Tensions are high between the kingdoms of Nori, Litara, & Baladir as they try to negotiate a peace treaty. Desperate to preserve her kingdom and keep her daughter safe, the Queen of Nori asks her Weapons Engineer to create a new weapon of war, and he delivers a dark magic. Litara breaks the peace treaty, and the resulting war forces all three rulers to reckon with the cost of conflict.
This show contains brief flashing lights.
Queen of NörI
Act I
SCENE 1
Tensions are high as the three Rulers in the land of Kidado, The Queen of Nöri, The King of Baladir, and the Ruler of Litara come together to sign a peace tenuous treaty, in which none of them place much faith. The Princess of Nöri is excited for the arrival of the other rulers, as this is the first time she has been invited to participate in politics. The Ruler of Litara arrives showing off their virtuosity and strength. The King of Baladir soon follows, showing his distrust and control in the face of his enemies. The three rulers come to a fragile agreement and then depart, leaving the Queen alone with her thoughts.
SCENE 2
The Queen reflects on her dire situation; weighing her options between anxiety, abdication, and aggression which are personified as mysterious Advisors. As her thoughts threaten to overwhelm her, she is interrupted by a knock at the door.
SCENE 3
The Weapons Engineer of Nöri, confers with the Queen about the latest weapons of war. The Queen, frustrated and overwhelmed, knows that her kingdom is far too small to defend itself with conventional weapons when the tenuous peace is inevitably broken. The Queen demands a new weapon from the Engineer in hopes that she can find something to give them a strategic advantage.
SCENE 4
The Engineer returns to her workshop to attempt to create something to please the Queen. The power she discovers, through trial and error, has the potential to finally shift the balance of power between the three kingdoms in Nöri’s favor…
SCENE 5
The Princess, excited to discuss matters of importance with her mother, is engrossed in the treaty, hopeful at the prospect of peace from the war that has gone on her whole life. Her mother doesn’t share her optimism, and confusion turns to anger turns to anguish as the Queen recalls the death of her partner, and the devastation the war brought to herself and her daughter.
SCENE 6
The city rejoices as the soldiers return from the war. The Queen struggles to relate to their happiness in the face of her own past losses and the reality that the war is not over, but dormant. The Princess tries to engage her mother, but they are interrupted by a message from the Engineer.
SCENE 7
The Queen returns to the Engineer’s lab, annoyed at having been torn away from time with her daughter yet again. Her annoyance quickly turns to shock at the Engineer’s reveal of magic, and she quickly realizes the potential for a military advantage. After the test of the magic her thoughts are unified–she hesitates only a moment in thinking of her daughter before resolving to fight.
Queen of NörI
Act II
SCENE 1
The Engineer teaches the Nörian soldiers the spell, and they feel prepared for the inevitable conflict. The Ruler of Litara breaks the treaty first by attacking Baladir, reigniting the war in search of glory and honor in combat. Nöri enters the war against both sides with magic. In the midst of the war, Baladir steals the secrets of magic and equalizes the battle, leading to the death of the Ruler of Litara’s second-in-command. All three kingdoms are devastated by the magical war, and the Rulers begin to truly reckon with what horrors they have brought on their people.
SCENE 2
The Princess is horrified and furious at her mother’s actions, confronting her with the torn treaty. The soldiers return home again, this time dejected and broken. The Engineer is haunted by the damage their creation has caused. The Ruler of Litara cannot face their sword. The King of Baladir immediately outlaws magic. The Queen seeks to reconcile with her daughter, but the Princess isn’t ready.
SCENE 3
The Princess reflects on her changing relationship with her distant mother and long-dead father. Her own thoughts, once again personified as Advisers present her with modified versions of the human impulses towards Freeze, Flight, & Fight. She considers them all in a more measured way than her mother, ultimately realizing she has to carry herself forward as an adult.
SCENE 4
The Queen and Engineer lash out at themselves and each other, trying to understand how they have created this horror. Both reckon with their own grief and guilt, and as the Engineer turns one final time to look to the Queen for direction, she leaves the Engineer on her own to contemplate her part in the war and destruction. As the Engineer is consumed by guilt and shame, guards come to take her away to an uncertain end.
SCENE 5
The Queen, once again alone, struggles to process all that has happened. She reflects on her responsibility as monarch and her wrong-doing, ultimately concluding she should step aside as ruler of Nöri.
SCENE 6
The Queen hands off her crown to her daughter, acknowledging her mistakes and putting her faith in the next generation. The three rulers confront each other once again, but are more open to listen and to change. The Princess takes her mother’s place in the trio, and the rulers slowly start to build trust, as the Ruler of Litara reflects on what they have lost, and the King of Baladir becomes willing to move forward with a new leader at the helm. The ensemble finds its first moments of unison, a sigh of relief in what has been an uncertain world. The Princess finishes the show center stage where she began, this time more centered, self-assured, and now the Queen of Nöri.
Queen of Nöri
VANESSA MARTÍNEZ DE BAÑOS
Princess of Nöri
DAYNA CHUN
WEAPONS ENGINEER
ASHLEY CARTER
KING OF BALADIR
ALEX LANTZ
RULER OF LITARA
MO KEARNS
ADVISORS
EMMA HUGHES
MADELYN BIVEN
TRINITY INMAN
ENSEMBLE
CAROLYN FEHER
SOPHIA KANESHIRO
KELSEY KOMINEK
ALEXIS NATIVIDAD
KIRSTEN SANTHANY
ABIGAIL STANLEY
ESTHER TANG
YOUTH ENSEMBLE
LIBERTY CARPENTER
KIAE KOTAS
ROSABELLA MEDIATI
DIRECTED & CHOREOGRAPHED
HOLLY STONE
MUsic composed & Performed
IAN GUTHRIE
LIGHTING DESIGN
CHRIS GOUVIEA
(based on work by Julia Grace Kelley)
DRAMATURG & PRODCTION ASSISTANT
CASEY COPELAND
ILLUSTRATIon
RACHEL COPELAND
GRAPHIC and WEb DESIGN
MELA HOLCOMB
COSTUMES
HOLLY STONE
CAROLYN FEHER
JEWELLING
MAYA GIARDINA
SPECIAL THANKS TO
KDA
Show made possible through studio donation/project coordination from KDA
DANCE COMPLEX
ARTHUR MURRAY BURLINGTON
MAX REINHOLD
DAISY BILENKIN
PIEN BOUWHUIS
MARYKAY MENTZER
MIKE SENATORE
VICTOR STONE & JANE HENLEY-STONE
The Queen of Nori 