2025-2026 Content Advisory
What follows is a list of items that we believe may be found offensive by some audience members. If you have concerns about content, feel free to look over this page. As you do so, please keep in mind that the words listed, taken out of context, may seem more offensive than they would in the context of the play.
Please Note: Orlando Shakes allows children age five and older to attend our Signature Series performances. Children under five will not be admitted to our Signature Series productions.
The content listed below has been created before the show opens, so we are unable to list every objectionable moment that may occur during the performance.
Anna in the Tropics
RATING PG-13
Language
Use of Alcohol & Cigars
Sexual Themes
Violence
SYNOPSIS: Shimmering with passion, poetry and hailed by The New York Times as “a hymn to the transforming and potentially dangerous powers of art.” In Ybor City, (Tampa) Florida, 1929, cigars are rolled by hand as Cuban factory workers listen to the voices of lectors reading aloud great works of literature. When a handsome new lector begins reading Anna Karenina, he ignites a powder keg of passions. Longing, love, and betrayal spark a volatile flame that signals the end of an era.
LANGUAGE: Mild profanity. (“Son of a bitch”, “The husband is a pansy…” Cigarettes are referred to as “fags.”)
ALCOHOL AND SMOKING: The action takes place at a cigar factory. Characters drink rum, smoke cigars and sniff a “bottle of spirits.” (No tobacco products are used in this production)
SEXUAL THEMES: There are sexually suggestive scenes. No nudity.
VIOLENCE: Sounds of off stage cockfight. Sounds of gunshots. A character is shot on stage.
FOR WHICH AUDIENCE?: Anna in the Tropics is a Pulitzer Prize winner. The play is best suited for 8th graders and up.
RATING: If it were a movie, Anna in the Tropics would be rated “PG-13.” Children under 5 will not be admitted to the theater.
The Hound of the Baskervilles
RATING PG-13
Language
Use of Alcohol
Use of Tobacco
Men as Female Characters
Violence
SYNOPSIS:A comic spoof where Holmes and Watson must fight against a seemingly supernatural hound that has been haunting the Baskerville family for generations. This adaptation, in which all the characters are played by three male actors, is full of silly comedy and slapstick. Male actors dress as female characters. In a series of comic “blackouts,” two male characters are discovered in a bed holding on to each other in fear of a ghost. Two male characters in fear, hold hands while walking in the middle of the night. While all the actors are clothed throughout, they occasionally “pretend” to only be wearing towels, for comic effect.
LANGUAGE: The word “hell” is used, as in “…some demon hound from hell.” Barrymore says, “Who gives a shit,” which will be changed for student matinees. Sir Henry says, “Ow, you bastard.” which will be changed for student matinees.
USE OF ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO: The characters drink brandy and smoke cigars and pipes.
VIOLENCE: A character holds a gun and fires it. A character is frightened to death (comically) by the hound.
FOR WHICH AUDIENCE?: It is most appropriate for 8th graders and up.
RATING: If it were a movie, the student matinees of The Hound of the Baskervilles would be rated “PG-13.”
A Christmas Carol
RATING PG
Spooky Content, Ghosts
SYNOPSIS: The annual tradition continues at Orlando Shakes with the return of one of Central Florida’s favorite holiday classics! The miserly and miserable Ebenezer Scrooge greets each Christmas with a “bah humbug,” until he is visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. Come see this classic, heartwarming at Orlando Shakes – a magical and musical spectacle for the whole family!
SPOOKY CONTENT: Ghosts appear in the production. Skeletal figures representing “Ignorance” and “Want” are presented. The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come is a giant hollow-faced puppet and may scare very young children.
FOR WHICH AUDIENCES: A Christmas Carol is a holiday story with an uplifting theme of generosity toward others. It is most appropriate for 3rd graders and up.
RATING: If it were a movie, A Christmas Carol would be rated “PG.” Children under 5 will not be admitted to the theater.
Romeo and Juliet
RATING PG-13
Mild Language
Stage Fighting and Death
Crude Humor
Suggestive Themes
Use of Alcohol
Violent Reference
SYNOPSIS: In a violent world, their families enmeshed in a bloody feud, young Romeo and Juliet fall in love. Despite the many obstacles standing in their way, they’re determined to find a happily ever after together. Will their love succeed, despite the odds? Shakespeare’s timeless classic comes to the Margeson stage.
LANGUAGE: There are invocations of God’s name, some of which might be considered profane. Elizabethan curse words and crude jokes.
ALCOHOL: Alcohol consumption and depiction of drunkness.
SEX: Romantic scenes. No nudity.
VIOLENCE: Romeo and Juliet is a classic tragedy. Stage combat scenes are depicted including sword fights, stabbing, and death. One character is poisoned.
FOR WHICH AUDIENCES: The play is best suited for grade 6 and up.
RATING: If it were a movie, Romeo and Juliet would be rated “PG-13.” Children under 5 will not be admitted to the theater.
Fat Ham
RATING PG-MA
Racist & Adult Language
Themes of Racism, Class & Culture
Gay characters
SYNOPSIS: In this sizzling cookout comedy, the grill isn’t the only thing turning up the heat. This Southern-fried take on Hamlet follows Juicy, a Southern college kid, grappling with some serious questions of identity. When the ghost of his dead father appears at a family BBQ demanding revenge for his murder, Juicy must grapple with the decision to heed his phantom father’s advice or remain true to himself. An uproarious family barbecue emerges into a compelling examination of laughter, love and loss, pain and joy.
ALCOHOL AND DRUGS: Beer and whiskey are consumed. Cannabis is discussed. One character admits to being high. A character is described as having OD’d on pills and needles.
LANGUAGE: Racist, adult and violent language
VIOLENCE: Domestic violence. Violent references. A character chokes and dies on stage.
FOR WHICH AUDIENCES: Fat Ham is an adult dark comedy about race, class and culture. Minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
RATING: If it were a movie, Fat Ham would be rated “PG-MA.” Minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Children under 5 will not be admitted to the theater.
Henry VI, 3: The Rise of Richard
RATING PG-13
Language
Stage Fighting and Death
Crude Humor
Use of Alcohol
Violent Reference
LANGUAGE: There are invocations of God’s name, some of which might be considered profane.
ALCOHOL: Alcohol consumption and depiction of drunkness.
SEX: None. Bawdy gestures may be a part of some of the lower class characters’ behavior.
VIOLENCE: Henry VI, 3: The Rise of Richard is a historical drama. Violent battle scenes are depicted on stage including sword fights, stabbing, and death.
FOR WHICH AUDIENCES: The play is best suited for grade 6 and up.
RATING: If it were a movie, Henry VI, 3: The Rise of Richard would be rated “PG-13.” Children under 5 will not be admitted to the theater.