Mary Stuart

Written by Friedrich Schiller

Translated by Peter Oswald

Directed by Neil Blackadder

Mary Stuart is imprisoned in England—nominally for the murder of her husband, Darnley, but actually because she has pushed her claim to the throne of England currently held by her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. Even though Elizabeth ordered Mary’s imprisonment eighteen years ago, she hesitates over signing her death sentence. She realizes that even though Mary, a Catholic, is a threat to her Protestant throne, it may be even more dangerous to execute her, because of Mary’s many friends and allies in Scotland and France. Mary, of course, hopes for a reprieve.