A 17th century Shakespeare troupe decimated by outrageous misfortune lands in the backwaters of Romania after a devastating tour of the continent. Food poisoning, drowning, duels and avalanches befall the actors one by one — until only four of them remain. Minutes before the curtain rises on their next-to-final show, the ingénue elopes with the town innkeeper, leaving a company of three to pull off the most frantic play in the repertoire, Twelfth Night. But her lover, Gropio, is too heart-broken to go on, while her confidante, Tremolo, just refuses to kiss a man. It falls to Simpatica, the leading lady, to recast and revise on the fly. Her biggest challenge: How to keep the backstage drama from spoiling the onstage comedy. But the show must go on — even if you can’t recognize it.

Written for three actors playing 12 roles, The Yellow Stocking Play offers an irreverent and highly theatrical retelling of the classic tale of love gone mad.

The Yellow Stocking Play is currently in development.