Lose Not Thy Head
by Gary Rodgers
Joan has been sentenced to lose her head for impersonating her famous brother William Shakespeare.
About 35 minutes
Times given are approximate and do not include intermissions/scene changes/breaks
13
1 M | 3 W | 9 Any Gender
Simple set
34 pages
“No! But my lord, you love beheading. You were born to do this, and if it wasn’t for your fine work, who would chop the heads off people? Hmmm? Who?”
The Viscountess is in a funk. She’s lost her passion for her job as lead executioner. This may or may not help the next victim.
Joan has been sentenced to lose her head for impersonating her famous brother William Shakespeare. He’s disappeared with all his earnings and Joan has been trying to finish his latest play about Henry VIII. Joan pleads for her life, Death waits for Joan to die, a severed Head says beheading isn’t so bad, a Sigmund Freud-type doctor tries to convince everyone that you can’t sew a head back on a body, and then things get weird.
If you like Shakespeare, Monty Python, a little love, a little death, a lot of laughs and lunch at the pub, you must read Lose Not Thy Head!
Characters
13
1 Man, 3 Women, 9 Any Gender
-
VISCOUNTESS
[A]
87 lines
- Commanding executioner, armed with a dagger, suffering a bout of melancholy. If played by a male the title is Viscount. One Monologue.
-
WOLSEY
[A]
47 lines
- An executioner by day and a drunkard by night.
-
CROMWELL
[A]
30 lines
- An executioner who takes great pride in her work.
-
FRIAR
[A]
30 lines
- A holy person, offers prayers for the condemned and advice to the Viscountess. One Monologue.
-
DEATH
[A]
23 lines
- An apparition, unseen by the others at first, until he chooses to reveal himself.
-
LOVELL
[A]
24 lines
- A guard, rough and tumble.
-
GUILFORD
[A]
20 lines
- A guard, new to the job.
-
JOAN
[W]
92 lines
- William Shakespeare’s sister, dressed as Shakespeare typically did for she is impersonating her famous brother.
-
MARY
[W]
28 lines
- Joan’s mother, has a tendency to faint. One Monologue.
-
KING
[M]
55 lines
- King Henry VIII, ruler of all and husband to Katherine of Aragon. One Monologue.
-
ANNE
[W]
45 lines
- Mistress to King Henry VIII. One Monologue.
-
HEAD
[A]
17 lines
- Recently severed from body and okay with that.
-
DOCTOR
[A]
52 lines
- An authority on the analysis of dreams. Rather Freudian, speaks with a quasi-Austrian accent. One Monologue.
- Subgenres
- Farce Fairy tales
- Settings
- 16th Century / Elizabethan
- Dress
- Fantasy costumes Period costumes
- Audience
- All audiences Pre-teen Teen
- Features
- Physical comedy Variable gender breakdown
- Set
- Simple set Interior set
- Cautions
- Adult themes Onstage murder
- Themes
- Death Illness/Health Morality Self-image Theatre
- Cross-Curricular Uses
- Shakespeare
- Other uses
- Competition Monologues Audition material Class work
Prop List
bucket, register, dagger, guillotine, bloodied mop, headless body, another bucket, pocket watch on a chain
Production Photos
Multimedia
Related Titles
Purchase Orders accepted from US and Canadian Schools.
Info for your purchasing department.
All others must pay at the time of ordering.
Not sure what you need to order? Check out our pricing and ordering guide.
Royalty fees apply to all performances whether or not admission is charged. Any performance in front of an audience (e.g. an invited dress rehearsal) is considered a performance for royalty purposes.
Exemption details for scenes and monologues for competition.
Lose Not Thy Head
by Gary Rodgers
About 35 minutes
Times given are approximate and do not include intermissions/scene changes/breaks
13
1 M | 3 W | 9 Any Gender
Simple set
34 pages