Helen Edmundson's gripping play tells the little-known story of a monarch caught between friendship and duty.

1702. William III is on the throne and England is on the verge of war.

Princess Anne is soon to become Queen, and her advisors vie for influence over the future monarch. Who can Anne turn to when even her most trusted friends seem bent on pursuing power?

Contending with deceit and blackmail, Anne must decide where her allegiances lie, and whether to sacrifice her closest relationships for the sake of the country.

Commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, Queen Anne premiered at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in November 2015, and was revived at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, London, in 2017.

About the Author

Helen Edmundson's first play, Flying, was presented at the National Theatre Studio in 1990. In 1992, she adapted Tolstoy's Anna Karenina for Shared Experience, for whom she also adapted The Mill on the Floss in 1994. Both won awards - the TMA and the Time Out Awards respectively - and both productions were twice revived and extensively toured.

Shared Experience also staged her original adaptation of War and Peace at the National Theatre in 1996, and toured her adaptations of Mary Webb's Gone to Earth in 2004, Euripides' Orestes in 2006, the new two-part version of War and Peace in 2008, and the original play Mary Shelley in 2012.

Her original play The Clearing was first staged at the Bush Theatre in 1993, winning the John Whiting and Time Out Awards, Mother Teresa is Dead was premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in 2002 and The Heresy of Love was premiered by the Royal Shakespeare Company in the Swan Theatre in 2012.

Her adaptation of Jamila Gavin's Coram Boy premiered at the National Theatre to critical acclaim in 2005, receiving a Time Out Award. It was subsequently revived in 2006, and produced on Broadway in 2007. She adapted Caldero n's Life is a Dream for the Donmar Warehouse in 2009, and Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons for the Bristol Old Vic in 2010, which subsequently transferred to the West End before embarking on a national tour in 2012.

Her adaptation of Emile Zola's Therese Raquin was premiered by the Theatre Royal, Bath, in 2014, and was subsequently produced on Broadway by Roundabout Theatre Company in 2015.

Her original play, Queen Anne, was commissioned and premiered by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2015.

She was awarded the 2015 Windham Campbell Prize for Drama.

Reviews

'A rich and satisfying drama with two splendidly meaty female central characters'

* Evening Standard *

'As regal and captivating as the best historical royal dramas. One might say it's fit for a Queen'

* Radio Times *

'Fascinating... Edmundson is particularly good on the intricacies of court politics... it is invigorating to see a play that shows women exercising power'

* Guardian *

'An intelligent and enjoyable history play'

* Financial Times *

'Enthralling... provides two absolutely terrific female roles'

* WhatsOnStage *

'A fascinating history play with uncanny modern parallels'

* Telegraph *

'A richly textured, modern history play... a truly compelling drama'

* The Stage *



Book Information
ISBN 9781848426665
Author Helen Edmundson
Format Paperback
Page Count 144
Imprint Nick Hern Books
Publisher Nick Hern Books