Rasputin A Play

Here is a short play of approximately one hour in length about a man who was probably the most famous actual peasant of all time. The setting is imperial Russia from about 1900 until 1916. Rasputin was an impoverished man from Siberia who visited a monastery built in caves. He had vision of a Holy Mother and he was taken under the wing of a hermit holy man living nearby. Rasputin stayed with him and learned to harness the powers of his mind. He attracted the attention of the local bishop, who became impressed with Rasputin's photographic memory of the scriptures that he could not read, but had only heard read to him. Rasputin also had unique interpretations of those scriptures. He also had healing powers in his hands and the ability to do mass hypnosis and séances. These skills were perfect to excite the interest of the Russian nobility who were fascinated by anything mystical. Rasputin had one more quality that opened many doors for him, his sexual prowess. He became Czarina Alexandra's paramour and adviser and in this manner became one of the most powerful individuals in Russia at that time. This play is not meant to be a biographical history of Rasputin or this tumultuous period in Russian history. It is a series of episodes involving Rasputin and his rise to power.