Kingdoms of Democracy

A political satire in two acts.

Sample of Dialogue (PDF) | Cast of Characters | Set Requirements

Synopsis:

It is the Middle-Ages in the Kingdom of Democracy. The Queen has given birth to twin sons and the nurse has dropped them. With their birth order unknown the King decides that, upon his death, his sons, Dupe and Rube, will rule side by side for four years, after which the people will elect one of them, Ultimate King. Years pass, the King dies and Dupe decides to honor him by making eggs sacred, while Rube decides to honor him by making chickens sacred. A fight ensues, and a line is painted down the middle of Democracy forming the Kingdom of Boob, ruled by Dupe, and the Kingdom of Ninny, ruled by Rube.

It is four years later. We first meet the sorceress Elsie, King Rube’s Chief Sorceress. Next, we meet the sorceress Agatha, King Dupe’s Chief Sorceress, and Elsie’s sister. Agatha captures and locks Elsie in Dupe’s dungeon, to protect her diabolical scheme from being exposed.

Damsel Verity is Elsie’s daughter, and a Ninny pursuing her dream of becoming a celebrity chef. When the King Burger School of Culinary Arts is closed, Verity discovers that there are no chickens, and only one egg, left in Ninny. She turns to King Rube for help, but he casts aside her plan to restore the egg supply, and instead instructs his Chief Prevaricator, Sir Limpwick, to use the egg and chicken shortage against Dupe in his campaign to win the Ultimate King election.

With Ninny’s last egg in hand, Verity crosses the line from Ninny into Boob and turns to Ralph for help. Ralph is Boob’s Director of Venders & Markets, but if he can rescue a virgin in distress he will become a knight and marry his one true love, Lisa Dewsberry. Lisa is King Dupe’s Chief Prevaricator. She doesn’t really love Ralph, she’s merely using him. Believing Verity is a virgin in distress, Ralph agrees to help her, but it is discovered that Boob is out of eggs and down to just one chicken. The only answer is to get King Dupe to let Boob’s last chicken hatch Ninny’s last egg. Ralph proposes the idea to King Dupe and Lisa, but they too choose to ignore the problem, and instead use the chicken and egg shortage as a campaign issue.

When Lisa discovers Ralph is helping Verity, she has her arrested, put on trial for spying and thrown into the dungeon. In the dungeon Verity finds Elsie, who reveals that Agatha is planning to release a potion, called the “Mist of Obedience”, over all the land, effectively taking control of everyone in Democracy. Verity also learns that Dupe and Rube are actually identical triplets. The third outcast brother, Prince Money, is ruling the land of Currency, and there’s a chance he is Verity’s father. Then Ralph shows up and breaks them out.

Verity goes to Prince Money for help in stopping Agatha, but she discovers Money directed Agatha to mix the “Mist of Obedience” so he could take over Democracy. Lisa and Limpwick also work for Money, and they have been buying up all the eggs and chickens, as eggs and chicken contain poultrycillin, the only cure for the “Mist of Obedience”. But before Money can claim victory, Agatha and Lisa double cross him. They use the mist to force everyone to play a part in the largest musical theater production ever staged, with Agatha directing and Lisa headlining. But wait, Agatha has screwed up the mist recipe, and now everyone is doing the Bump Dance.

Desperate to turn a profit, Money offers to sell Dupe and Rube his stash of chickens and eggs, but before they can sign the contract the bell rings, and the kings decide to leave for recess.

Set Requirements:

Single set: A wooden table and four wooden chairs
Time: The middle-ages

Cast of Characters:
Damsel Verity:	Woman in her early twenties to mid-thirties.
Sorceress Elsie:	Woman in her mid-forties to mid-fifties, Verity’s mother, Agatha’s older sister and past love interest of Prince Money
Sorceress Agatha:	Woman in her mid-forties to mid-fifties, Lisa’s mother and Elsie’s younger sister.
Gregory Limpwick:	Man in his mid-thirties to late forties, King Rube’s Chief Prevaricator.
Lisa Dewsberry:	Woman in her mid-thirties to mid-forties, daughter of Agatha and King Dupe’s Chief Prevaricator.
Ralph Smith:	Man in his mid-twenties to mid-thirties, Director of Vendors & Markets for the Kingdom of Boob.
King Dupe:	King of Boob and identical triplet to King Rube and Prince Money
King Rube:	King of Ninny and identical triplet to King Dupe and Prince Money
Prince Money:	Prince of Currency and identical triplet to King Dupe and King Rube
Towne Crier:	Man or woman over eighteen.

Special thanks to Hali Linn for the custom artwork created for each play!