Battle of Hastings Assembly or Class Play

Battle of Hastings Assembly or Class Play
This script was written by Sue Russell in celebration of The Battle of Hastings' 950th anniversary.
What have the most famous cartoon strip in history, a masterpiece of needlework, a distinctly odd bishop, some dodgy family connections, warring Anglo Saxons and Normans, and an arrow in the eye have in common? Correct! They're all part of that famous drama - you know the one, 1066 and all that?!
Cast of 30 - easily adapted up or down
Duration around 10 - 15 minutes (not including music)
Sample Text:
Embroiderer 2: Hours and hours of needle in, needle out!
Embroiderer 3: (Sarcastically) Wow! Life can’t, surely, get much more exciting than this!
Bishop of Bayeux: O dear, dear, dear, dear! I can see something drastic needs to happen round here! How are we going to get you excited about your work?
(Enter Edward)
Edward: Easy! Let’s just introduce them to some of the characters they are working on! Let them see what we were actually like in the flesh!
Bishop of Bayeux: Ah! A splendid idea! And you are?
Edward: King Edward the III of England or Edward the Confessor! I’m
(Edward walks along work of six Embroiderers, peering down, trying to see himself; he stops abruptly at Embroiderer 4)
Edward: Ah yes! Here I am! Dying!
Bishop of Bayeux: (Sarcastically) Oh wonderful! Well, that really livens things up for us! Thank you so much!
Edward: Oh dear! I didn’t mean to put a dampener on things!
(Edward goes back to the line of Embroiderers and this time stops at Embroiderer 1)
Edward: Ah now, that’s better! That’s when I’m still king! Alive and kicking!
(Edward falls about laughing at his own joke)
(Whole cast groans)
Bishop of Bayeux: (Aside) Oh dear! I think I preferred him dead!