The Prince and the Pauper

You are a Prince, not a pauper. And before too long the whole of England will be in your hands...

Jemma Kennedy’s stage adaptation of The Prince and the Pauper is a dynamic and fast-paced adaptation of Mark Twain’s 1881 classic novel of confused identities. Set in a gritty, vibrant Tudor London, the poverty-stricken Tom Canty has a chance meeting with the young heir to the throne, Prince Edward, and - by pure coincidence - they find they look almost identical.

The Prince and the Pauper tells the story of what happens when one person is mistaken for the other and what happens to them in the long-term: Tom Canty is forced into the world of the court and power, while Edward is cast down into a world of poverty and thieves, from which he must fight his way back to the court.

First produced at the Unicorn Theatre, the UK’s leading theatre for young audiences aged 2 - 21 from the 25th November 2012 to the 13 January 2013.

Jemma Kennedy is a playwright, novelist and screenwriter. She was Pearson Playwright at the National Theatre in 2010/11 and became part of the inaugural Soho 6 writing scheme with the Soho Theatre Company in 2012.