It's the last ever night of what we would call Ancient Egypt. The Persians have broken the Egyptian army and now they camp outside the city. Tomorrow they will enter and take the royal family captive. However the royal family has other ideas.
I've been calling this one a gentle piece, however it starts with a mutilated corpse (imaginary) on stage, and ends with the entire cast committing suicide.
Male female two hander, older actors, no props, minimal costume (if you happen to have 23rd dynasty costumes in the dressing up box then cool, otherwise we can work with accessories.)
If you're into that sort of thing then you will recognise most of Herodotus' account of the Battle of Pelusium 525bce. I've taken a few liberties, but the essence is there, and I've probably taken far fewer liberties than Herodotus did.
I'm envisioning this as a festival piece - short, simple, front of curtain and a bit different. Piece of cake to rehearse, no complex staging.
For those not into this sort of thing, for most of its existence the country we call Egypt called itself "Kemet", "the two lands". When Cleopatra VII managed to scare the Romans they killed her and abolished her country, replacing it with a province that they called Aegyptus, from the Ancient Greek Aigyptos, from the Ancient Egyptian Ha-ka-ptah - the temple of the soul of Ptah, the god of building (amongst other practical things).
This one is published. The full script can be read at this link and a professional license can be obtained there. I can issue "promotion" licenses for small productions, email me if you'd like one.