Design your production

  • Select your mode for gaming:
    • Hundreds of preloaded Shakespeare scripts.
    • Your own script created with our online tool.
    • Improv theater games or “free play” options.
  • Customize your performance by selecting avatars, an audio track, and a theater stage.

You can check out the menu directly by clicking below, or watching the video tour on the right.

Perform your scene

Perform your scene karaoke-style, but with a contemporary gaming twist: your avatar mirrors your movements.

​As you read the lines that appear on screen, a Kinect motion-sensor camera maps your movements onto those of your virtual avatar. Raise your arm and your avatar will mimic the movement in real time.

A fully immersive version of Play the Knave will soon be available for use with VR headsets. Learn more about Play the Knave VR.

​Watch your video

While you perform, your voice and avatar animation are recorded and turned into an animated film. When the scene is over, you can watch, edit, or share your film.

Customize your Scene

Casting call!

Choose from our cast of dozens of avatars. They can come from one consistent setting (e.g. all ancient Roman avatars) or mix-and-match (e.g. Juliet in a business suit and Romeo as an alien). For an extra twist, let the game select avatars for you.

Ancient

Fantasy / Sci-Fi

Tudor

Modern

All the world’s a stage. ​Which one will you use?

Stage your scene in a historic theater where Shakespeare and his contemporaries performed their plays hundreds of years ago or opt for a theater where plays are being performed today!
Queen's College Temporary Stage (c. 1547-1640)
Courtesy of Shawn DeSouza-Coelho, Jennifer Roberts-Smith, Paul Stoesser and the SET Project (2015). Design adapted from Alan Nelson (1994).
Rose Theatre (London, c. 1600)
Courtesy of Ortelia and Lazaros Kastanis.
The Container Globe
A copy of the historic Globe Theatre, but made out of shipping containers. Courtesy of Angus Vail.
Stratford Festival Stage (Stratford, Ontario)
Courtesy of the Stratford Festival.

Set the mood with sound

Does your scene take place on a dark and stormy night? Or during battle? Select one of our background soundtracks to establish the setting.
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Or instead choose one of our original musical compositions to set the tone. How about some eerie music? Or a rousing tune perfect for grand speeches?

Hundreds of scripts from Shakespeare available

Antony and Cleopatra
Coriolanus
Hamlet
Julius Caesar
King Lear
Macbeth
Othello
Romeo and Juliet
​Titus Andronicus
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
As You Like It
Henry IV Part 1
Henry V
Love’s Labour’s Lost
Much Ado About Nothing
​Richard III
The Merchant of Venice
The Taming of the Shrew
The Tempest

Create and upload your own text

Use our online tool “Mekanimator Scriptmaker” to create your own text. Name your characters (1-4 characters possible in any scene), type in their lines, add stage directions, and upload your script into the game.

You can recreate a scene from your favorite author (just make sure that you follow copyright laws if you plan to share a scene of your video publicly) or stage your own masterpiece.

VR Version in Development

We are currently developing a fully immersive, virtual reality version of Play the Knave.  Learn more about ​Play the Knave VR.
Happy and Sad Masks by Eriks from the Noun Project