The Pauper Princess

March 8th is International Women’s Day – and what better time to highlight some amazing women within the Theatrefolk community. Join us in celebrating these phenomenal playwrights and authors and their incredible contributions to the world of student theatre. Plus, keep reading to see our Top 10 Plays for Female Casts at the end of the post! Rachel Atkins • Baalzebub (and One Act Version)

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Get ready for an Elizabethan England like you’ve never seen before. With hilarious characters and fun costumes, it’s time to Huzzah and Par-tay with The Pauper Princess by Holly Beardsley. 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… Why did we publish this play? I loved this play from the first moment I read it. The plot is fun, the characters are hilarious and it riffs on a classic story. • We’ve got a twisted take on the Mark Twain story *The Prince and the Pauper *– two girls instead of two guys. • We’ve got Queen Elizabeth the First way before she ascends to the crown – a teenage girl trying to fend off old and fat suitors. • We’ve got massive amounts of great characters – the original production had 50 middle schoolers in it. And it may be set in Shakespeare’s England but the script is flexible and fun. Converse sneakers are not out of place. Put it all together and The Pauper Princess is full of fun characters, fun costume opportunities, and a fun story. It’s time to Huzzah! And Par-tay! Let’s hear from the author! 1. Why did you write this play? I was reading Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper, and I suddenly realized that the two sentence blip of description of the Prince’s sister was describing Princess Elizabeth – the future Queen Elizabeth I, the practical patron saint of theatre. I knew then, the story was about her. I changed prince to princess and the rest is history (Sometimes literally. Yay, history nerds!) Plus, more parts for girls, of course. Always. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. The Pauper Princess is about adolescence, and that glimpse of potential in the awkward mess of being a teenager. Because even Queen Elizabeth was once just a teenage girl. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? A beautiful corseted gown, with a pair of converse sneakers peaking out underneath. While the length a director might go for anachronistic humor can vary, that attitude should be apart of everything, from blocking, to set, to the costumes themselves. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Try not to be overwhelmed by the size of the cast, or its crowd scenes. While The Pauper Princess was written for a very large cast it can always be reduced by giving multiple parts to less kids. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? This play is great for students to perform because while it is a coming of age story (at a time when students are literally coming of age) it’s also funny. Nothing cements a memory like laughter. Nothing feels better as a young actor than moving an audience to laugh out loud. They’ll be hooked. Theatre nerd for life. Just like Queen Elizabeth herself (or so I’ve read. Did I mention I was a history nerd?)

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays To….Stretch your tech. ** We pride ourselves at Theatrefolk that you can produce most of our plays with two cubes. And you could take away one of the cubes if you had to. But what if you want to stretch your tech? What if you’ve got a production class with kids who must design for more than two cubes? Wonder no longer. **Here are 10 plays that will Stretch your Tech. Click the link and you’ll be taken to the webpage for each play. There you’ll get the details and read sample pages. Hand this list over to your student directors and see what they think. All the best with your search!

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays For…Large Casts! Maybe your policy is to give a part to everyone who auditions. Or maybe your drama club is bursting with students. Either way, you need plays with a lot of characters. And not just characters who stand in the background holding up the scenery. Click the link and you’ll be taken to the webpage for each play. There you’ll get the details and read sample pages. All the best with your search! The Pauper Princess Cast size: 10M+28W+34 Either A twist on The Price and the Pauper with two girls in the lead roles and Elizabethan England as the location. The Princess is Princess Elizabeth and the Pauper is a girl hiding as a boy in a location theatre production. A huge cast with roles for everyone who tries out. Rebootilization Cast size: 13M+15W+25 Either, Expandable to 85+ Stories all over the world are under attack. Pages are going blank in a pandemic so big, the government’s involved. SynCryn has the original narrative DNA for every story and it’s an easy reboot process, so long as…. nothing goes wrong. Parts for everyone. The Absolutely Insidious and Terrifying Truth About Cat Hair Cast size: 8 Either, Plus ensemble of 8-100 A hilarious piece with an insanely large cast. How will you theatricalize cat hair that is plotting the downfall of humanity even as we speak? Personification at its best. Circus Olympus Cast size: 6M+9W, expandable to 12 M+20W A gleeful celebration of greek myth with excellent large cast expansion and parts for all abilities. Circus elements are optional and are suggested for each myth. Being Bianca: The Semi Complete Guide Cast size: 2M+10W+38 Either When told she should engage in volunteer work, Bianca decides on a great service to mankind: She will teach us all how to “Be Bianca.” (the semi-complete guide). Every life step is Bianca-ized! It may not be the best idea, but it is the most entertaining. The Myths at the End of the World Cast size: 2M+3W+2 Either, Expandable to 30 Four campers are not only lost in the wood, they are lost at the edge of the world with no land, water, stars or sun. The only thing to do is to release stories from around the world and from the wind. Excellent opportunities for mask and movement. A unique cross- curricular storytelling adventure. The Art of Rejection Cast size: The Art of Rejection 1M +1W+14 Either, Chaired 13 Either Two plays that look at being alone – whether it’s the only letter in a sea of numbers, or alone in making the right decision to sit or stand. A combination of humanity and the avant-garde the two together make for a great competition piece. The Canterbury Tales Cast size: 4M+4W, Easily Expandable to 16+19W Chaucer’s classic collection of tales comes to life in a full-length adaptation. Great characters, lots of humour, and strong ensemble work. Text uses modern English. Cobweb Dreams Cast size: 2M+17W+7 Either Cobweb Dreams is a fun-filled fantasy that runs parallel to the events of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Cobweb is not having fun in Titania’s train. She dreams of a life where she plays pranks all day long and doesn’t have to be a stuffy, stuck-up fairy in waiting. Oh will this midsummer night never end? The Snow Queen Cast size: M+20W+31 Either A magical theatrical adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of a sister’s love, an ice cold heart, and a fantastical journey. It’s the original Snow Queen story brought to life.

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays For…Middle School! You’re a middle school teacher looking for material specifically written for your students. You’ve come to the right place! We specialize in middle school plays with age appropriate characters and look at the issues middle schoolers are dealing with right now. Click the link and you’ll be taken to the webpage for each play. There you’ll get the details and read sample pages. All the best with your search! Box Sometimes we choose the way the world sees us. Sometimes we’re put into a box by others – parents, friends, enemies. How do middle schoolers deal with perception? A vignette play with great small scene and monologue opportunities. Frankenstein vs the Horrendous Goo This play is a delight. Three dimensional characters, fabulous dialogue, creative staging of a horrendous mutant polymer! Students, administrators and parents get “goo-ed” by a green slime with a mind of its own. Why is Frankenstein called into save the day? The Pauper Princess A twist on The Price and the Pauper with two girls in the lead roles and Elizabethan England as the location. The Princess is Princess Elizabeth and the Pauper is a girl hiding as a boy in a location theatre production. A huge cast with roles for everyone who tries out. Don’t be scared by the era it’s Shakespeare meets modern middle school! Roshambo Some people take Rock-Paper-Scissors (aka Roshambo) seriously. Very seriously. So seriously they organize championship matches with national rankings. A middle school comedy that looks at what people will do to win. They’re not above an illegal scipper. The Redemption of Gertie Greene An upside down look at bullying in middle school. Is Gertie really what everyone calls her: a freak, strange, stupid, clumsy, and mean? Ms Fillmore’s drama class separate fact from fiction and the importance of standing up for those who can’t do it for themselves. School Daze The first day of middle school can be a house of horrors. Will I fit in? How will I find the right class? A vignette style play that you can do with a class. This play has found a lot of success with schools performing it for their incoming students. Ariadne’s Thread Bring Greek mythology to life! A fantastic modern version of the Theseus and the Minotaur myth complete with an active chorus. Choral speaking, a twist on the traditional story and a lot of humour. The Magic Diary of Mozambique Darla feels invisible and that nothing goes her way. She wishes she had a better life. When her globetrotting sister gives her a diary, Darla thinks it’s just another dumb present. Then, bizarre things start happening and suddenly EVERYTHING’S going Darla’s way. Be careful what you wish for. Hoodie Hoodie examines image and appearance in the vignette style. It poses what may be the most difficult question of all for middle schoolers – Do I stay in the clump or do I stand alone? Almost History: that whole space time continuum thing A Reporter and a Sidekick livestream from great moments in American history. While middle school students watch, the Reporter gets into a number of misadventures and changes the course of history. Even Einstein and Marie Curie cannot undo the disaster! It’ll take a miracle to restore order to the “whole space-time continuum thing.”

Some drama teachers have their whole production year figured out before the first day of school. If you’re doing a big musical, you need to get that paperwork started way in advance. Or maybe you need to coordinate using the theatre space with other departments – you need to know what you’re doing and when. Or, if you’re lucky, you have an engaged drama club and they’re reading the plays and deciding what they want to do ahead of time. But sometimes all that planning goes out the window. You choose a play, hold auditions and the actors you think you’re going to have don’t show up. Or you choose a small cast play and are faced with a flood of wonderful auditions. And sometimes, just the act of choosing a play is the issue. It can be an overwhelming and frustrating experience. Auditions loom and you still haven’t chosen a script. If you’ve stared at a stack of play catalogues with panic in your eyes, we here at Theatrefolk are ready to come to the rescue! Ok. We’re not a superhero. But we can give you some guidance to what we have available and how you can swiftly navigate our catalogue. If you’re frustrated with your search, or if you have to make a last minute decision NOW, have a look at the following plays. With each play there’s a link to the website page where you can read free sample pages. Enjoy! Top SellersWant something popular? Try these! Hoodie by Lindsay Price Hands down, our most popular one act. Hoodie is a middle school play about self image and appearance. Great for classes, and the kind of play that lets you cast every kid who auditions.

Episode 125: Costuming with a VisionDoes the thought of costuming a show fill you with dread? Are you always resorting to colourful t-shirts and jeans because that’s all you have time for? Holly Beardsley will lead you through costuming with a vision. The way you costume your show is an important part of the directing process.

Episode 111: Directing the Large Cast Middle School Play It’s one thing to want to put every middle schooler who auditions on stage. It’s another thing to pull off a successful production. How do you actually direct a large cast middle school play without feeling like a traffic cop?