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The Quest of Queen Thomas
by Brit Christopher Massachusetts Educational Guild Festival State Final Winner Synopsis A one-act play that follows Thomas, a 10-year-old child identifying as female. Her struggles with acceptance from her peers and support from her mother leave her wrapped up in an imaginary world of escape. In her fantasy world, she is Queen. With her sidekick Bartholomew, The Queen embarks on a quest to retrieve the her crown, stolen by the evil witch. The Queen and Bartholomew must battle foes along the way, using courage and wit to persevere on a journey of self-discovery and acceptance. Will The Queen retrieve her crown and defeat the evil witch? And what does the real world have in store for Thomas?
Cast of
Characters
*NOTE: Due to the nature and
subject matter of the play, directors may feel especially free to explore
various genders in the casting of this show. The Fairy, for example, does
not need to be played by an actor who identifies as female.
Setting
Buzz
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Read an Excerpt...
CHILD: How does it feel
to be a boy? BARTHOLOMEW:
I haven’t really thought about it. It feels normal, I suppose. What about
for you, Majesty? CHILD:
It doesn’t feel very normal at all. (Beat.) BARTHOLOMEW:
Would you like your tiara back? I could steal it for you. CHILD:
(Sulking.) No, thank you. The peasant boy doesn’t wear a tiara. BARTHOLOMEW:
But— CHILD:
I need to do math, Bartholomew. BARTHOLOMEW:
Of what use is math to a queen? CHILD:
(Correcting him.) Peasant boy. BARTHOLOMEW:
Merely a disguise, majesty. (No response.) And come to think of it… well,
forgive me for saying so, Majesty, but you aren’t using your disguise very
well. CHILD:
What do you mean? BARTHOLOMEW:
Well, if you’re going through all that trouble to stay hidden… you may as
well use it to your advantage. CHILD:
To do what? BARTHOLOMEW:
To retrieve your crown, Majesty. CHILD:
I’d get caught, Bartholomew. BARTHOLOMEW:
Well you would, except you’re in disguise. What would a peasant boy want
with a crown, after all? CHILD:
(Invested.) We could get it back! …but what about Mom? BARTHOLOMEW:
Who? CHILD:
M— uhm. The… the evil witch! BARTHOLOMEW:
There’s an evil witch?! CHILD:
Yes. BARTHOLOMEW:
Why is she so evil? CHILD:
Because, well… uhm. She! No. Uhm. I don’t know, she’s just evil, ok?! (As
CHILD begins description of the WITCH, she enters into the make-believe
realm—a grand entrance—unseen by BARTHOLOMEW and CHILD.) CHILD
(Continued): The evil witch was born like 100 years ago. Her father was a
cactus and her mother was a troll. She knows everything that goes on
everywhere and she is very beautiful— BARTHOLOMEW:
Beautiful? CHILD:
(Changing her mind.) No! Hideous! BARTHOLOMEW:
Wait, is she beautiful or is— CHILD:
She can take the form of anyone or anything. You never know how she’s gonna
look or who she’s gonna be, because she has evil magic! BARTHOLOMEW:
(Scared.) Magic, Majesty? CHILD:
The darkest magic, Bartholomew. BARTHOLOMEW:
But how did she get magic? CHILD:
Uhm. By— KILLING PEOPLE!! (BARTHOLOMEW screams.) CHILD
(Continued): Okay, maybe she didn’t kill people. I don’t know. The point is,
she’s got lots of magic and she’s a jerk. (The WITCH looks on, listening to
their conversation.) BARTHOLOMEW:
(Still scared.) She didn’t kill people? CHILD:
I don’t know, probably not. (BARTHOLOMEW breathes a sigh of
relief.) CHILD
(Continued): But she is still not to be trusted! And she, Bartholomew, is
the one with the crown. BARTHOLOMEW:
(Gulps.) Your crown? CHILD:
My crown. |
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