Elomire, high-minded head of the Royal theatre troupe, is incensed. His patron, the Princess, has decreed that the Court ensemble admit a new actor – the scandalously boorish street entertainer, Valere. With Elomire’s pride and the troupe’s livelihood on the line, the company is duty-bound not only to accept the outrageous troubadour, but to perform one of his ludicrous plays, an event that has dramatic consequences for them all. David Hirson’s La Bête opened on Broadway in February 1991 at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre, and had its UK premiere at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, in 1992.

Published by Dramatists Play Service

122 pages

Condition; EXCELLENT – unmarked