TimePlays

In the Great Hall, Shakespeare's company, the King's Men are rehearsing a new play for James I. Behind a tapestry, Elizabeth I enjoys a duel of words with Mary Queen of Scots' quick-witted envoy, Sir James Melville....And in the corridors and the courtyeards, Henry VIII's new love, Anne Boleyn, flirts dangerously with poet Thomas Wyatt; Queen Anne prepares for a day's hunting with her long-suffering companion ...

These stories and more from Hampton Court's rich history are brought to life by a company of up to fifteen actors in a specially-commissioned series of micro plays by award-winning playwright Elizabeth Kuti, directed by Pia Furtado.

The daily schedule is:

11:00 Tudor Welcome (meet in Base Court)
11:30 Henry VIII annd his Musicians (Great Watching Chamber)
12:00 Who is the Fairest? (Council Chamber)
12:30 Shakespeare's Rehearsal (Great Hall)
14:00 Queen Anne goes Hunting (Fountain Court)
14:00 Honeymoon Troubles (Queen's Staircase to the Queen's Presence Chamber) Fri - Sun only
14:30 Petticoat Government (King's Staircase to the King's Presence Chamber) Wed - Sun only
14:30 The King, The Queen and his Mistress (Queen's Staircase for the Communication Gallery) Wed - Sun only
14:40 An English Lesson (meet at the Queen's Staircase)
15:30 Across Five Centuries: Monologues (Queen's Staircase for the Cartoon Gallery)
16:00 500 years in a Day Finale (meet in Fountain Court)
16:15 Toast 500 years at the Wine Fountain (Base Court)

Other TimePlays encounters for you to discover include....

Henry VIII's new love, Anne boleyn flirting dangerously with poet Thomas Wyatt (Wed - Sun only)
Jane Seymour's midwife and doctor engaging in a heated discussion about the birth of Henry VIII's hoped for male heir
Jane Seymour in the days after the birth of Edward VI, before her death, reflecting on the pressure to have a son (Fri - Sun only)
William III coming to terms with the loss of his beloved wife, Mary (Mon, Tues & Fri - Sun only)
Oliver Cromwell hearing the unwelcome news that his prisoner, Charles I, has escaped in the night

A co-production between Historic Royal Palaces and Past Pleasures Ltd. Included in the ticket price.