” in theater to finally achieve fame.
Nigel Bottom: Nick’s sweet, awkward, and highly sensitive younger brother. Unlike Nick, Nigel is a truly talented poet and playwright who values artistic integrity. He falls in love with Portia, a Puritan girl who shares his passion for poetry.
Shakespeare: Depicted as an arrogant, flashy, and charismatic Elizabethan rock star (think Mick Jagger meets Freddie Mercury). While undeniably talented, he is also a “Bard” who isn’t above stealing ideas from others to maintain his celebrity status.
Thomas Nostradamus: The nephew of the famous Nostradamus. He is a wacky, slightly eccentric soothsayer who “almost” sees the future correctly. He is the one who predicts that the future of theater will involve singing, dancing, and acting at the same time—leading the brothers to create the first musical.
Bea Bottom: Nick’s devoted and resourceful wife. She is a “Right Hand Man” who is ahead of her time; she frequently disguises herself as a man to find work and support the family while Nick struggles with his career.
Brother Jeremiah: Portia’s overbearing and deeply repressed Puritan father. He despises everything “ungodly,” including playwrights, poets, and the theater in general.
Portia: A quirky and adorably rebellious Puritan girl. Despite her father’s strict rules against theater and poetry, she falls madly in love with Nigel Bottom over their shared appreciation for the arts.
ENSEMBLE:
Minstrel: The show’s charismatic narrator who opens both acts and welcomes the audience to the Renaissance.
Shylock: A Jewish moneylender and theater enthusiast. Because it was illegal to hire Jewish people at the time, his desire to become a patron for the Bottom brothers’ troupe creates both comedic and legal tension.
Lord Clapham: A flamboyant and posh patron of the arts who initially supports Nick and Nigel until he fears the wrath of the Puritans.
Troupe: A group of actors (including Peter Quince, Snug, and Francis Flute) who work for the Bottom brothers and participate in their wild theatrical experiments.
Townspeople, Bard Boys, Crowd, Chorus
