King Arthur in Contemporary Connecticut – A full length comedy staged as a live audio drama

King Arthur in Contemporary Connecticut

CATEGORY: Full length play

GENRE: Comedy

SUMMARY:

In this comedy/satire inspired A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain, King Arthur is unexpectedly transported to a small town in twentieth century Connecticut, where he struggles to adjust to his new future as his past refuses to stay in the past.

PRODUCTION HISTORY:

Reading – There Will Be Words – The Vagabond Theatre Group (MA) (2013)
Staged Reading – Turn To Flesh Productions (NYC) (2014)
Workshop Production – Produced in association with Dreamcatcher Entertainment’s Fulfill Your Dream program(NYC) (2015)

LENGTH: 130 pages

SETTING: A small town in Connecticut.

NOTES: This play is written for the stage and is intended to be performed live with scripts in hand.  Sound effects and music may be prerecorded, done live or both (like It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, The Thrilling Adventure Hour or The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy Radio Show Live).

CHARACTERS:
(Main characters denoted in bold.  Doubling suggestions noted.)

1.) King Arthur (M, 30s – 40s +/-, British)
2.) * Mordred (M, 20s – 30s +/-, British) / * Walter J. Goodrich (M, 20s – 30s +/-, American) A simple, awkward, out of shape young deacon. (Walter has the same voice as Mordred, but Mordred is British and Walter is an American.)
3.) Bedivere (M, 30s – 40s +/-, British)
4.) Judge’s Voice (M/F, any age, American) – A small town beauty pageant judge.
5.) Police Officer (M, 30s – 60s, American)
6.) Old Man / Merlin (M, 50s – 70s, British). Emotionally erratic. Eccentric. Prone to wild mood swings. Brilliant. Sometimes, he is calm and controlled, thoughtful, with a hint of mad whimsy. But you get the sense that it’s work. He is also arrogant. Prone to caustic outbursts and slightly mad. Irascible. Impatient.
7.) Lancelot (M, 30s – 40s +/-, British) A ghost
8.) ** Guinevere (F, 20s-40s +/-, British) A dream/ghost. / ** Gwen Hall (30s – 40s, American) (Gwen has the same voice as Guinevere, but Guinevere is British and Gwen is an American.)
9.) Everett (M, 50s – 70s, American) Merlin’s driver / butler. An older gentlemen.
10.) A sheep
11.) *** Tamora Bruce (F, 40s – 60s +/-, British) Dramatic. Sexy. Like an actress overplaying a part. Barely able to hold back her irritation at, well, everything. / *** Morgan le Fey (Morgan le Fey has the same voice as Tamora Bruce, both can be British)
12.) God (M/F, any age) Booming, commanding and authoritative.
13.) Museum Visitor (M/F, w/ an accent, someone formal, or proper)

King Arthur in Contemporary Connecticut 6x4.indd
KAICC-TurnToFlesh-2014KAICC