Playwright and attorney Gordon Gidlund, actor Jonathan McMurtry (Prospero), and director Thomas Haine
Upcoming Mock Trials
We currently have no scheduled mock trials.
What are the Mock Trials?
Picking up where Shakespeare left off…
What if Richard III had to stand trial for his heinous crimes? What if Brutus were charged with Caesar’s assassination? How would they fare in our current legal system?
Our previous mock trials have seen defendants such as:
- Hamlet
- Prospero
- Richard III
- Brutus
- Portia
Inspired by the efforts of former Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, the Society occasionally stages mock trials of Shakespearean characters for a greater appreciation of the plays through the device of courtroom drama. By this process, a chosen play is essentially taken apart, and its events reconstructed according to two differing viewpoints, the prosecution and the defense. For these scripted proceedings, we recruit real-life attorneys and seek to adhere as much as possible to the recognized rules of evidence and to current trial practices. Local actors play the roles of key witnesses, their testimony drawn largely from the texts of the plays, with the actors maintaining Elizabethan grammar throughout.
We thank all the lawyers and actors for participating in these efforts.
Past Trials
The Kingdom of Denmark against Hamlet
October 6, 2024: Mission Valley Branch Library
Our premise is that after King Claudius orders Hamlet sent to England for his killing of Polonius, a great storm at sea arises that prevents Hamlet and his escorts Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern from taking ship. In the meantime, Laertes returns from France, learns of his father’s death, and raises a rebellion against Claudius. Always the consummate politician, Claudius orders Hamlet seized and put on trial, hoping to assuage Laertes.
Shylock against Portia
October 1, 2023: Mission Valley Branch Library
After the events depicted in The Merchant of Venice, Shylock discovers that Doctor of Laws “Balthazar” was really Portia in disguise, so neither a man nor a lawyer. In a civil lawsuit, he sues her for tortious interference with the contract. The Duke of Venice, regretting the outcome of the earlier case as it damaged the city’s reputation for fairness (and thus its commercial prospects), allows Shylock’s lawsuit against Portia to proceed.
- Shylock ~ Josh Freeman
- Portia ~ Janaki Stoeckley
- Antonio ~ Kevin Manley
- Presiding Judge ~ Bryan H. Wildenthal, Professor, Thomas Jefferson School of Law
- Plaintiff’s attorney ~ Susan Benninghoff
- Defendant’s attorney ~ Sam Bettwy, Adjunct Professor, Thomas Jefferson School of Law
- Court Clerk ~ Bill Glaser
- Director & Playwright ~ Gordon L. Gidlund, Esq.
L to R: Samuel W. Bettwy (Defendant’s attorney), Janaki Stoeckley (Portia), Bryan H. Wildenthal (Judge), Kevin Manley (Antonio), Gordon L. Gidlund (Understudy and Playwright), Josh Freeman (Shylock), Susan Benninghoff (Plaintiff’s attorney), and Bill Glaser (Clerk).
The Court-Martial of Brutus
November 7, 2021: Winn Room, Coronado Public Library
Brutus is captured alive at the Battle of Philippi and put on trial by a military commission in the field for his role in the assassination of Julius Caesar. Brutus pleads not guilty by reason of temporary insanity due to psychological manipulation by Cassius and the prevailing mass hysteria of the time.
- Brutus ~ Josh Freeman
- Calphurnia ~ Susan Benninghoff
- Casca ~ Kevin Manley
- Mark Antony ~ Michael Rodriguez
- Themison of Laodicea ~ Bill Glaser
- Presiding Judge ~ Bryan H. Wildenthal, Professor, Thomas Jefferson School of Law
- Prosecution Counsel ~ Sam Bettwy, Adjunct Professor, Thomas Jefferson School of Law
- Defense Counsel ~ Ashley Engelman
- Court Clerk ~ Gordon L. Gidlund, Esq.
- Director & Playwright ~ Gordon L. Gidlund, Esq.
Rex against Plantagenet
September 23, 2018: The Veterans Museum at Balboa Park
King Richard III survived the Battle of Bosworth Field and was brought back to London under arrest to stand trial. Although the new administration of King Henry VII has a variety of offenses to choose from, it is decided that Richard Plantagenet will be prosecuted only for the six most heinous acts of murder: those of the Lords Hastings, Rivers, Grey, and Vaughan, and, most horribly, of his two minor nephews, King Edward V, aged 12, and Richard, Duke of York, aged 9. In his defense, Richard offers the theory of an alternative suspect: Henry Tudor.
- Richard Plantagenet ~ Josh Freeman
- Lord Thomas Stanley ~ Darryl Woodson
- Sir James Tyrrel ~ Adam Gilmore
- Elizabeth Woodville ~ Susan Benninghoff
- Sir Edmund Shaw ~ Martin White
- Richard Ratcliffe ~ Alexis Park
- Presiding Judge ~ Bryan H. Wildenthal, Professor, Thomas Jefferson School of Law
- Prosecution Counsel ~ Gordon L. Gidlund, Esq.
- Defense Counsel ~ Sam Bettwy, Adjunct Professor, Thomas Jefferson School of Law
- Court Clerk ~ Claire White
- Director ~ Darryl Woodson
- Playwright ~ Gordon L. Gidlund, Esq.
The Kingdom of Naples against Prospero
September 10, 2017: Moot Courtroom, Thomas Jefferson School of Law
We next chose The Tempest as our matter in controversy on the premise that after the return to civilization, Prospero is accused of employing sorcery to intercept King Alonso’s ship and of mentally torturing the survivors while stranded on the island. Specific charges are brought for piracy, witchcraft, and false imprisonment. The former Duke, though, claimed the defense of necessity in seeking to escape the island with his daughter, a situation those prosecuting him caused in the first place by exiling him. Caliban and Ferdinand were called as witnesses to the brutality of Prospero. Miranda and Prospero testified to the desperate straits that they endured on the island. An expert witness was even called to distinguish white magic from black magic.
- Prospero ~ Jonathan McMurtry
- Caliban ~ Mark C. Petrich
- Antonio ~ Raymond Lynch
- Sidney St. John ~ Susan Benninghoff
- Miranda ~ Alexis Park
- Ferdinand ~ Thomas Block
- Presiding Judge ~ Bryan H. Wildenthal, Professor, Thomas Jefferson School of Law
- Prosecution Counsel ~ Anne Perry, Assistant United States Attorney
- Defense Counsel ~ Sam Bettwy, Adjunct Professor, Thomas Jefferson School of Law
- Court Clerk ~ Gordon L. Gidlund, Esq.
- Director ~ Thomas Haine, Esq.
- Playwright ~ Gordon L. Gidlund, Esq.
The Kingdom of Denmark against Hamlet
September 12, 2016: Mother Rosalie Hill Hall, University of San Diego
For our first trial, Prince Hamlet was prosecuted for the murder of the courtier Polonius in Act III. Queen Gertrude was called as the eyewitness to the killing committed by her son in her bedchamber. Also, Hamlet’s uncle, King Claudius described his nephew’s strange behavior leading up to the killing. And at the end, the defendant himself took the stand to explain how he felt threatened in Elsinore Castle and how, upon hearing someone shouting behind the curtain, he naturally assumed his mother had lured him there to be killed by his usurping uncle. Consequently, he argued that he had acted in reasonable self-defense.
- Hamlet ~ Andrew Gumm
- Claudius ~ Steve Jensen
- Gertrude ~ Susan Stratton
- Horatio ~ Samuel Young
- Rosencrantz ~ Mark C. Petrich
- Balthasar ~ Susan Benninghoff
- Presiding Judge ~ Larry A. Burns, U.S. District Court Judge
- Prosecutor ~ Anne Perry, Assistant United States Attorney
- Defense Attorney ~ Jan E. Ronis, Esq.
- Court Clerk ~ Thomas Haine, Esq.
- Director ~ Thomas Haine, Esq.
- Playwright ~ Gordon L. Gidlund, Esq.
We certainly welcome any attorneys or court buffs who wish to be involved in these projects. If you are so intrigued, please contact Gordon Gidlund, our Director of Mock Trials, at gordon@sdshakespeare.org.