last cjristmas

The Wurzburg witch trials were a series of witchcraft trials that took place in the city of Wurzburg, Germany, between the years 1626 and 1631. During this time, over 900 people, predominantly women, were accused and executed for practicing witchcraft. The trials began during the Thirty Years' War, a period of great turmoil and despair in Europe. Wurzburg, like many other cities at the time, was gripped by fear and superstition. The accusations of witchcraft were often based on hearsay, rumors, and confessions obtained under torture. The trials were orchestrated by the Prince-Bishop of Wurzburg, Johann Philipp von Schönborn, and his chancellor, Georg Ludwig Agricola.

The sisters have gathered; it is nearing midnight. They part the trees to take one last look at the princess. The faun joins them and signs that he wishes to kiss her goodbye. The sisters, not knowing anything, allow him access to the sleeping princess. He kisses her and she suddenly awakens. He begins to tremble and shake and runs off. As soon as they all wake, a prince enters. He is the faun, and he and the princess played together every day. He asks her to marry him. Without knowing it, he broke the spell through love. Trollarina is heard approaching and they all decide to hide to see her reaction. She frantically looks everywhere and is not able to find the sleeping princess. She cannot imagine what has happened when her sisters surprise her. She realizes what has happened and that she has no powers. For added bonus, the sisters decide to put her to sleep for 100 years. Melisande is compassionate and pleads with them to not punish her more; she has already lost all her powers. They wake her up and tell her that she now must learn to be a good fairy.

The prince, to ensure he does not have to share his money, takes steps to put the wicked fairy godmother in the dungeon forever, drops her in a cement filled cart into the water, and sends her flying away in a rocket. The evil Trollarina exacts her revenge on theroyal family by sending the beautiful Princess Melisande into an everlasting sleep, but little doesshe realise more than one spell is about to be broken by the kiss of an enchanted Faun.

The trials were orchestrated by the Prince-Bishop of Wurzburg, Johann Philipp von Schönborn, and his chancellor, Georg Ludwig Agricola. They believed that witchcraft was a threat to the Catholic Church and used the trials as a means to consolidate their power and control over the city. The accused were subjected to brutal methods of questioning and torture to extract confessions.

Sleeping Beauty

A new look at an old, old tale: she is not only the spellbound beauty, the Prince is an enchanted Faun, and his kisses release more than one spell, to the dismay of the wicked Fairy Trollarina. Another children's musical from the Prince Street Players. Songs include "I'm So Mad", "It's Lovely To Be A Troll" and "Spinning Song".

A sleeping princess, a spellbound Prince and more fairies than you can shake a stick at are all part of this quirky adaptation of the popular tale. The evil Trollarina exacts her revenge on theroyal family by sending the beautiful Princess Melisande into an everlasting sleep, but little doesshe realise more than one spell is about to be broken by the kiss of an enchanted Faun.

Story

An ornate stone bench on a dais is situated in the gardens of a castle. The Blue Faun dances through, playing a pan pipe. Then, three fairies come dancing in: Sybil, Phoebe and Minerva. They are "good" fairies and sing and dance about. Phoebe has called together the fairies to relay some good news. The King and Queen, whose castle they have protected for years, have just had a baby girl. They had wanted a baby for so long and this is truly a gift! The fairies are to convene in this garden for the Christening. Minerva will bless her with perfect beauty, Sybil with bless her with the gift of song and Phoebe will bless her with the gift of dance. They suddenly realize that they have not accounted for their other sister, Trollarina. She has been locked in a tower but had just escaped. She will throw a tantrum if she is not included. The sisters are about to call her when the King and Queen arrive; it is too late to include Trollarina. Everyone has gathered and welcomes the King and Queen and their new daughter. They name the baby Melisande and all cheer for her. The Queen sings to soothe her baby. Trollarina comes storming in. The King and Queen do not know who she is-she has been locked up for over 50 years. The other fairies introduce her and explain their oversight in not inviting her. She is still fuming mad. Trollarina pledges her revenge for not being invited. She begins to say how she cursed the son of the King who locked her up but she stops herself. Two of the good fairies give their blessings. Then, thinking she too is good, the Queen invited Trollarina to give her blessing. She blesses her with the gift of spinning. But, one day while spinning, she will run the spindle into her hand and fall into a sleep that she cannot be awakened from by neither the King nor the Queen. The third fairy has not given her blessing yet. While she cannot undo the spell that has been cast, she can add to it. Melisande will sleep for 100 years and on the last day of the hundredth year, a prince will awaken her with a kiss. Thinking he will head it off at the pass, the King banishes all spinning wheels from the kingdom.

Sixteen years go by and all is well with the Princess. Trollarina catches the Blue Faun dancing through the garden. She asks if he remembers who he is or where he came from. He does not. She also asks if he knows that he is under her power. He nods his head "yes." Then Trollarina runs off deciding in honour of her 16th birthday, it is time for the Princess to learn to spin. The good fairies gather again in the garden to celebrate the Princess' birthday. Phoebe inquires of the king if Trollarina has ever returned. He says no and that spinning wheels are still banned. The good fairies feel that all must be well for another year then and they go on their way. The Princess asks her mother if she may stay in the garden and play. The King and Queen have been careful to keep secret the spell that was cast on their daughter. They decide to tell her that very afternoon since she has now grown old enough. They want to make sure she is careful to avoid spinning wheels. Once she is alone, Melisande calls out and the faun appears. She speaks of how they have been friends for all these years. She feels sorry for him that he does not know who he is or where he came from. The Faun dances away and as she is about to go home, the Princess is confronted by Trollarina. She carries with her a small spinning wheel. She tells the Princess she is a good fairy and sister to the ones she knows. She wishes to teach her to spin, and though the Princess is hesitant at first, she gets drawn in. As the Princess gets into it, Trollarina forces her hand down on the spindle. Immediately the Princess begins to feel sleepy and lies down on the stone bench. After 16 years, the spell will begin. The Faun dances back in and sees her asleep. He begins to ring her warning bell to alert the King and Queen that something is wrong. The King and Queen are assured by the good fairies that she will only sleep for 100 years. They cannot imagine her waking to find them gone. They ask that the fairies put them to sleep for 100 years as well so they will all wake together. The fairies grant their wish and surround them by a magic forest that will protect them. Only a brave and noble prince will be able to penetrate the forest. The faun dances in and tries to enter the forest but realizes he cannot and gives up.

ACT TWO

The fairies have kept watch over the forest. Every day, the same blue faun dances to the forest and bows his head. It is as if he knows what lies within.The fairies realize they have never heard of a faun living 100 years. Perhaps he is a bewitched mortal. They approach him on his next visit, and realize that the faun cannot speak but he can communicate using his hands. He tells them he knows about the princess and her slumber and that he was friends with her for the first 16 years of her life. They decide to play a game of charades with him to find out more. Through the game they find out that he does not know who he is or where he comes from. He only knows that he is under a spell and that Trollarina cast it on him. He does not know what kind of spell either. The fairies tell him he must spy on Trollarina and see if he might find out what the spell is so they can help him.

Trollarina, meanwhile, is wandering around putting up detour signs to waylay any potential princes. It is the last day of the spell and if no prince finds her, then they will sleep for eternity. Trollarina is in a particularly evil mood. When she sees the faun she decides to tell him who he is. She will not tell him what sort of spell he is under but she does warn that if it was ever broken, she would lose all her powers.

The sisters have gathered; it is nearing midnight. They part the trees to take one last look at the princess. The faun joins them and signs that he wishes to kiss her goodbye. The sisters, not knowing anything, allow him access to the sleeping princess. He kisses her and she suddenly awakens. He begins to tremble and shake and runs off. As soon as they all wake, a prince enters. He is the faun, and he and the princess played together every day. He asks her to marry him. Without knowing it, he broke the spell through love. Trollarina is heard approaching and they all decide to hide to see her reaction. She frantically looks everywhere and is not able to find the sleeping princess. She cannot imagine what has happened when her sisters surprise her. She realizes what has happened and that she has no powers. For added bonus, the sisters decide to put her to sleep for 100 years. Melisande is compassionate and pleads with them to not punish her more; she has already lost all her powers. They wake her up and tell her that she now must learn to be a good fairy.

Musical Numbers:

1. Yoo-Hoo - Phoebe, Sybil, Minerva
2. We Three Fairies - Phoebe, Sybil, Minerva
   
3. It's Lovely To Be A Fairy - Phoebe, Sybil, Minerva
   
4. Hail To The King And Queen - Phoebe, Sybil, Minerva, Royal Herald, Chorus
   
5. Fairy Blessings - Phoebe, Sybil, Minerva
   
6. Queen's Lullaby - Queen, King, Phoebe, Sybil, Minerva, Royal Herald, Chorus
   
7. I'm So Mad - Queen, King, Phoebe, Sybil, Minerva, Chorus
   
8. Minerva's Blessing - Minerva
   
9. Sybil's Blessing - Sybil
   
10. Time Is Passing By - Phoebe, Sybil, Minerva
    
11. Bell Song - Queen, King, Melisande,Phoebe, Sybil, Minerva, Royal Herald, Chorus
    
12. Dance On, Little Faun - Melisande
    
13. Spinning Song - Melisande, Trollerina
    
14. It's Lovely To Be A Troll - Trollerina

Cast:

3-4 men, 5-6 women, chorus

• MINERVA Female; the most down-to-earth good fairy, and the most comedic. Some dancing.
  Mezzo-Soprano or Soprano
• PHEOBE Female; leader of the good fairies, should be a strong dancer. Soprano
• PRINCESS MELISANDE Female ingenue, must move well. 16 years old. Lyric Soprano
• SYBIL Female, a good fairy, ethereal and a bit giddy. Some dancing. Soprano
• THE BLUE FAUN Male, juvenile. He is half mortal and half faun and is mute until the final scene of the play when he turns into the Prince. Dancer, best realised if the actor has had ballet training as well as mime experience.
  Baritone
• THE KING Male, leading man. He is regal, but with warmth and kindness. Baritone
• THE QUEEN Female, leading lady. Played in the same style as the king. Soprano
• THE ROYAL HERALD Male character actor with a grand, commanding voice. Baritone
• TROLLARINA Male or Female comedic character. The bad fairy, very broad. Baritone or Mezzo-Soprano
  

Scenes and Settings

ACT ONE

Scene 1: The Gardens of a Castle
Scene 2: The Gardens, sixteen years later

ACT TWO

Scene 1: Before the Magic Forest, a hundred years later
Scene 2: The Gardens, immediately following

NOTE: Both Acts may be played as one continuous sequence without an intermission

A sleeping princess, a spellbound Prince and more fairies than you can shake a stick at are all part of this quirky adaptation of the popular tale. The evil Trollarina exacts her revenge on theroyal family by sending the beautiful Princess Melisande into an everlasting sleep, but little doesshe realise more than one spell is about to be broken by the kiss of an enchanted Faun.

Common techniques included the strappado, in which the accused was suspended from a rope tied behind their back, and the thumbscrew, which crushed the thumbs of the accused. Many innocent individuals confessed to witchcraft under the immense pressure of torture. Once a confession was obtained, the accused were usually sentenced to death by burning at the stake. The executions were carried out publicly as a means of intimidating the population and warning them of the consequences for any involvement in witchcraft. The Wurzburg witch trials finally came to an end in 1631 when the city was attacked and occupied by Swedish troops during the Thirty Years' War. The occupying forces put a stop to the trials and released those who had been imprisoned for witchcraft. The legacy of the Wurzburg witch trials is one of tragedy and injustice. Innocent people lost their lives due to baseless accusations and the religious fervor of those in power. The trials serve as a stark reminder of the dangers of mass hysteria and the need for due process and evidence in legal proceedings..

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