Regina Triumphant
The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Synopsis
A little girl, Princess Elizabeth Tudor, is playing in the throne room of one of her father's many palaces when her half-sister, Mary, followed by their father's six wives, enters. Mary, whose birth as a female—instead of the eagerly anticipated male heir—is the sole reason five of them ever become Queen. Through Mary's painful but clear memory we come to know Henry VIII's wives as formidable, courageous and vulnerable human beings. The play gives the seven queens a chance to speak—uncensored and unbridled—about their lives, marriages, children and deaths; an imagining of what they may have felt, thought and said to the world and to each other, and finally to Henry, had they not been constrained and muted by the times. The play culminates in the then-unimaginable crowning of Mary, first Queen Regnant of England, ruling in her own right ... and somewhere near the throne—watching and waiting—is a little girl, Elizabeth Tudor.
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Characters
PRINCESS MARY TUDOR, in her 30s, is angry and combative, hurt and disappointed. She alone experiences all six of her father’s wives with varying degrees of loyalty, hostility and kindness.
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CATHERINE OF ARAGON, in her 50s, speaks with the hint of a Spanish accent; a wise and elegant woman, world-weary but realistic and grounded. She well knows and understands Henry VIII and the indifferent cruelty he is capable of.
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ANNE BOLEYN is elegant, wired and aggressive. She goes from savvy and confident courtier to terrified and resigned victim. With a reluctant respect for Queen Catherine of Aragon and sarcastic disdain for Mary Tudor, she grows steadily more stable as she is charged, tried and sentenced to death.
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JANE SEYMOUR, cautious, but intelligent and kind, is no fool and is more politically savvy than most. She is caught between her ambitious and unscrupulous brothers and her concern and love for her friend and step-daughter, Mary Tudor.
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ANNA OF CLEVES is the Germanic-Flemish outsider. Her attempts to understand and speak English and especially words like consummate, so foreign to her, are endearing. Grounded in a simple reality and practical politics, her friendship and confidences with Catherine Howard are sincere, humorous, reciprocal and sympathetic.
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CATHERINE HOWARD, young and, although sexually experienced, naïve and innocent. Her basic intelligence and honesty shine through, and her friendship with Anna of Cleves is filled with kindness and mutual empathy.
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CATHERINE PARR, experienced in marriage, is pragmatic and honest about her true feelings for both Henry and her fourth husband, Thomas Seymour. Her high regard for Catherine of Aragon and her friendship and concern for Mary Tudor are sincere.
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ELIZABETH TUDOR, (non-speaking) anywhere from 7-11 years of age, is a precocious, inquisitive and pretty child. Her very presence tells us there is a future we can look to.
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*SERVANTS, (non speaking) are women, dressed in the more simple Tudor garb, who assist in scene changes and the placing and removal of basic furniture and props.​​
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*CASTING NOTE: SERVANTS may be played by 3-4 additional cast members or played by any principals not appearing in the scene.
Specs
Cast Size: 8 Principals (7 women and a girl), additional 3-4 supporting female roles is optional.
Approximate Run Time: Two hours
Number of Acts: Two​​​
One Set
Performance Package
Single Unit Set with Three Distinct Areas:
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On a raised dais, up-center is a throne. The main part of the play takes place in the area beneath the throne.
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To one side is the Queen's Bedchamber containing a drapedplatform bed, one chair.
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On opposite side of the stage are simple stairs or platform upon which rests a few old books. Pillars, draperies, tapestries, and palace regalia and decor complete the set.
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10 Scripts
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access to the playwright for any questions and clarifications