THE MISSING

QUEEN

Calliope Theatre Company

Study Guide
 THE MISSING QUEEN
Welcome to The Missing Queen by Calliope Theatre
Company! Our touring production of The Missing Queen,
has been designed to “Educate, Enlighten & Entertain!”

Calliope Theatre Company’s The Missing Queen is an

interactive performance and we encourage your students’
participation. We will be asking a number of your students
to join us on stage.

In this Study Guide, developed by professional educators and English-language teachers, you
will find Pre- and Post-Performance Activities and Discussion Topics, as well as teacher and
student resources. For students who are learning English we have also included key vocabulary
so that your students will get the most out of our performances. This Study Guide may be
reproduced and distributed to students. It can be found on our website
www.calliopetheatrecompany.pt

Calliope Theatre Company welcomes your opinion & suggestions on our performances and
Study Guides, so that we can continue to provide teachers and students with the finest in-
school, educational theatre experience.

We love hearing from students and teachers. Please encourage your students to
leave a comment on our Facebook Page or write us letters and tell us what you
thought of the show!

Sincerely,
Stori, Meg and Matthew
Calliope Theatre Company

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Vocabulary and Activities that are highlighted in red are the most important in ensuring
that your students understand and enjoy The Missing Queen. s If you only have a limited
amount of time to prepare your students for the show, we suggest you focus on these
Vocabulary Items & Activities.

All of the Activities in our Study Guide may be copied and given to your students.

THE MISSING QUEEN – Play Synopsis………………………………………………..…….…..…..4

WHO’S WHO – Queen Elizabeth, Bess Throckmorton, Walter Raleigh…………………....…………..5 & 6

THE COURTEOUS COURTIERS.........……………………...…….……………… ……….……….7

THE SPIRITED SEAFARERS ………………………………...…….…………………..…….……..8

THE AGE OF DISCOVERY……………………………..……………………………………………..9 & 10

THE AGE OF DISCOVERY – Activity~ Write a Letter.……………………………………………….11

VOCABULARY……………………………………….……….……………………………………...12 & 13

VOCABULARY ACTIVITIES……………………….…...…….…………………………..………..14 - 16

THEATRE – Discuss & Draw Activity………………………………………………….…………….…17

.
RIDDLE ME THIS!........................................................................….…………………………...……18

FUN RIDDLES………………………..……….………………………..…………………………..…..19

ABOUT THE ARTISTS…………………………………………………………………………………20

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Calliope Theatre Company’s Play ~ Synopsis
Parties…Dancing…Palace Intrigue! Life in the Court of Queen Elizabeth I is so…
dull! And Elizabeth is bored…very, very bored. First, she tries her hand at a bit of
match-making between her beloved friends, Lady Bess Throckmorton and Sir
Walter Raleigh, but they hate each other on sight. So Elizabeth decides it’s time for
a vacation and a bit of fun. It’s up to Bess and Walter to find England’s “Missing
Queen.” In their hilarious adventures, they meet unusual creatures, solve the riddles
and learn that working together (with the help of your students!) is the only way to
find their wayward Queen!

Novus Orbis, a map of the “New World” created in 1540. The upper land mass was
what they thought North America looked like and the lower portion was South
America. In 1540, much of the New World was yet to be explored!

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Who’s Who in ThE MissinG QUEEn?
Although we have taken great liberty with their characterisations, many of the people in our
play actually existed.
QUEEN ELIZABETH I
A Different Kind of Queen
Elizabeth was a different kind of Queen: quick-witted and clever. But
she could be as ruthless and calculating as any king. Her reign is often
called the Golden Age.

Early Years
What influences shaped the young Elizabeth? Her mother was the ill-
fated Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII. Henry desperately
wanted a son and when Elizabeth was born he was so disappointed that
he did not even attend her christening. When Elizabeth was two years
old her mother, Anne, was beheaded.
Elizabeth was brought up in the care of governesses and spent her days
studying Greek and Latin. Elizabeth was also taught the art of public
speaking, unheard of for women at the time.
Elizabeth is Crowned
Elizabeth was aged twenty-five when she became the Queen of England. Her Coronation was
spectacular and as the crowds rushed forward to meet her, she would stop to listen to ordinary
people on the street. She knew that she needed their support but she also felt a deep sense of
responsibility for their welfare. The people were thrilled with their new Queen. Elizabeth was
an instant hit!
Marriage
The welfare of her people was the most important thing to Elizabeth and she once remarked, “I
am already bound unto a husband which is the Kingdom of England.” For personal and
political reasons, Elizabeth simply did not wish to be married.

“I have reigned with your love.”

Elizabeth's greatest achievement lay in the relationship
she had created with her people. She was ahead of her
time in her grasp of public relations and she was
rewarded with the devotion of her people.

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Who’s Who in THE MISSING QUEEN?
Sir Walter Raleigh

Sir Walter Raleigh was an English writer and explorer. He

is best known for establishing an one of the first colonies in
North America. Sir Walter Raleigh also made two trips to
South America in search of El Dorado, the legendary city of
gold. Instead of gold, he found tobacco and potatoes.

A favourite of Queen Elizabeth I, Raleigh was also known

for his chivalry. On one occasion he is said to have put his
cloak on the ground so that Queen Elizabeth did not have
to step in a muddy puddle.

Raleigh was well-educated, well-read and well-travelled and it is

said that he had a wonderful sense of humour.

Unlike our story, the Queen became very upset when Raleigh
married one of her ladies in waiting, Bess Throckmorton.
However, she forgave him when one of his expeditions to Spain
resulted in the capture of a large treasure.

Elizabeth “Bess” Throckmorton

Elizabeth, known also as "Bess", was a lady in waiting to
Queen Elizabeth I. She secretly married Sir Walter Raleigh
and the Queen was furious with both of them for many
years.
Bess is said to have been intelligent, passionate, and
courageous. Due to Raleigh's frequent absences on
explorations and expeditions, Bess had to shoulder an
unusual level of responsibility for a woman of her time. In
spite of this, Bess and Walter remained devoted to each
other.

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Your students will be invited to join us on stage. These are some of the characters
they will be portraying.
The Courteous Courtiers
Leonardo da Vinci
Born in 1452, Leonardo da Vinci was an artist, scientist, and inventor during
the Italian Renaissance. He is considered by many to be one of the most
talented and intelligent people of all time. The term Renaissance Man
(someone who does many things very well) was coined from Leonardo's many
talents. He most famous for his paintings, the Last Supper and the Mona Lisa
as well as his engineering notebooks.

Marie Antoinette – Queen of France

Marie Antoinette, the daughter of Emperor of Austria, married the Prince of
France at the age of 15. This wasn't the romantic marriage that you see in the
movies. This marriage was meant to form an alliance between the two
countries. In 1774, her husband was crowned King Louis XVI. Marie loved
being Queen and she spent lavishly on parties, dresses, jewellery, and fancy
hairdos. However, the average person in France was very poor and didn't
have enough money to buy bread to feed their families. The people began to
blame Marie, the “Austrian Princess”, for their problems. During the French
Revolution, Marie Antoinette was brought to trial, found guilty and was
executed by guillotine in 1793.
Sir Lancelot
The fictional character, Sir Lancelot du Lac
(meaning Lancelot of the Lake) is one of the
Knights of the Round Table in the King Arthur
legends.

Scheherazade
Scheherazade, is a fictional character in One Thousand
and One Nights. Condemned to die, she began telling
stories to the king and he would spare her life to finish the
story the next night. The next night, she finished the story
and began an even more exciting tale, which she again stopped halfway through at
dawn. Again, the king spared her life for one more day so she could finish the
story. At the end of 1,001 nights and 1,000 stories, the king fell in love with her,
and made her his queen.

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Your students will be invited to join us on stage. These are some of the characters
they will be portraying.
The Spirited Seafarers
Prince Henry the Navigator
Prince Henry the Navigator was a Portuguese explorer, soldier
and prince. The Age of Exploration began in the nation of
Portugal under the leadership of Henry the Navigator.
Although Prince Henry rarely participated in explorations
himself, he sent out many ships to map and explore the west
coast of Africa. Prince Henry explorations brought great
wealth to Portugal. In 1419, it is said that Prince Henry started
the first school of navigation at Sagres, Portugal. The goal of
the school was to train people in navigation, map-making and
science to prepare them to sail around the west coast of Africa.

Anne Bonny – The Pirate

Anne Bonny was a legendary female pirate who was part of Calico
Jack’s crew. Anne Bonny, together with another female pirate called
Mary Read, were active participants in Jack’s crew, fighting right
alongside the men and earning their respect Born in Ireland, Anne
Bonny had red hair and a legendary fiery temper. It is hard to separate
the legend from the facts of Anne Bonny. The only thing we can be sure
of is that she was a strong, independent woman, who was way ahead of
her time. The 18th century was still a time when women did not have
many rights. But in this man's world Anne Bonny became an equal
crewmember and a respected pirate.
Sinbad the Sailor
Sinbad the Sailor is a fictional hero in the Eastern
folk tales of One Thousand and One Nights. During
his voyages throughout the seas east of Africa and
south of Asia, he has fantastic adventures going to
magical places and meeting supernatural monsters.

Ariel
Ariel is a fictional character and the title
character of the famous Disney animated
film, The Little Mermaid.

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Age of Discovery

Also known as the Age of Exploration, this was a period in history starting in the early 15th
century and continuing into the early 17th century when Europeans engaged in explorations of
the world.

So why did Europeans explore the world during the Age of Exploration? Many different
European countries paid for explorations for many different reasons. Some of the reasons that
they explored were:
To find a sea route to the spices of Asia
To find gold, silver, and precious stones
To expand their knowledge of the world
To control a larger empire
To expand Christianity
Sea Route in Search of Spices
In the 1400s, there was no refrigeration. To prevent meat from spoiling, people put their meat in
salt to preserve and dry it. They also used a lot of spices like pepper to cover up the taste of the
salted or spoiled meat.

But these spices did not grow in Europe. They were only found in Asian countries like China,
Japan, and India (these countries were known together as "The Indies"). But, spices had to be
brought across thousands of miles of dangerous mountains and deserts. Since it was so difficult
to get spices from Asia to Europe, spices were very expensive. If a country could find a way to
get these valuable spices to Europe, the rulers would be very rich.
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Age of Discovery

Gold, Silver, and Precious Stones

European rulers fought many wars. These wars were very expensive, so they needed to find
gold, silver, and precious stones to pay for them. They believed that the Indies and the New
World were rich with gold, silver, and precious stones, so they decided to find them and bring
them back.

Expand Knowledge
In the late 1400s, Europeans did not know much about the world. Most of them had never been
outside of Europe. The European map of the world included only Europe, Asia, and the top of
Africa. They thought there was only one ocean, the Ocean Sea. Although many people thought
the world was flat, educated Europeans knew that it was round. The problem was they had no
idea how large the world really was.

Larger Empires
Many European rulers wanted to claim as much land as they could. They wanted to take all of
the natural resources from the new lands and use the people that lived there as slaves to do their
work.

Expand Christianity
In the late 1400s, there was only one religion in Europe, Christianity. The European rulers were
very religious. They wanted to convert everyone to Christianity.

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Age of Discovery

ACTIVITY – Write a Letter Home!

The once blue sky has turned a dirty shade of grey. The wind begins to howl. The
ocean is endless. My small wooden ship groans as large waves break over its bow. I
am sailing toward a distant unknown land.

Ask students to pretend that they are a famous Explorer, writing a letter to their friends and
family back at home. Ask students to think about some of these questions as they write their
letter.
Where did they go?
Who did they meet?
What did they find?
How did they feel?
What did they like?
What did they not like?

Below is a list of just a few of the famous Explorers from the Age of Discovery. Ask students
to choose one of these Explorers and learn about them before they write their letter.
Bartolomew Dias Gil Eanes John Cabot Vasco De Gama
Hernando Cortez Francisco Pizarro Sir Francis Drake
Amerigo Vespucci Juan Ponce de Leon Vasco de Balboa
Ferdinand Magellan Christopher Columbus

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Vocabulary
The following is a list of some of the vocabulary from the play which teachers may choose to
pre-teach before the performance.

NOUNS
The Queen of England Lady in Waiting Wife Husband
Marriage Friend Foe (Enemy) Hero
Gentleman Matchmaker Liar Explorer
Seafarer Courtier Jester Fool
Old Maid Crone Kidnapper Chicken
A present (a gift) Gold Silver Jewel
Potato Dessert Chocolate Coffee Beans
A drink A snack Food Crisps (Potato Chips)
England Scotland Wales Nation
Globe World New World Ocean
Party Gossip Adventure Hobby
Past-time Idea Tradition Manners
Good Manners Holiday Competition Contest
A team Goody Two Shoes Joke Knock-Knock Joke
Castle Palace Tunnel Passage
Statue Gargoyle Guard Toll
Library Door Note Riddle
Clue A rule Truth A Lie
Patience Logic Book
DID YOU KNOW?...
A Gargoyle is a grotesque statue, carved out of stone. Gargoyles are usually
found on old buildings and churches. A long time ago people believed that they
scared away evil spirits, but Gargoyles actually were important because they were
water spouts that got the water away from a building when it rained. The rainwater
would run off of the roof and then through the gargoyle’s mouth.
ADJECTIVES
Boring Dull Exciting Unexciting Funny Silly
Goofy Ditsy Old Ancient Young Free
Single Happy Nice Insolent Ignorant Rude
Irritating Polite Prissy Lucky Honest Respectful
Favourite Secret Difficult Dangerous Starving Hungry
Cold Dark Damp Cool Calm Confusing
Spirited Vibrant Logical Interesting Courteous

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Vocabulary
The following is a list of some of the vocabulary from the play which teachers may choose to
pre-teach before the performance.

VERBS
To travel To explore To sail To circumnavigate
To leave To return To hold To forget
To search To look To come To bring
To give To solve To tease To joke
To practice To marry To find To learn
To win To lose To stare To say
To pay To worry To kidnap To dance
To interrupt To eat To laugh To read
To practice To wait To kidnap To spin

PHRASAL VERBS
To keep waiting To be kind To be well-behaved
To make sense To be patient To make a friend
To use patience To calm down To go on a date (to date someone)

PHRASES and EXPRESSIONS

Mind your manners!
Good Manners are never out of fashion!
Good manners cost nothing!
If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.
This is a waste of time!
This is a fool’s errand!
You’re past-your-sell date!
Laughter is worth its weight in gold.
I’ve got news for you.
Who cares?
You’re a regular Albert Einstein!
That makes no sense!
That’s the way the cookie crumbles!
Searching high and low
Fair and Square

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ACTIVITY # 1 – Vocabulary-Adjectives - Synonyms

Ask students to match the adjectives in column A

with their synonyms in column B.

Example: hot - sunny

A B
1.) Pretty a) Silly
2.) Old b) Crazy
3.) Funny c) Insolent
4.) Clever d) Beautiful
5.) Amazing e) Bad
6.) Rude f) Difficult
7.) Insane g) Ancient
8.) Awful h) Intelligent
9.) Hard i) Wonderful

ACTIVITY # 2 – Vocabulary-Adjectives-Opposites

Ask students to match the adjectives in column A

with their opposites in column B.
Example: pretty - ugly

A B
1.) Pretty a) Young
2.) Mature b) Mean
3.) Terrible c) Well-behaved
5.) Rude e) Wonderful
6.) Vain f) Ignorant
7.) Hard g) Humble
8.) Wise h) Ugly
9.) Nice i) Easy
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ACTIVITY – Vocabulary – NOUNS

Ask students to select the nouns from the list and put them into the correct related categories
below. (The maximum number of words per category is indicated in brackets.)

NOUNS

Queen Jester The New World Potato

Gold England Friend Liar
Castle A present (a gift) Coffee Beans Tunnel
Book Hero Silver Matchmaker
Jewel Gargoyle Explorer Seafarer
Courtier Guard Foe (Enemy) Chocolate

People (12) Places (4) Objects (8)

___________________
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_________ _____________
_________ _____________
_________ _____________
_________ _____________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
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ACTIVITY – Word Soup

Ask students to find the words listed below in the puzzle.

QUEEN ADVENTURE GARGOYLE
CHOCOLATE RIDDLE MANNERS
BESS DA VINCI WALTER RALEIGH
PRINCE HENRY EXPLORER

N K E L I O F R A G D W M Q R
Z S M G C U J R E A L A V A E
G S A P N H J K L R D L Z L X
Y W N M I R P W N G G T W L P
F Z N E V L U E R O I E C O L
C G E P A W N R L Y N R B R O
E A R A D E W U B L X R W T R
T A S C E D O T D E K A S X E
A W T U E P I N N L A L X Z R
L J Q K A M G E U L I E E M W
O N V T D R S V X L M I L M P
C V R H R G S D U I L G D F I
O A J W N C E A L D D H D U W
H Z N E O Z B G P V Y X I I V
C Q Q Y R N E H E C N I R P G
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THEATRE
~ Theatre features live on-stage actors. They have spent
many weeks rehearsing for the performance.
~ The audience is a very important part of the performance.
The success of the play often depends on the audience
and their enthusiasm and participation.
~ It is easy to identify with live actors. You can see how
they use their bodies and voices to convey different
emotions.
~ Actors wear clothing and make-up to help create the
characters they play.
~ There is much more to most live performances than
actors. Special scenery, effects, lighting, music,
costumes, and of course, the audience add to the total
experience.

ACTIVITY – Discuss & DRAW!

After reading the above, ask students to discuss some of

the theatre questions below.

1.) What was your favourite part of the play? Who was
your favourite character and why?

2.) What is the difference between TV and a live play?

Which do you like better and why?

3.) Draw a picture of a favourite scene or character.

4.) Design a programme cover for the play using the title,
and an illustration inspired by the play.
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5.) In 25 words or less, describe the plot of the play.
 THE MISSING QUEEN
RIDDLE ME THIS!

In our play, Bess and Walter Raleigh must learn to work together to solve a number of
riddles. A riddle is a misleading or puzzling question. Have students work together in teams
to solve our riddle!

There are two doors. One door leads to the Queen. The other door leads to
certain Death! At each door there is a guard. One of the guards always tells
the truth. The other guard always lies.
You may ask one question to only one guard to solve the riddle!
Remember that you do not know which guard you're asking -- the truth-teller
or the liar -- and this single question determines whether you find the Queen or
die!
What is the one question you will ask?

If students cannot solve the riddle here are two videos that might help:

http://youtu.be/aoe-8tQpZIQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_858646&feature=i
v&src_vid=aoe-8tQpZIQ&v=S4htBvc_sSU

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Here are some other fun riddles to ask your students!

Q. What has a face and two hands but no arms or legs?
A. A clock!
Q. What is the easiest way to double your money?
A. Put it in front of the mirror of course!
Q. What has a thumb and four fingers but is not alive?
A. A glove.
Q. What has to be broken before you can use it?
A. An egg.
Q. What has a neck but no head?
A. A bottle.
Q. What gets wetter as it dries?
A. A towel.
Q. What goes up and doesn’t come back down?
A. Your age.
Q. What belongs to you but is used more by others?
A. Your name.
Q. Everyone has it and no one can lose it, what is it?
A. A shadow.
Q. It's been around for millions of years, but it's no more than a month old. What is it?
A. The moon.

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About the artists
Stori Maree (Queen Elizabeth I, Gary Gargoyle Blue Door Guard) Stori is excited
to be joining Calliope Theatre Company for her third year! She has a
background is in musical theatre and concert choir, appearing in regional
productions of Fiddler on the Roof and Oklahoma!, and was a freestyle level 4
figure skater. At O’More College of Design, she completed her BFA in Interior
Design, with additional concentrations in scenic design, and garment and pattern
construction. Stori performed with The Gallatin Players while she continued her
education at NYU. A Vinyasa yoga instructor, she moved to Portugal in 2017,
specializing in making Vinyasa accessible to beginners.
Meg Thurin (Elizabeth ‘Bess’ Throckmorton, Red Door Guard) Originally from the
United States, Meg graduated from John Cabot University with a Bachelor of
Arts and received her postgraduate degree from the Istituto Arte Artiginato e
Restauro, Rome, Italy. Since moving to Portugal in 2009, Meg has worked with
Avalon Theatre Company, participated in various voice-over projects and has
performed in a TV sitcom pilot filmed in Lisbon. Most recently, Meg became the
featured voice for iClio's - JiTT Travel app guides for many major cities in
Europe. Meg is a co-founder of Calliope Theatre Company and looks forward to
seeing the teachers and students that she met during her 5 years with Avalon
Theatre Company.

Matthew Lloyd (Sir Walter Raleigh) Originally from England, Matthew worked
with The Ferndown Drama Group, Huntington Drama Group, Chesil Theatre
and the Royal Navy Theatre Association. He has acted in a variety of full-
length works including pantomimes and dramatic plays such as Wind in the
Willows (Toad) and Pygmalion. Matthew has directed such works as The
Anniversary and Steel Magnolias and has served as Stage Manager for a
variety of theatre companies. Matthew has an MBA from Cranfield School of
Management. After his 17 years in the British Royal Navy (including time
spent with NATO, Portugal), Matthew moved permanently to Cascais.
Matthew is a co-founder of Calliope Theatre Company.

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