James IV: Queen of the Fight (NHB Modern Plays)
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Scotland, 1504, seen fresh through the eyes of new arrivals Ellen and Anne, two Moorish women who were expected to take their place at a royal court… but not this one.
Both women now have to fight to find and keep a place in the dazzling, dangerous world of the Scottish court of James IV. It's a world where war is never far away, words of love and promises of peace are not what they seem, and where poets might turn out to be more dangerous than any assassin.
Rona Munro continues her journey through an uncharted period of Scottish history with James IV: Queen of the Fight, which was first presented in 2022 by Raw Material and Capital Theatres in association with National Theatre of Scotland, and directed by Laurie Sansom.
It follows the spectacular success of Munro's plays about James I, II and III, which were first performed by National Theatre of Scotland, transferred to the National Theatre, London, and were named Best New Play at the Evening Standard Awards.
'Epic and intimate... abounds with curious, colourful characters... Scotland's answer to Shakespeare's cycle of history plays. The similarities are there in the scope of [Munro's] script, the cross-section of courtly society she presents and in the flashes of humour that illuminate the evening. Most of all, they are in the play's questing contemplation of royal and national identity, then and now... a fun and fascinating riposte to Shakespeare' - The Stage
'Explosive and chilling' - Guardian
'Ambitious and admirable... a history play that says a great deal about modern Scotland' - Financial Times
Rona Munro
Rona Munro has written extensively for stage, radio, film and television including the award winning plays Iron, Bold Girls and The Maiden Stone. Other plays include Long Time Dead produced by Paines Plough Theatre Company and The Indian Boy produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company and adaptations Mary Barton and Watership Down which were produced by Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre and the Lyric Hammersmith. Film and television work includes the Ken Loach film Ladybird Ladybird, Aimee and Jaguar and television dramas Rehab and BAFTA nominated Bumping The Odds for the BBC. She has also written many other single plays for radio and television and contributed to series such as Casualty and Dr Who. Rona Munro is one of Scotland's leading writers. Her play The Last Witch premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival 2009 while her translation of Federico García Lorca's The House of Bernarda Alba was first presented at the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, on 17 September 2009, by the National Theatre of Scotland, and subsequently toured to the Dundee Rep Theatre, the Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline, and the King's Theatre, Edinburgh.
More by Rona Munro
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