Broceliande: The Death of Merlin

"And as he taught me of his sorcery,
and I grew wise and powerful, I saw
this stately lord diminish in my sight
to a repulsive, withered, grasping thing
that would not give me peace; how loathsome he
became to me! I wished him dead, or worse,
and dreamed of being free to use his gifts
to make myself the lord of other men;
for why should I, so young and fair, endure
this aged creature, lone and desperate?"

from "Broceliande: The Death of Merlin"

Praise for Broceliande

"...edgy, intelligent, lit-dorky...back and ready to rule."
-Caitlin Gilmet, freelance writer

"...intense and riveting...exhilarating, well-acted and visually compelling."
-Scott Pakudaitis, photographer

"...a brilliant job of combining classical theatre presentation with spoken word slam poetry...you haven't lived until you've seen a bunch of blue hair rocking to Arthurian hip-hop."
-Rik Reppe, writer/performer

"I'm still kind of dumbfounded after seeing this show...I just had no idea they were this good...one of those Fringe shows that seemingly comes out of nowhere and knocks me on my ass. I loved this show...intensely compelling to watch...simply but inventively done...a compelling nightmare, well-executed...highly recommended."
-Matthew Everett, playwright

Script Information

a one-act expressionist verse tragedy
by phillip andrew bennett low
based on material by Sir Thomas Malory
estimated running time: 45 minutes

Cast: two male, two female, a musician, five total.
Setting: the forest of Broceliande.
Time: fifth-century France, heavily anachronistic.

Produced? An excerpt was performed part of Camelot is Crumbling: Two Arthurian Dreams at the 2005 Minnesota Fringe Festival, with a full production by Six Elements as part of Tales from Camelot in 2014.
Family-friendly? Contains one instance of strong profanity and some disturbing, violent, and sexual imagery.

Plot Summary

Bagdemagus, a soldier who wants to be a knight, is led into the haunted forest of Broceliande in pursuit of the Holy Grail. There he meets Nimue, the adolescent pupil and lover of Merlin, who tells of how she conspired to murder him with the aid of Morgan le Fay.