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Characters and the Actors portraying them
Researched by Laura Hubbard and K.C.
Cochran
Richard III (Michael Simpson)
Duke of Gloucester. Head of anti-Woodville faction. Tall,
slender, widely regarded as handsome, fought bravely in earlier
battles, danced, dark-haired, enjoyed music, interest in education.
Fathered one son who died at age 8. Puritanical for his times;
disapproved of Edward IV’s mistresses and has Jane Shore punished
for her sexual offenses. Last of Plantagenet kings. May have
killed the princes, did not kill his wife or George (actually
pleaded against his death). Began College of Arms to control
the issuance of coats of arms. Symbol is the Boar. Shakespeare
gives him a withered arm, a club foot, and makes him responsible
for murders of Henry VI, Edward Prince of Wales, George, Rivers,
Grey, Hastings, Vaughn, both princes, Anne, and Buckingham.
Had a bigger army than Henry VII and was a better general…came
within a sword’s breadth of killing Henry VII in battle, but
was killed by him instead. Main reason for losing is the defection
or refusal to fight of his closest friends. 30 at time of
play.
Duke of Buckingham (Brandon McWilliams)
Henry Stafford. Edward IV reared him to be a firm Yorkist,
though his father and grandfather were Lancastrians. Edward
IV married him to Elizabeth’s sister Catherine Woodville.
Refused to kill the boy princes. When Richard III refused
to give him Hereford, Buckingham decided to go to Wales and
raise an army against him. His army finds the rivers flooded
and impassable, army disperses and he is defeated and a fugitive
without one shot fired. Captured and taken to Salisbury where
Richard III has him executed for treason. 24 at beginning
of play.
Lord Stanley (Lee Trull)
Earl of Derby. First wife was Eleanor Neville, aunt of
Anne. Second wife was Margaret Beaufort, widowed mother
of Henry VII. Arrested with Hastings and Ely at coronation
date setting meeting. Only Hastings is executed. Richard
III forces Stanley to leave his son George hostage while
he gathers men to fight Buckingham and Henry VII. When the
battle with Henry VII begins, his forces stand idle. 33
at beginning of play.
King Edward IV (Jeremy Jenkins)
Ascended to throne at 19. Marries Elizabeth Woodville and
has sons Edward V Prince of Wales and Richard Duke of York
and five daughters. Considered beautiful in youth, handsome,
dark-haired. Has many mistresses, including Jane Shore. Died
prematurely at age 40 due to overindulgence in food and leisure.
Political life was full of battles, exiles, marches, and fear.
Queen Elizabeth (Julie Linnard)
Daughter of a knight, aristocracy but not royal blood.
Sensuous and charming. Brother is Anthony Woodville, Earl
of Rivers. Married John Grey, and had Thomas Grey Marquis
of Dorset, Richard Lord Grey, and a daughter. Widowed when
her husband was killed in battle, married Edward IV. Had
Edward V, Richard Duke of York, and 5 daughters, including
Princess Elizabeth. Sent to a nunnery by Henry VII after
the death of Richard III. 34 at time of play.
Princess Elizabeth (Melissa Hurta)
Elizabeth of York. Daughter of Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth
Woodville. Marries Henry VII and is the mother of Henry
VIII. Marriage to Henry VII serves to end the War of the
Roses by uniting the last of the House of York. Beautiful
and intelligent woman whose hand was highly prized in marriage.
Was first bethrothed to the Dauphin but this fell through.
Some historians believe that there was an attempt by Richard
III to marry her (she was his niece) but the public would
not stand for it. 16 at time of play.
Lady Anne (Tracilyn Jones)
Widow of Edward, Prince of Wales when he was killed at
the Battle of Tewkesbury. Married Richard III and
had a son who died at age 8. 18 at beginning of play.
Prince Edward (Russell Smith)
Taken in infancy to live with uncle Anthony Rivers. Intelligent,
strong-willed boy with a scholarly bent. Acceded 1483, declared
illegitimate and deposed a month later. Murdered shortly
thereafter in the play. 13 at time of play.
Richard, Duke of York (Josh Mullens)
Taken in infancy to live with uncle Anthony Rivers. Married
at age four to a child bride, Anne Mowbray, who died a few
years later. 11 at time of play.
George, Duke of Clarence (Jeff Adams)
Weak, ambitious, faithless, intent on wealth at all costs.
Opposed Edward IV’s marriage to Elizabeth, double-crosses
both Edward IV and Henry VI in War of the Roses, held Anne
Neville hostage to keep all of Warwick fortunes. Edward
IV forbade his proposed marriage to Mary of Burgundy, after
that the brothers became public enemies. George protested
the accusation that two of his servants were plotting Edward
IV’s death and was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Dreams
of drowning and meeting ghosts in hell. Was murdered in
the Tower, Shakespeare has him drowned in a cask of malmsey
wine after he is stabbed. 34 at time of play.
Duchess of York (Crystal Dabbs)
Cecily Neville. Widow of Richard Duke of York (not in play)
mother of Edward IV, Edmund of Rutland, George of Clarence,
Richard III. Deeply pious and refined. 80 at time of play.
Queen Margaret (Sarah O’Donnell)
French. Wife of Henry VI, mother of Edward Prince of Wales.
Kills Richard of York (not in play) in Battle of Tewkesbury,
her husband is murdered in the Tower and Edward IV is crowned
king. Her blatant favoritism caused much resentment in England,
and helped to start the War of the Roses. Personal coordinator
of the Lancastrian armies, often leading them herself. She
is exiled to France after Tewkesbury and remains there until
her death. Fierce, belligerent, unforgiving, uncompromising,
savage and indomitable spirit. She was so hated in England
that she was actually the greatest asset the Yorkists had.
"She-wolf of France, tongue more poisonous than the
adder’s tooth, tiger’s heart wrapped in a woman’s hide."
Lonely, embittered, miserable woman at the end. 42 at time
of play
William, Lord Hastings (Robert Malone)
Governor of Calais, servant of Edward IV. Master of revels,
provider of King’s mistresses. Leader of Moderate Loyalist
members of counsel. Elizabeth and rest of Woodvilles imprison
him in the Tower and Jane Shore influences Edward IV to have
him released. Refuses to help Richard III to the throne over
Edward IV’s sons. Arrested at the coronation date setting
meeting and accused of sorcery. Shakespeare also accuses him
of conspiring to assassinate Richard and Buckingham. Richard
III has him executed for treason. 41 at beginning of play.
Earl Rivers (Matt McBride)
Anthony Woodville. Brother of Queen Elizabeth, loyal to
Edward IV. Devotee of arts, part of committee to bring Edward
V back to London from Ludlow Castle. Prolific writer, produced
some of the first manuscripts in England. Framed by Richard
III for ordering caches of arms outside of London in preparation
for a rebellion. Beheaded at Pomfret Castle. 36 at time
of play.
Marquis of Dorset (Gerardo Zavala)
Thomas Grey. Son of Queen Elizabeth by 1st husband.
Loyal to Edward IV. Flees to sanctuary with his mother and
siblings to Westminster Abbey when the Woodville faction
is beheaded. Returns in play to visit princes in Tower.
Flees to Henry VII after Richard III is crowned, becomes
his ally against Richard III. 26 at time of play.
Sir William Catesby (Bret Newman)
Low-born advisor to Richard III. Lawyer who was brought
into Richard’s circle and worked vigorously to support him.
Captured at Bosworth and executed at Leicester two days
later by Henry VII.
Sir Richard Ratcliffe (Nathan Mendez)
Low-born advisor to Richard III. Gave the order for the
deaths of Rivers, Grey and Vaughan. Killed in the battle
of Bosworth.
Lord Lovell, 2nd Murderer (Ian
Hunt)
Low-born advisor to Richard III. Was a boyhood companion
of Richard III at Middleham Castle. Supported Richard III
throughout his career and became one of his favorites. Vanished
after the Battle of Bosworth and reappeared later to take
part in the Battle of Stoke, and then disappears from history.
Shakespeare has him defect to Henry VII’s army with Buckingham
at end of play.
Sir James Tyrrel, 1st Murderer
(Morgan Coley)
Knighted and member of Parliament, York supporter. Shakespeare
makes him the assassin hired by Richard III to murder the
boy princes in the Tower. In reality, Henry VII accused,
arrested, and executed him for treason. At that time he
supposedly confessed to supervising the boy princes’ murder
by 2 assassins. Also dispatched to take charge of the defense
of the Pale of Calais.
Earl of Richmond (Daniel Hronek)
Henry Tudor. Later Henry VII. Son of Margaret Beaufort
and Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond. Had been living in exile
in Brittany since Battle of Tewkesbury, all Lancaster faction
rallied around him as well as Yorkist opposing Richard III.
Tall, dark-haired, blue-eyed well built, athletic. His Brittany
navy hit by a storm at sea and he was therefore unable to
join Buckingham’s rebellion. Two years later he gathers
more men and makes a second attempt to invade England from
France, landing at Milford Haven, a Welsh port (Tudors are
Welsh, so the Welshmen flock to his aid.) Becomes 1st
Tudor king. Shrewd and avaricious, his reign ends War of
the Roses because he marries a York, Princess Elizabeth
(eldest daughter of Edward IV). 28 at the Battle of Bosworth.
Priests (Jason Price, Jaime Price)
Sir Christopher Urswick was Margaret Beaufort’s personal
agent and messenger. I’m not finding a whole lot on the
religious classes (although I’m sure it’s out there), but
generally around this time priests are some of the few classes
that can read and write, and produce most of the literature
at this time. It’s beginning to get into the corruption
that Chaucer wrote about in The Canterbury Tales…priests
are most definitely not all holy men. These priests seem
to be close confidants to the monarchy, so they probably
aren’t quite as corrupted as a common priest, but no less
likely to bend their definition of "sin" to suit
the monarch they serve.
Sir Robert Brakenbury, Keeper, Sheriff (Jay
Breaux)
Lieutenant of the Tower, arresting officer takes George
to Tower, fights in battle and is slain. Was Sheriff of
Cornwall though from the North, showing Richard III’s distrust
of local rule.
First Citizen, Mayor (Lance Marshall)
Second Citizen (Aaron Martin)
Third Citizen (Heather Mallory)
Lady Jane Shore (Amanda Allen)
Elizabeth Shore. Given name Jane by Edward IV. Married
to William Shore. Mistress to Edward IV, Lord Hastings,
Marquis of Dorset, and Thomas Lynom. Richard III, seeking
to "purify" England’s morals, made her walk the
streets dressed only in a kirtle and holding a taper. This
caused public sympathy for the quiet, well-spoken Jane and
helped to turn public opinion against Richard III.
Henry VI (Todd Deaver)
Marries Margaret of Anjou, has son Edward Prince of Wales.
Lost crown briefly during period of mental illness during
which Richard Duke of York (not in play) was Royal Protector
for one year. Upon Richard Duke of York’s dismissal, he
rebels against Henry VI and thus begins the War of the Roses.
Lost crown to Edward IV twice during reign. Murdered in
the Tower at age 50.
Edward, Prince of Wales (Dylan Henderson)
Son of Henry and Margaret. Anne Neville’s first husband,
but marriage was never consummated due to his mother’s wish
to keep annulment an option. Close to his mother and followed
her on many campaigns. Killed in Battle of Tewkesbury at
age 18. Shakespeare has him killed by Edward IV, George,
and Richard III. Deceased at beginning of play.
Earl of Oxford (Matt Oates)
John de Vere. Leader of the last Lancastrian invasion was
imprisoned at Hammes Castle but managed to escape, accompanied
by his jailer and join Henry VII.
Sir James Blunt (Josh Rambo)
Henry VII’s captain, takes note to Stanley in enemy camp.
Sir William Brandon (Chris Bordelon)
Henry VII’s standard bearer, killed in battle by Richard
III himself. Said to be "cut down."
Sir Walter Herbert (Tyler Ashbaugh)
Renowned soldier. Opposed Henry VII. Rumors were founded
that he would attack Henry VII as he left Milford Haven
Ladies in Waiting (Michelle Gold, Rana Jones)
Living in the times.
Although life was hard, the rich lived on
a high diet of meats, butter and cream. The poor struggled
in mud hovels on the grounds of their Lords castle or house,
eating the vegetables they could grow and food they could
catch. As the Wars advanced, ladies clothes become plainer,
while the male fashions become more and more splendid.
HOW TO BE A LADY-IN-WAITING
By Baroness Genevieve McCollum du Caen
(see www.mtsu.edu/~kgregg/dmir/17/1712.html)
When one is asked to be a lady-in-waiting by the Queen,
it is not only an honor, but it is taking on a responsibility
as well. A lady-in-waiting is responsible for making the
reign of the King and Queen easier, so she is not only serving
the Queen-- she is serving Crown as well. The Crown will
ALWAYS have meetings with peers, officers of state, and
petitioners and many other duties and responsibilities that
take up a great deal of time and energy. The responsibility
of a lady-in-waiting is to take care of things that the
Crown does not have time for, such as:
Friday
-Help unload the car
-Set up the tent
-Hang up Their clothes
-Start a fire
-See if you can set up close by
Saturday Morning
-Help Them dress
-Iron Their clothes
-Take Their feast gear to breakfast
-Make sure They get served fast
-Keep a list of things to be done and people that need to
be seen
-Make sure that feast gear gets washed and returned
Tourney
-Keep Queen amused
-Run errands
-Stay nearby because the Crown is not as mobile as you are
-Make sure They are comfortable
-Bring pillows to sit on
-Bring cloaks in cool weather, cool drinks in warm weather
War
-If the Queen fights, help her
with her armor
-If the Queen does not fight, handle as a tourney
Saturday Afternoon
-Start getting things ready for court- Iron
court costumes, if necessary
-Help Queen dress
-Be sure the Crown has any tokens that will be given en
out at court
-Set up cool drinks behind the thrones
-Make sure the thrones are set up where court will be held
Court
-Courts are generally long. Don't lock your
knees.
-If you begin to feel ill, leave; the Crown will excuse
you.
-The reason you are behind the thrones Is to serve the Crown.
Serve Them cool drinks, take care of presents and presentations
made to the Crown, go back for whatever they've forgotten,
etc.
Feast
-Make sure feast east gear is
set up in plenty of time
-Make sure the wine is cool in time for the feast
-At this point you can relax, but check with Them occasionally
to be sure everything is OK
-After the feast, make sure the dishes are washed and put
away
Revel
Relax. The Crown is on Their own.
Sunday
-Same routine as breakfast on
Saturday
-Get ready for curia as for court
-Help pack
-Double check that nothing is left
As you can probably see, this is a lot for one person to
do, which is why the Queen usually has several ladies-in-waiting.
Don't try to do everything yourself. At any given event, there
is plenty for everyone to do. Even though being a lady-in-waiting
is a lot of work, it can also be a great deal of fun. It is
an excellent opportunity to really learn the interworkings
of the Society.
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