Henry's Wives

Jane Seymour	Henry Viii	Anne Boleyn

Synopsis:

500 years after her wedding to Henry the Eighth, Catherina of Aragon has done her time in Purgatory and, with God's blessing of course, she wants to renew her marriage vows and rewrite history as the first and only wife of England's most married king. With the help of her scribe and lady in waiting, Margaret, Catherina summons the king but something goes wrong and she gets his other five wives instead. Divorced, beheaded, dead in chilbirth, they gather to play for the throne, their histories, their heads, and their hearts, only to learn that each of them has shaped the king and there is no going back.

Actors: Monologues available on this site.

Character List:

Catharina of Aragon (F, 40s) Margaret Mannox (F, 20s) Kate Parr (F, 30s) Anne Boleyn (F, 30s) Katherine Howard (F, 20s) Anna of Cleves (F, 40s) Jane Seymour/ Girl (F, 20s) Henry, King of England (M, 30s) Setting & Requirements: The year 2009 in a crumbling Tudor garden; the skeletons of roses, a clock, a throne, and a portrait of the King. The same set remains throughout.

Production History:

This play received its first production at University Of Wyoming. in April 2004. I was in residence for part of the rehearsal period to develop the script. This production was not reviewed, but articles about the play are posted on this site.

In 2006 Henry's Wives was a semi-finalist for the Orlando Shakespeare Festival's Harriete Lake Award.

In production at the University of Wyoming

Sample Dialogue:

Monologues for Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard are available on this site. Sample dialogue will also be posted on this page soon, so please check back.  

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