A Little Princess - A Play by Grace Gasper

Progragm: file:///C:/Users/crand/Downloads/A%20Little%20Princess%20Program.pdf
This project is a staged reading of a new adaptation of A Little Princess (original book by Frances Hodgson Burnett) written by Grace Gasper. This performance is part of her senior thesis project. Because it is a staged reading, all actors have scripts in hand during the performance and actors have staged blocking. A major goal of this project is to give voice to the experiences of disabled theatre-makers, especially children.
Play Synopsis:
Sara Crewe is a smart, imaginative, and friendly girl with a special affinity for stories. When the time comes for Sara to leave her beloved father and home for boarding school, she arrives at Miss Minchin’s London School with her doll, Emily, for company. At school, she encounters unlikely friends, exciting stories, and new hardships. Sara and her companions explore what it means to be a friend and a lady, and how a big imagination can make the world a little brighter. This retelling of a classic story reexamines Sara, her stories and imagination, social misunderstandings, hardships, and boundless kindness through it all. This play seeks to give space to the grief, anger, and pain, while also providing hopeful joy.
Characters:
SARA: A bright, imaginative, and resilient girl, who is boundlessly kind.
BECKY: A scullery maid at Miss Minchin’s London School. She is kind and helpful, but very tired.
EMILY: Sara’s doll and confidant. She is the manifestation of Sara’s imaginings and acts as a person of comfort for Sara.
MISS MINCHIN: The headmistress of Miss Minchin’s London School. A self-centered and monetarily-motivated woman.
CAPTAIN CREWE: Sara’s father. A kind, nurturing, and naive man who loves his daughter more than anyone else in the world.
LAVINIA: The popular girl at Miss Minchin’s London School. She is very concerned with holding her position at the top of the social ladder and will do whatever it takes to stay in control.
ERMENGARDE: A student at Miss Minchin’s London School. She is not very bright, but tries her best to be a good friend and student.
LOUSIA: A student at Miss Minchin’s London School.
JESSIE: A student at Miss Minchin’s London School.
MONSIEUR DUFARGE: The French teacher at Miss Minchin’s London School.