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Overview

Synopsis

Floyd Dell’s A Long Time Ago is a short tragic fantasy with a production history nearly as colorful as the play’s story itself. The director of the original production costumed the characters to look like figures in a card game and had the actors wear wooden clogs that made them about eight inches taller. The result was unintended laughter from the audience. Today, the play reads more like a melodramatic fable, but the themes that audiences would have gravitated towards in 1913 are still very much present. A Long Time Ago packs a lot into its ten minutes and offers interesting material for high school or college and university theatre courses and short play festivals alike.

Show Information

Book
Floyd Dell
Category
Play
Age Guidance
Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
Number of Acts
1
First Produced
1913
Genres
Fairy Tale/Fantasy
Settings
Fantasy/Imaginary, Unit/Single Set
Time & Place
The courtyard of a palace.
Cast Size
small
Orchestra Size
None
Dancing
None
Licensor
None/royalty-free
Ideal For
Community Theatre, Ensemble Cast, Mostly Male Cast, Small Cast, High School, Includes Adult, Young Adult, Mature Adult, Elderly Characters

Context

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Plot

Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

The Fool

Ensemble

Male

Non-singer

The Old Woman

Ensemble

Female

Non-singer

The Prince

Ensemble

Male

Non-singer

The Sailor

Ensemble

Male

Non-singer

The Queen

Ensemble

Female

Non-singer

Songs

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A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.

Monologues

All monologues are the property and copyright of their owners.. Monologues are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this monologue, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.

Scenes

All scenes are the property and copyright of their owners. Scenes are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this scene, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.

Key Terms

Videos

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Quizzes

Themes, Symbols & Motifs

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Quote Analysis

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Guide Written By:

Kevan Dunkelberg

Kevan Dunkelberg

Oklahoma-based drama teacher, actor and playwright