Serving Elizabeth
by Marcia Johnson

July 21- 31

The year is 1952. Mercy, a Nyeri, Kenya restaurant owner is vehemently anti-monarchy – and has also been given the opportunity to cook for the visiting Princess Elizabeth, moments from her ascension to throne. With her daughter by her side, can she still stick to her principles? Or is this an opportunity of a different kind? The year is also 2015. Tia, a Kenyan-Canadian film student is a vehement fan of the royals – and is also interning on a splashy new TV series, all about Queen Elizabeth II. When she reads the episode about then Princess Elizabeth’s visit to Kenya, she begins to question what she’s been a fan of all along… Can she use this opportunity to make her feelings known? These two distant timelines come together in a surprising turn-of-events, exploring colonialism, nationalism, unconscious bias, and what happens when the story that gets told isn’t really the truth. The Players is proud to share the U.S. premiere of Marcia Johnson’s enthralling new play, previously seen at the famous Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada.