From California to Norway: Why I’m Translating My Plays Into Norwegian

A few years ago, I never imagined that my flexible-cast adaptations of classic literature would end up being performed in another language halfway around the world.

And yet… here we are.

Several of my plays from Playing With Plays have now been translated into Norwegian, including:

• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
• Hamlet
• Macbeth
• Julius Caesar
• Romeo and Juliet
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

And coming soon:

• Peter Pan
• The Odyssey

Honestly, the entire thing started in the most unexpected way possible.

A wonderful teacher from Norway reached out to me because he wanted to perform my version of Hamlet with his students… but in Norwegian.

At first, I thought:
“Wait… my little flexible-cast classroom scripts are making it all the way to Norway?”

Then I thought:
“Well… absolutely yes!”

So we went for it.

Why Translating Plays Matters

One of the biggest goals behind Playing With Plays has always been accessibility.

I wanted classic literature and theatre to feel less intimidating for students and easier for teachers to produce in real classrooms.

That’s why my scripts focus on:

• Flexible casting
• Small, medium, and large cast versions
• Gender-flexible roles
• Fast-paced adaptations
• Student-friendly language
• Classroom-ready productions

Translating these plays into Norwegian opened up an entirely new possibility:

Students in another country could experience these classic stories in a way that feels natural and approachable in their own language.

That’s incredibly exciting to me as both a playwright and educator. And, just frankly, a human.

Norway’s Incredible Support for Theatre Education

One of the coolest things I discovered during this process is how much Norway supports arts education.

There’s an organization called Dramas, a government-supported script licensing and educational theatre resource that gives teachers access to thousands of plays and scripts for school performances.

And here’s the part that honestly blew my mind:

When schools perform the plays, both the original playwright and the translator receive royalties.

That means the system is designed to:

• Support teachers
• Encourage theatre education
• Make scripts accessible
• Compensate creators fairly
• Encourage translations and cultural exchange

It’s an amazing setup.

As an indie playwright from California, seeing my work become part of an international educational theatre ecosystem is something I genuinely never expected.

Why Flexible Casting Helps International Productions

Interestingly, flexible casting may actually work even better internationally.

Traditional scripts often come with rigid casting requirements like:

• “7 males, 3 females”
• “Cast of 18”
• “Requires double-casting”

But schools everywhere face the same realities:

• Small drama programs
• Uneven class sizes
• Mixed ages
• Limited rehearsal time
• Budget constraints

That’s why my adaptations were built to scale.

Many titles include:

• Small-cast versions (around 5–8 actors)
• Medium-cast versions (around 9–13 actors)
• Large-cast versions (14–17+ actors)

Teachers can adapt productions to the students they actually have — not the “perfect” cast size written on the cover of a script.

Apparently, that translates well in any language.

Could More Countries Do This?

The experience also made me curious about how different countries support educational theatre and the arts.

I’ve heard that Finland may have a similar system supporting schools, scripts, and arts education.

Now I’m wondering:

• Are there other countries with programs like this?
• Do other nations support educational theatre licensing?
• Are there more opportunities for translated school plays internationally?
• Could flexible-cast theatre become more global?

Because honestly, I’d love to see students around the world performing these stories.

Imagine:

• Romeo and Juliet in Norwegian
• Macbeth in Finnish
• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in German
• The Odyssey performed by students anywhere with a cast size that actually works for their classroom

That’s a pretty amazing thought.

Final Thoughts

This entire journey started because one teacher believed students in Norway would connect with a flexible-cast version of Hamlet.

That single email opened the door to international translations, educational licensing, and performances in another language.

One of the things I love most about theatre is this exact idea:

Stories travel.

Sometimes farther than we ever expect.