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The Pauper Princess by Holly Beardsley play script cover

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: 5.0 out of 5

Recommended for High Schools and Middle Schools

At a Glance

Running Time
About 75 minutes
Approximate; excludes intermissions and scene changes
Cast
72 Characters
10 M28 F34 Any Gender
Set
Simple set
Length
71 pages
Production Tips
Read production tips for this play
Free Excerpt

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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.

72 Characters

10 M, 28 F, 34 Any Gender
William Shakespeare (Narrator) [M] 2 lines
The Bard, himself; Two monologues
Elizabeth Tudor [F] 117 lines
Queen Elizabeth the First, back when she was still a princess. Several monologues.
The Herald [A] 11 lines
Heralds things, as heralds do.
Theresa Canty [F] 66 lines
Lives a poor life. The “Pauper” of the play.
Bet Canty [F] 14 lines
Sister to Theresa.
Nan Canty [F] 16 lines
Sister to Theresa.
Lady “Kat” Ashley [F] 36 lines
One of Elizabeth’s ladies.
Lady Margaret [F] 1 line
One of Elizabeth’s ladies.
Lady Anne [F] 1 line
One of Elizabeth’s ladies.
Lady Viola [F] 3 lines
One of Elizabeth’s ladies.
Lady Beatrice [F] 10 lines
One of Elizabeth’s ladies.
Lady Juliet [F] 13 lines
One of Elizabeth’s ladies.
Lady Rosaline [F] 6 lines
One of Elizabeth’s ladies.
Lady Gertrude [F] 1 line
One of Elizabeth’s ladies.
Lady Harriet [F] 3 lines
One of Elizabeth’s ladies.
Drake Norrington [M] 3 lines
The Duke of Parnelle.
Bernard Brighton [M] 4 lines
A suitor.
Lady Charlotte [F] 1 line
One of Elizabeth’s ladies.
Widow Duchess of York [F] 0 lines
Lady Jane [F] 9 lines
One of Elizabeth’s ladies.
Lord Hertford [M] 7 lines
Regent of the realm. A joker.
Prince Edward [M] 28 lines
Brother of Elizabeth. One monologue.
Sir Edmund Asinus [M] 46 lines
An actor.
Simon Bowler [M] 20 lines
An actor. Brother to Barnaby.
Barnaby Bowler [M] 22 lines
An actor. Brother to Simon.
Roger Crab [M] 13 lines
An actor.
Miles Hendon [M] 44 lines
An actor. One monologue.
Bearded Men (4) [A] 6, 2, 4, 2 lines
Señor Ferdinand [A] 39 lines
A Spanish ambassador.
Princess Mary [F] 46 lines
Sister to Elizabeth.
Lady Louise [F] 6 lines
Gossiping old lady
Lady Pearl [F] 9 lines
Gossiping old lady
Lady Ethel [F] 9 lines
Gossiping old lady
Queen Catherine [F] 13 lines
The Queen, and head of the royal family.
Lady Bess [F] 5 lines
One of Queen Catherine's ladies.
Lady Tess [F] 6 lines
One of Queen Catherine's ladies.
Sir Cawarden [A] 10 lines
Master of the Revels.
Kathalina [F] 20 lines
A girl of ill-repute. Sister of Marianna and Debbie.
Katrina [F] 9 lines
A girl of ill-repute.
Marianna [F] 12 lines
A girl of ill-repute. Sister of Kathalina and Debbie.
Angelina [F] 11 lines
A girl of ill-repute.
Debbie [F] 8 lines
A girl of ill-repute. Sister of Kathalina and Marianna.
Drunk Man [A] 2 lines
Dead Man [A] 0 lines
Handsome Man [A] 1 line
Nurse [A] 0 lines
Make up Servant [A] 0 lines
Chef [A] 1 line
Courtiers (5) [A]
Citizens (8) [A]
Servants (2) [A]
Guards (4) [A]

Praise for The Pauper Princess

5 out of 5 stars
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.
5 out of 5 stars
tracy carr
John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School
Great fun, with a large cast. Perfect for middle school students.

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