The Princess and the Mummy: New 10-Minute Dark Comedy for Halloween
What happens when a mummy starts stealing body parts from the most conceited and violent princess you’ll ever meet? Find out in my new 10-minute play, THE PRINCESS AND THE MUMMY. This brand new dark comedy is a fun macabre romp, perfect for Halloween, or any time of year!
A mummy has no idea what she has bargained for when she chooses to recreate herself using body parts from the ruling princess. You’ve heard there’s nothing more scary than a 14-year-old mean-girl? Well, imagine that teen is the tyrannical leader of a kingdom, with access to weapons. And a lava pit. And a narrator.
Scared yet?
Then again—this princess may not know what she has bargained for either when she plots her revenge against the mummy… A mummy who actually has kind-hearted plans for the princess’s body parts (like helping her plant a garden for the orphans in the kingdom). Do we really think the mummy will let a princess bully her? But do we really think the princess will let a mummy continue harvesting her for parts?
I leave it to you to decide who the monster in this play really is…
Oh, and yes! There’s also a narrator! Well, for about half of the play anyway… I did mention the princess is a tyrannical leader, right…?
THE PRINCESS AND THE MUMMY runs around 10-15 minutes, but packs a ton in this bite (comedy, suspense, drama, thrills, themes and more). By the end of the play, someone will have learned a lesson about beauty and that “Chekhov’s gun” lava pit will show it’s no red herring.
The play has 3 fun roles for actors: The self-absorbed, conceited, spoiled, blindly happy, beautiful, tyrannical PRINCESS (teen through young adult, female), the innocent NARRATOR (any age, male or any gender) who’s subjected to the princess’s whims and story, and finally, the MUMMY (any age, female) who does what a mummy has to do, but has a heart to help, and also is no push-over.
The play is set in medeival fairytale land, and you can be as minimal or as outlandish as you like in terms of design and tech direction. Costumers can have fun with this trio, especially the mummy who “wears” one of the princess’s eyes, her left hand, and parts of her ears. Directors also have so much room for creative, active staging and physical comedy.
I’m so happy this play will debut at Westchester Collaborative Theater next month, as part of their Terror Tales series! Huge thanks to WCT producers Alan Lutwin and Lori Meyers, dramaturg Flori Doyle, director Shawn Kennedy Cribari, actors Michelle Smith, D. Scott Faubel and Sandy Oppedisano Rooney. Can’t wait to get into this play with this team! Also so much gratitude to Kevin Christopher Snipes for his dramaturgical feedback and support.
Click here for a free excerpt or click below for the complete 10-minute play, THE PRINCESS AND THE MUMMY.
NOTE: Because this play is currently in its developmental premiere at WCT, revisions to this draft may occur throughout the process.
What happens when a mummy starts stealing body parts from the most conceited and violent princess you’ll ever meet? Find out in this delightful, fun, grotesque romp where someone learns a lesson about beauty and a Danish prince gets thrown into a lava pit.
This is a dark comedy which runs 10-15 minutes, for 3 actors (2 female, 1 male or any gender).