step 1

Design your production

  • Select a Shakespeare script or write your own script using our online tool Mekanimator Scriptmaker. (Other play options include improv theater games and free play with no script.)
  • Decide on an avatar for each player.
  • Select an audio track if you wish.
  • Choose a theatre stage.

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

step 2

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 avatar. Raise your arm, and your avatar will mimic the movement in real time.

step 3

​Watch your video

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

Dozens of avatar options

We have avatars from different historical periods as well as fantasy/sci-fi avatars. You can choose 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). You can be thoughtful to make a point, or just be silly to have a laugh. 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 for your show?

You can choose from among four options. Do you want to  perform in a historic theater where Shakespeare and his contemporaries performed their plays hundreds of years ago? Or would you prefer a theater where plays are being performed today?  As always, if you can't decide or like the fun of a surprise, let the game choose a stage for you.
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.
​
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 Taming of the Shrew
The Tempest
The Merchant of Venice
The Taming of the Shrew

Or Create and Upload Your Own Text

Use our online tool "Mekanimator Scriptmaker" to create your own text. Give names to your characters (1-4 characters possible in any scene), type in their lines, add stage directions, save your script, and then 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.
Happy and Sad Masks by Eriks from the Noun Project