Lose Not Thy Head by Gary Rodgers - Theatrefolk

Lose Not Thy Head

Recommended for High Schools and Middle Schools

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
1M | 3W | 9 Any Gender

Simple set

 34 pages

Comedy Black Comedy Shakespeare

“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!

13 Characters
1M, 3W, 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

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Exemption details for scenes and monologues for competition.

We accept orders worldwide using the following payment methods:
Purchase Orders accepted from US and Canadian Schools.
Info for your purchasing department.

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