Christopher Limber Bio and play details

Unquestioningly the finest actor to ever play the role of Tevyev (Fiddler on the Roof) Chris has made a career in the theatre, giving back large to that which sustained, nourised, and guided him back in the day when as a teen-ager, it was not sure whether he would even get out of high school before he entered JAIL!

God Bless You Chris Limber - friend, confidant, ally!

Plays by this author
Kabuki Ugly Duckling
Me & Richard 3
Quick-Brewed Macbeth
Christopher Limber is an award winning playwright, director, composer and actor. His commissioned play for the Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, Me & Richard 3, won the 2009 Kevin Kline Award (St. Louis' 'Tony') for Outstanding Production for Young Audiences. During 30 years in the theatre Mr. Limber has acted, directed, and provided scripts, music and lyrics for theaters internationally, including The Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and Childsplay Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona. Currently his adaptation of The Arabian Nights is on national tour with Tales and Scales, Evansville, Indiana, funded by the NEA.
Mr. Limber is Education Director for the Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, where the Education Programs were named "Best Children's Theatre" by The Riverfront Times (2005). The Festival's commissioned productions of Tempest in a Flash!, Much A Doo-Wop About Nothing, and A Midsummernight's Dream in the Wink of an Eye, which he co-wrote and directed; all received Kevin Kline Award nominations and this year Quick Brewed Macbeth (also published by Playscripts, Inc.) won the 2010 Kevin Kline for Outstanding Production for Young Audiences.

His published scores include Kabuki Ugly Duckling and The Secret Garden, both collaborations with playwright Pamela Sterling. Garden won the Most Distinguished Play Award from The American Association of Theatre in Education. Original Cast Recordings in New York City featured his orchestrations for Journey to the Center of the Earth on the recently released CD.


Play details
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Kabuki Ugly Duckling
adapted by Christopher Limber and Pamela Sterling
from the story by Hans Christian Andersen
Musical for young audiences
Full-length, 60-70 minutes
2 females, 3 males, 14 either
(5-25 actors possible: 2-22 females, 3-23 males)
$8.99 per book
Other prices can be calculated by clicking "More Info"

This Japanese Kabuki theatre-inspired adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale lends a complex texture to this wonderful story of a duckling that learns the cruelties of the world when he is born different. Cast out into the wide world, trying to find where he belongs, the "ugly" duckling finds freedom and acceptance only once he starts believing in himself. Memorable songs create a rich tapestry, making this timeless "outsider" story into a loving adaptation that blends old and new.

"Duckling is a beautiful tale for kids -- an object lesson about accepting differences. The audience of children in a wide age range greeted the [Duckling's] differences with open minds and were rewarded by the blossoming of new beauties."
--Jay Joslyn, The Milwaukee Sentinel


Me & Richard 3 by Christopher Limber
inspired by William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of King Richard III
Drama
Full-length, 65-80 minutes
2 females, 3 males
$75.00 per performance; $8.99 per book

Reggie, a stuttering high school sophomore, longs to star in his school play: Shakespeare's Richard III. Fueled by a crush on the production's Lady Anne, Reggie carries out his own reckless version of King Richard's dangerous plot of ambition to ensure being cast in the title role. Aided by the ominous ghost of Richard III himself (who speaks in iambic pentameter), Reggie manages to bring down his school's star actor, but eventually he must face the consequences and wrestle with his personal demons.

"Christopher Limber's brief but pointed play is a refreshing offering for young audiences..."
--Dennis Brown, The Riverfront Times


Quick-Brewed Macbeth
adapted by Christopher Limber and Andrew Michael Neiman
from the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Drama
Short, 50-60 minutes
2 females, 3 males, 2 either
(5-18 actors possible: 1-15 females, 3-17 males)
$35.00 per performance; $7.99 per book

This fast-paced adaptation of Shakespeare's bloody tale bursts with suspense and theatrical magic, presenting the whole play in an elegant single act. Macbeth's fate to be king is foretold by the three weird sisters -- but is he told of his destiny or given a dangerous riddle of temptation? Macbeth's reckless ambition will stop at nothing in his quest to become King. But when he stumbles in an avalanche of fear and betrayal, he inevitably crafts his own tragic downfall.