“The Quest of Queen Thomas” Companion Study Guide

Show Summary: "The Quest of Queen Thomas" is a one-act theatre for young audiences play that follows Thomas, a 10-year-old child identifying as female. Her struggles with acceptance from her peers and support from her mother leave her wrapped up in an imaginary world of escape. In her fantasy world, she is Queen. With her sidekick Bartholomew, The Queen embarks on a quest to retrieve her crown, stolen by the evil witch. The Queen and Bartholomew must battle foes along the way, using courage and wit to persevere on a journey of self-discovery and acceptance. Will The Queen retrieve her crown and defeat the evil witch? And what does the real world

What Can I Expect from “The Quest of Queen

Post-Show Workshop: Our matinee performances will be followed by a brief workshop. Students will explore the following topics with our workshop facilitators:

• Play themes, such as friendship, self-confidence, identity, etc. • Acceptance of self and others • Tableaux • Character development

Post-Show Panel: A Q&A and discussion panel will follow our evening performances. Panelists will include pertinent members of the Emerson community and LGBTQ+ activists and allies. Stay tuned to our website for specific panelist information. We encourage audience members to stay for the panel discussion, and will take audience questions as time permits.

Donations: Although our performance is free, we will be accepting donations to be made to Camp Aranu’tiq, a summer camp for transgender and gender-variant youth in Newton Falls, Massachusetts. For more information about the camp and its programs, please visit their website here.

How Do I Talk to My Students About Gender

One of the many themes of “The Quest of Queen Thomas” is gender identity and expression. We are providing this genderbread person as a resource if you choose to discuss these ideas with your students. Other talking points and resources can be found on the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network here. Sample activity: Cookie Cutter People Distribute worksheet to each student. Prior to class, prepare and sort slips of paper with physical attributes and clothing on them (hair color/length, skirt/pants, blouse/t-shirt, type of shoes, etc.). Have each student draw a slip from each trait category. The student must then draw the traits onto the outline provided (next page). Ask students then to identify their person’s gender. Discuss how gender expression, gender identity, and biological sex relate.

 

Vocabulary for “The Quest of Queen Thomas”

T S A P F C R N E Q M L Z A B E N T R U S T C P O B B A N W S O I M V S K R Y L X S U E Q Y J H D U F G E O E N U D O A W M C R P A I M D Q V T H O M A S T U Q U E E N A M B C F T I Y O U R S E L F C R V D A L X D S T O I E I T Q U R O I E T A M P E O P D F A V N S A R E N U T A O I M E B E N T D H X J N R H W

ENSEMBLE     YOURSELF       ACCEPT  

TABLEAU     FRIEND         LOVE  

QUEEN       TIARA  

THOMAS     TRUST  

QUEST       UNDERSTAND