• My Account
  • Quick Order
  • Cart
  • Checkout
 
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Clients

 
  • Home
  • The Plays
    • The Plays
    • Not Yet Published
    • Newly Published
    • Bestsellers
    • Classics
    • Collections
    • Bundles
    • Catalog
  • Performance Rights
    • Restrictions
    • Payments
    • Performance Rights
    • Upcoming Productions
  • Authors
  • FAQs
    • FAQs
    • Shipping Info
    • Refund Policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Submissions
    • Wholesale Customers
    • Desk Copies
  • Blog
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
Menu
  • Home
  • The Plays
    • The Plays
    • Not Yet Published
    • Newly Published
    • Bestsellers
    • Classics
    • Collections
    • Bundles
    • Catalog
  • Performance Rights
    • Restrictions
    • Payments
    • Performance Rights
    • Upcoming Productions
  • Authors
  • FAQs
    • FAQs
    • Shipping Info
    • Refund Policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Submissions
    • Wholesale Customers
    • Desk Copies
  • Blog
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
 

  • Home
  • The Plays
    • The Plays
    • Not Yet Published
    • Newly Published
    • Bestsellers
    • Classics
    • Collections
    • Bundles
    • Catalog
  • Performance Rights
    • Restrictions
    • Payments
    • Performance Rights
    • Upcoming Productions
  • Authors
  • FAQs
    • FAQs
    • Shipping Info
    • Refund Policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Submissions
    • Wholesale Customers
    • Desk Copies
  • Blog
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
 
  • Home
  • >
  • The Plays
  • >
  • The Abdication
    Portrait of Ruth Wolff by Jane T N Fogg

    The Abdication

    Ruth Wolff

    This play is available below and is also included in the collection:
    • Notable Women — and a Few Equally Notable Men

    ePlay$15.00 + $10.00 per additional user

    Licensing Note

    BPPI does not handle performance rights for this play. For performance rights, contact Dramatic Publishing.

    Play Description

    Why, having become Queen in childhood, would Christina of Sweden give up the throne? Confused about her sexual identity and religious beliefs, and thwarted in love, she decides to abdicate, convert to Catholicism, and throw herself, for life, on the hospitality of the Vatican. Once there, this proud but troubled woman is stunned to discover that, before she can be received by the Pope, she must submit to intense questioning by Cardinal Azzolino. At first she sees him as an adversary. But then, against all rules and expectations, Christina finds herself falling in love with her inquisitor. A probing exploration of the nature of woman, whether queen or commoner, is the subject of this highly original play.

    Production Info

    Cast: 10 total (4 female, 6 male)
    Full Length Drama (about 140 minutes)
    Minimal Set Requirements
    Period Costumes
    Categories: Full Length in Collection, The Plays Tags: European, Historical Figure, 17th Century
    • Reviews
    • About the Author(s)
    • About the Book

    Press Quotes

    “Crackles with energy and sexual tension. A modern historical work in the tradition of A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS.” —San Francisco Magazine

    “… contemporary significance in its protagonist, a woman in search of herself … tremendous present-day impact and heart-touching emotion … for those who want intelligence and wit with their love story.” —New York Magazine

    Author(s)

    • Ruth Wolff

      Ruth Wolff, playwright and screenwriter, a native New Englander now living in New York, educated at Smith College and Yale University, was first represented by the legendary Audrey Wood. In 2010 and 2012 Broadway Play Publishing published nineteen of her plays under the titles NOTABLE WOMEN — AND A FEW EQUALLY NOTABLE MEN and FROM FAUSTIANA TO THE FALL OF ATHENS. In 1971, the Bristol Old Vic produced the world premiere of Wolff's THE ABDICATION at the Theatre Royal in Bath, starring Gemma Jones and David Neal. The play, about the abdication of Christina of Sweden, is an exploration of the conflicting masculine and feminine natures of woman. Its American premiere was presented by the Eureka Theatre of San Francisco (1979). THE ABDICATION has been produced throughout the United States and around the world. Wolff's article about the triumphant Italian production appeared in the New York Times Magazine in December, 1977. The Warner Bros film of THE ABDICATION, with screenplay by Wolff and starring Liv Ullmann and Peter Finch, is available on DVD through Warner Bros Archive Collection. Roger L. Stevens presented the premiere of SARAH IN AMERICA (1981), Wolff's play about Sarah Bernhardt's American tours, at the Kennedy Center starring Lilli Palmer and directed by Sir Robert Helpmann. The play was also produced at the Pasadena Playhouse starring Katherine Helmond and at Hofstra University starring Tovah Feldshuh. Wolff's film about the early life of Bernhardt, THE INCREDIBLE SARAH (1976), starred Glenda Jackson and Daniel Massey. EMPRESS OF CHINA, about the Dowager Empress Tzu-his, premiered in New York at the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre (1984). Other productions include those at the Cincinnati Playhouse, the East Coast Theatre Company in Sydney, Australia and (in Italian) at the Todi Festival in Italy. THE SECOND MRS WILSON, about the critical last year of the Wilson White House, premiered at the Barter Theatre, the State Theatre of Virginia, in September 2001. GEORGE AND FREDERIC, a play with the music of Chopin, about his love affair with George Sand, premiered at the University of Utah (1983). AVIATORS, where an unraveling marriage mimics that of Anne and Charles Lindbergh, premiered at the New Jersey Repertory Theatre and was subsequently produced at the Barter Theatre (2005). Wolff's adaptation of H. Leivick's dramatic poem, THE GOLEM, appeared Off-Broadway (1959). FOLLY COVE and STILL LIFE WITH APPLES were presented at the O'Neill Theatre Center (1967 & 1968). ARABIC TWO (1969) was seen Off-Broadway and in other productions. The Rhode Island Shakespeare Theatre presented JOSHUA SLOCUM SAILING ALONE AROUND THE WORLD in Newport, Rhode Island (1992). Staged readings: ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE (1979, Playwrights Horizons), BUFFALOES (1992, Newport, RI, East Hampton, NY, LA, director, John Frankenheimer), THE PERFECT MARRIAGE (1994, East Hampton Playwrights Theatre, Roundabout), THE SHAKESPEARE ROAD (2007, New Jersey Repertory Theatre, East Hampton Playwrights Theatre, variously starring Lisa Harrow, Robert Cuccioli, Harris Yulin and Brian Murray). THE ARDENT PHILANTHROPIST (2007, HB Studio), and THE FALL OF ATHENS (2008, Coffee Club, starring Simon Jones). THE SKY POOL (2007), HOTEL VICTORY (2009) and FAUSTIANA (2011) New Jersey Repertory Theatre. Recent plays: THE SEVEN AGES OF DD (2012, Readings NY & NJ), THE OUTLIERS (2015, Reading Urban Stages, NYC), STAGELIFE (2015). Quotes: Liv Ullmann, star of THE ABDICATION film: "Wolff has written a treasure trove of extraordinary roles for actresses." Frank Langella: "Delicious roles of passion, depth and intelligence … a rewarding playground for actors and audiences alike." Richard Rose, Producing Artistic Director, Barter Theater, "Wolff is a playwright of great perception and intelligence, with powerful insights into the human condition. A compelling and unique voice in American Theatre." Wolff is married to architect Martin Bloom (author of ACCOMMODATING THE LIVELY ARTS, AN ARCHITECT'S VIEW). PLAY COLLECTIONS: (Broadway Play Publishing) NOTABLE WOMEN — AND A FEW EQUALLY NOTABLE MEN: Includes Essays: Dramatizing Lives — The Art of Writing the Biographical Play and We Open in Florence (Reprinted from the New York Times Magazine), Plays: THE ABDICATION, THE PERFECT MARRIAGE, HALLIE, EMPRESS OF CHINA, SARAH IN AMERICA, ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE, GEORGE AND FREDERIC, JOSHUA SLOCUM SAILING ALONE AROUND THE WORLD, THE SECOND MRS WILSON. FROM FAUSTIANA TO THE FALL OF ATHENS: Includes Essay: Theatrical Relations — The Art of Collaborating in this Collaborative Art, Plays: FAUSTIANA, ARABIC TWO, AVIATORS, THE SHAKESPEARE ROAD, HOTEL VICTORY, BUFFALOES, THE SKY POOL, THE ARDENT PHILANTHROPIST, STILL LIFE WITH APPLES, THE FALL OF ATHENS. MONOLOGUES AND DUOLOGUES FROM THE PLAYS OF RUTH WOLFF has been published by Xlibris. This is a collection of scenes and speeches excerpted from the nineteen plays in NOTABLE WOMEN – AND A FEW EQUALLY NOTABLE MEN and FROM FAUSTIANA TO THE FALL OF ATHENS – published by Broadway Play Publishing Inc. Designed to be used for auditions, studio work, acting classes and private study, the scenes are of many lengths and in many moods. There are solo speeches for men and for women, scenes between two men, between two women and between one man and one woman. There are scenes for characters young and old, weak and strong, tragic and humorous, some people who lived in the past and others drawn from contemporary life. This treasure trove of scenes and speeches from a treasure trove of plays is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and the Drama Book Shop.

    Book Information

    Publisher BPPI
    Publication Date 3/1/2010
    Pages 612
    ISBN 9780881454499

    Related Plays

    $11.95–$15.00
    Miss Julie
    August Strindberg, adapted by Richard Nelson
    $11.95–$15.00

    Play Description

    In Strindberg’s classic, Miss Julie, the daughter of a powerful count, enters into a dangerously flirtatious relationship with a footman on her father’s estate. The critics have described Richard Nelson’s adaptation as “tight, sharp, idiomatic.”

    Production Info

    Cast: 3 total (2 female, 1 male)
    Full Length Drama (about 90 minutes)
    Single Set
    Period Costumes
    $15.00–$15.95
    The Miser
    Molière, adapted by Virginia Scott
    $15.00–$15.95

    Play Description

    Harpagon thinks that his children are costing him too much money and must be married off. He has found an old man who won’t demand a dowry for his daughter, Elise, and a rich widow for his son, Cleante. Unfortunately Elise is already in love with Harpagon’s servant, and his son is in love with the penniless Mariane, whom Harpagon has already decided to take as his own wife.

    Production Info

    Cast: 13 total (4 female, 9 male)
    Full Length Drama (about 105 minutes)
    Multiple Sets
    Period Costumes
    $15.00
    Hallie
    Ruth Wolff
    $15.00

    Play Description

    Hallie Flanagan Davis headed the Federal Theater in the 1930s and 40s — until the anti-art element in Congress decided that federal support of what they saw as lazy left-wing artists must end. This play, based on the tumultuous hearings before the House UnAmerican Activities Committee, pits artists against philistines and demonstrates that then, as now, politics and art don’t mix.

    Production Info

    Cast: 8 total (2 female, 6 male)
    Full Length Drama (about 100 minutes)
    Single Set
    Contemporary Costumes
    $15.00–$15.95
    Fit for a Queen
    Betty Shamieh
    $15.00–$15.95

    Play Description

    Inspired by the life of Hatshepsut, a woman who ruled as a pharaoh in ancient Egypt. Under the guidance of Senenmut, her female lover, Hatshepsut usurps the throne from her son-in-law, Thutmose III. Full of intrigue, farce, and sexual politics, FIT FOR A QUEEN is a tragicomedy of epic proportions with a modern sensibility.

    Production Info

    Cast: 7 total (4 female, 3 male)
    Full Length Drama (about 100 minutes)
    Multiple Sets
    Period Costumes
    $15.00
    The Perfect Marriage
    Ruth Wolff
    $15.00

    Play Description

    In this comedy about the nature of marriage, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Shelley battle out their relationship at the gates of Heaven and Hell. Predeceasing Mary by several decades, Shelley can hardly wait for her to come to him in Limbo — but when she does, he is astonished to find that the woman who seemed for all her life to worship him now wants an independent existence. The Archangel/Devil must adjudicate between them and decide whether, in this afterlife, they will enter Heaven or Hell.

    Production Info

    Cast: 5 total (2 female, 3 male)
    Full Length Comedy (about 100 minutes)
    Minimal Set Requirements
    Period Costumes
    $15.00–$15.95
    Killing the Bear
    Jonathan Yukich
    $15.00–$15.95

    Play Description

    What happens when football and aliens mix in the American South? Set in 1974, an Alabama family is forced to confront long-submerged truths when sports legend Bear Bryant visits their hometown of Balls. As the big arrival nears, and other unexpected guests materialize, the family struggles to maintain their identity, civility, and what’s left of their sanity. A comedy with bite, KILLING THE BEAR turns a spotlight on the insularity of small-town life, the frenzied clout of college football in the Bible Belt, and the distorted constructs of hero-worship.

    Production Info

    Cast: 5 total (2 female, 3 male)
    Full Length Comedy (about 100 minutes)
    Single Set
    Contemporary Costumes
    $11.95–$15.00
    The Father
    August Strindberg, adapted by Richard Nelson
    $11.95–$15.00

    Play Description

    Richard Nelson’s critically lauded adaptation of Strindberg’s classic, in which a power struggle between husband and wife leads to devastating consequences.

    Production Info

    Cast: 8 total (3 female, 5 male)
    Full Length Drama (about 95 minutes)
    Multiple Sets
    Period Costumes
    $15.00–$15.95
    School of the Americas
    José Rivera
    $15.00–$15.95

    Play Description

    In the Bolivian jungle, Che Guevara is captured and held in a one-room schoolhouse. For two days neither the Bolivian President nor the U.S. State Department is able to decide Che’s fate. The young schoolteacher of the village insists that she be given permission to speak to the famous revolutionary. Her conversations with Che — based on historical fact — are the heart of the play.

    Production Info

    Cast: 6 total (2 female, 4 male)
    Full Length Drama (about 100 minutes)
    Single Set
    Contemporary Costumes
    $15.00
    Sarah in America
    Ruth Wolff
    $15.00

    Play Description

    Sarah Bernhardt made her lasting fame in America. This tour de force for one actress takes Bernhardt from her first American tour, in her thirties, to her last, when, with leg amputated, she toured the country at age seventy-two. Her indomitable spirit, summarized by her motto “Quand Même,” is abundantly displayed as she travels from coast-to-coast experiencing triumphs and tragedies.

    Production Info

    Cast: 1 total (1 female)
    Full Length Drama (about 100 minutes)
    Minimal Set Requirements
    Period Costumes
    $11.95–$15.00
    Amphitryon
    Eric Overmyer, Moliere, Heinrich von Kleist, Jean Giraudoux
    $11.95–$15.00

    Play Description

    A comical, anachronistic, and witty retelling of the Greek myth, composed “after Kleist by way of Molière with a little bit of Giraudoux.”

    Production Info

    Cast: 7 total (2 female, 5 male)
    Full Length Comedy (about 90 minutes)
    Minimal Set Requirements
    Contemporary Costumes
    $15.00–$15.95
    The Third Army
    Joe Sutton
    $15.00–$15.95

    Play Description

    Welcome to Karlovec, a small town that the Soviets had started to build a nuclear plant in, but it was never completed. Now in the post-Soviet era Western firms are desperate to take over and build the plant. They turn their attention to the town’s mayor who finds himself courted on all sides

    Production Info

    Cast: 5 total (2 female, 3 male)
    Full Length Drama (about 120 minutes)
    Minimal Set Requirements
    Contemporary Costumes
    $15.00–$15.95
    Round One
    Arthur Schnitzler, adapted by Eric Bentley
    $15.00–$15.95

    Play Description

    Eric Bentley’s adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler’s classic LA RONDE.

    Production Info

    Cast: 10 total (5 female, 5 male)
    Full Length Drama (about 100 minutes)
    Multiple Sets
    Contemporary Costumes

    Contact Info

    BROADWAY PLAY PUBLISHING INC

    148 W 80th St, NY, NY 10024

    Working Days: Monday – Friday

    Working Hours: 8 am – 6 pm EST

    Phone: 212­-772-­8334

    Email: info@broadwayplaypub.com

    Website: www.broadwayplaypub.com

    Company Info

    • About Us
    • Shipping Info
    • Refund Policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Submissions
    • Contact Us

    Pages

    • Home
    • The Plays
    • Performance Rights
    • Authors
    • FAQs
    • Blog

    Newsletter Sign Up

    • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
    © Broadway Play Publishing Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

    ‹ › ×