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The Pauper Princess

The Pauper Princess

by Holly Beardsley inspired by Mark Twain

It’s a classic story. Two identical-looking people from completely different backgrounds switch places. Rich swaps with poor. Poor swaps with rich.

Add a twist of Elizabethan England and you've got The Pauper Princess – a retelling of Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper.

Before Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne, she was just Princess Elizabeth, fending off suitors too old and too fat.

Theresa wears rags and scrounges for food. She’s so desperate she pretends to be a boy so she can be in a play.

When Princess and Pauper come face-to-face, when one becomes the other, when King Henry VIII dies and everyone is vying for the Great Seal of England (and we don’t mean the sea animal) who knows what will happen? Maybe Shakespeare has a clue…

Hilarious characters, fun costumes, it’s Elizabethan England like you've never seen it before. It’s time to Huzzah! And Par-tay!

Comedy Classical Adaptation

Average Producer Rating:

Recommended for High Schools and Middle Schools

About 75 minutes
Times given are approximate and do not include intermissions/scene changes/breaks
72 Characters
10 M | 28 W | 34 Any Gender
Simple set
71 pages
Production Tips
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Performance Royalty Fees

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.

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Praise for The Pauper Princess

tracy carr
John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School
Great fun, with a large cast. Perfect for middle school students.
Julia Santamaria
Mount Players Youth Theatre
A fantastic script for a very large cast that can be staged in many different ways, and we would definitely recommend this for youth theatres or schools.

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