The Revolutionists
by Lauren Gunderson

Name: The Revolutionists
Brand: Lauren Gunderson
SKU: 9780822237686
Rating: 4.18 (368 reviews)

The Revolutionists Book Cover — The Revolutionists Cover

Highlights

Small Cast

Female

120 mins 18th Century All Women Unit Set/Multiple Settings Period Costumes American Comedy

Synopsis

Four beautiful, badass women lose their heads in this irreverent, girl-powered comedy set during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror.

Playwright Olympe de Gouges, assassin Charlotte Corday, former queen (and fan of ribbons) Marie Antoinette, and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle hang out, murder Marat and try to beat back the extremist insanity in 1793 Paris.

This grand and dream-tweaked comedy is about violence and legacy, art and activism, feminism and terrorism, compatriots and chosen sisters and how we actually go about changing the world.

It’s a true story.

Or total fiction.

Or a play about a play.

Or a raucous resurrection that ends in a song and a scaffold.

Themes History Women

Press Reviews

"An astoundingly accomplished show… a cause for rejoice… Ingeniously conceived and delivered."
— Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"In this sparkling work, politics is very, very funny. [Gunderson] knows it’s tricky to present entertaining, yet socially driven art, but she does so without losing the rhythm and forward momentum of her characters... These are hilarious and lovable women trapped in a history with a somber final act."
— Houston Chronicle

"A play that is wonderfully wild and raucous… It’s a wild ride, filled with verbal gymnastics that come racing at you so quickly it’s occasionally hard to keep up. Listen closely, though, and hang on tight. If you do, you’ll be treated to an invigorating and enlightening journey."
— Cincinnati Enquirer

"A blindingly scintillating gem-like puzzle... By turns it is drolly funny and affectingly poignant, then doubles back to satirical farce, then ends by bringing into stark relief the social commentary that it has been nurturing all night."
— Florida Theater On Stage

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
Charlotte Corday 25. Badass country girl and assassin. Very serious, hardened by righteousness, never been kissed. Has a pocket watch she keeps checking. Also plays FRATERNITÉ in a mask.	female	25	25. Badass country girl and assassin. Very serious, hardened by righteousness, never been kissed. Has a pocket watch she keeps checking. Also plays FRATERNITÉ in a mask.
Marie-Antoinette 38. Less badass but fascinating former queen of France. Bubbly, graceful, opinionated, totally unaware, unintentionally rude, and oddly prescient. Never had a real friend. Also plays FRATERNITÉ in a mask.	female	38	38. Less badass but fascinating former queen of France. Bubbly, graceful, opinionated, totally unaware, unintentionally rude, and oddly prescient. Never had a real friend. Also plays FRATERNITÉ in a mask.
Marianne Angelle 30s. A badass black woman in Paris. She is from the Caribbean, a free woman, a spy working with her husband, Vincent. Tough, classy, vigilant, the sanest one of them all. The play is mostly a comedy. The play is based on real women, real transcripts, and real executions. But remember it’s a comedy. The play runs with a seamlessness that necessitates less-realistic sets. FRATERNITÉ is an almost commedia presence, a stock character of a bad guy, masked. In the end, the entire play is in Olympe’s mind as she walks up the stairs, onto the scaffold, and to her death. Music for the song used in the play is required for production. There is no royalty fee for the use of this music. Theatres must use the approved music; you may not make up or alter the music in any way.	female	30s	30s. A badass black woman in Paris. She is from the Caribbean, a free woman, a spy working with her husband, Vincent. Tough, classy, vigilant, the sanest one of them all. The play is mostly a comedy. The play is based on real women, real transcripts, and real executions. But remember it’s a comedy. The play runs with a seamlessness that necessitates less-realistic sets. FRATERNITÉ is an almost commedia presence, a stock character of a bad guy, masked. In the end, the entire play is in Olympe’s mind as she walks up the stairs, onto the scaffold, and to her death. Music for the song used in the play is required for production. There is no royalty fee for the use of this music. Theatres must use the approved music; you may not make up or alter the music in any way.
Olympe De Gouges 38. Badass activist playwright and feminist. Theatre nerd, excitable, passionate, a showman. Widowed and never remarried to ensure her personal freedom.	female	38	38. Badass activist playwright and feminist. Theatre nerd, excitable, passionate, a showman. Widowed and never remarried to ensure her personal freedom.