MAESTRO ​He’s in his 60s. English. Once a famous orchestra conductor and violinist in London. Since then he is the leader/director of troop of actors and musicians which he calls the KING’S PLAYERS. A natural ham actor, he often quotes and misquotes Shakespeare to suit his purpose.
GUINEVERE (​Gwen.) Also English. fifteen or twenty years younger than the Maestro. Once a famous ingénue actress on the London stage. The Maestro’s would-be companion and fellow player in his company.
DRUDGE ​In his late or middle twenties. He has a pronounced limp. He stutters when he’s with a crowd of people, the result of PTSD for being a soldier. The Maestro calls him the Drudge because he considers him the “all brawn, no brains” company worker. The name has stuck and everyone calls him that. He is the company’s jack-of-all trades and really does most of the creative work of the company.
NOELLE ​She is a bit younger than the Drudge. She is the Comtesse Noelle Marie-Anne d’Agincourt, from a noble French family before the French revolution. All but her uncle and her were killed during the “Great Terror.”
NIKI ​In his early or late 40s. A citizen of the world who keeps his surname to himself. An unprincipled rake who hides behind a charming smile.
OTTO ​Major Otto von Schliessen, brother to the Grand Duke. In his forties or fifties. A foolish man with foolish ideas and easily duped.
HANS ​In his late teens or early twenties. A captain in the Prussian Hussars. A deserter.