Facebook Pixel Skip to main content
Gothic Ghost Stories

Gothic Ghost Stories

by Lindsay Price

Murdered twins. A lost heart. Evil in the painting. A girl and her mother frozen to death. These are a few of the Gothic ghosts whose stories are dying to be told in this creepy character-filled adaptation. Walk through the open window and join them by the dying fire light won’t you?

This modern adaptation of Victorian ghost stories is fabulous for a class project or late October production. Large cast staging options offered, and ghoulish make-up opportunities abound!

Drama Classical Adaptation Mystery

Recommended for High Schools and Middle Schools

Running Time
About 75 minutes
Approximate; excludes intermissions and scene changes
Cast
49 Characters
17 M25 F7 Any Gender
Set
Simple set
Length
66 pages
Free Excerpt

What to order?

Not sure what you need to order? Check out our pricing and ordering guide.

Performance Royalty Fees

Royalty fees apply to all performances whether or not admission is charged. Any performance in front of an audience (e.g. an invited dress rehearsal) is considered a performance for royalty purposes.

Exemption details for scenes and monologues for competition.

49 Characters
17 M, 25 F, 7 Any Gender

Characters in this play are currently identified as male or female. Directors are welcome to assign any gender (binary or non-binary) to any character and modify pronouns accordingly.

Blanche [F] 70 lines
Lives in Perveril House. Bernice's Daughter.
Bernice [F] 42 lines
Lives in Perveril House. Blanche and Freddy's Mother
Freddy [M] 28 lines
Lives in Perveril House. Bernice's Son.
Harry [M] 26 lines
Lives in Perveril House. Bernice's Son.
Madge [F] 37 lines
A Perveril. Has arrived at the Perveril House to attend the families Annual New Year's Eve Ball
Lucille [F] 24 lines
A Friend of Madge's mother. Has arrived at the Perveril House to attend the families Annual New Year's Eve Ball. Very excited at all the spritual activity in the house. A little too excited.
Aunt Barbara [F]
Perveril Ancestor. Seems to have a secret.
The Twins [A]
Dick Peveril's Brother's children. Murdered by their Uncle.
Lady Rosalind [F] 6 lines
A love interest of Dick Peveril's, only interested in status.
Dick Peveril [M] 7 lines
A haughty and evil man.
Mrs. Canning [F] 8 lines
A proud haughty beauty.
Betty [F] 1 line
A Perveril ancestor.
John [M] 2 lines
A servant who meets an unfortunate fate.
Servant [A]
A servant who witnessed a horrific act.
Colonel Blantyre [M] 2 lines
Accepts a dare that ends in his demise.
Stephen Elliott [M] 37 lines
Mrs. Abney's 13-year-old cousin. An orphan.
Mrs. Abney [F] 27 lines
Lives at Aswarby. An eccentric recluse who loves to read and write.
Mrs. Parkes [F] 66 lines
Runs the household Aswarby with Ms. Bunch.
Ms. Bunch [F] 56 lines
Runs the household Aswarby with Mrs. Parkes.
Boy Ghost [M] 5 lines
Out for vengence.
Girl Ghost [F] 21 lines
Out for vengence.
Percy [M] 39 lines
Trying to understand a reacurring nightmare. But, is it just a nightmare?
John [M] 20 lines
Percy's Friend.
Mrs. Clinton [F] 4 lines
John's Mother.
Jack Stone [M] 8 lines
A menacing figure in Percy's dream.
Jane Stone [F]
Jack's Sister. Stern and Silent.
Julia Stone [F] 5 lines
Jack and Jane's Mother. Stern and Silent. Evil.
Servant [A] 3 lines
A Servant.
Vera [F] 16 lines
15-year-old staying with her Aunt. Somewhat of a prankster and quite the storyteller.
Framton Nuttel [M] 17 lines
Nervous Type.
Mrs. Sappleton [F] 9 lines
Vera's Aunt.
Husband [M] 1 line
Mrs. Sappleton's Husband.
Brother [M] 3 lines
Mrs. Sappleton's Brother.
Man [M]
Awakens to a ghasty fate.
Three figures who represent the Ghost [A]
Ghosts who represent the "Choking Ghost"
Geoffrey [M] 6 lines
Character in Madge's Book.
Fanny [F] 3 lines
Character in Madge's Book.
May [F] 2 lines
Character in Madge's Book.
Byles [M] 2 lines
Character in Madge's Book.
Hester [F] 67 lines
Character in Madge's Book. A nursemaid.
Rosamond [F] 37 lines
Character in Madge's Book. Lost her parents at ten years old.
Dorothy [F] 44 lines
Character in Madge's Book. Staff at Furnival Hall.
Agnes [F] 8 lines
Character in Madge's Book. Staff at Furnival Hall.
Shepherd [A] 1 line
A shepherd.
Mrs. Furnival [F] 17 lines
Character in Madge's Book. Old, Cold, and Stern.
Mrs. Stark [F] 15 lines
Character in Madge's Book. Mrs. Furnival's Maid.
Girl [F]
Ghost who comes to Rosamond.
Maude/Lady [F] 10 lines
Ghost who comes to Rosamond.
Grace [F] 7 lines
Young Mrs. Furnival.
Lord Furnival [M] 4 lines
Maude and Grace's Father. Haughty and Proud.
Musician [M] 4 lines
Lord Furnival's organ teacher. Secretly marries Maude while also courting Grace.

More Plays Like Gothic Ghost Stories

Five very old, very dangerous stories from around the world...

Shuddersome: Tales of Poe

adapted by Lindsay Price from Edgar Allan Poe

A vivid and theatrical adaptation of some of Poe's best known works. Multi length versions to fit every performance need.

A competition-length cutting of The House. The house doesn’t just hold stories… it hungers to tell them.

Humbug High: A Contemporary Christmas Carol

adapted by Lindsay Price from Charles Dickens

A modern take on the classic Dickens tale. Eddie Scrooge is a 17-year-old Bah Humbug of a guy. Till one Christmas Eve when three ghosts change his life.

The Bottom of the Lake

by Steven Stack

Who lies at the bottom of the lake? An awesome combination of ghost stories, urban legends, teen issues, absurd comedy, and film noir, all in a single play!

The House

by Lindsay Price

The house doesn’t just hold stories… it hungers to tell them.

From the Drama Teacher Learning Centre

October Reading List: Mystery Plays
Featured Plays

October Reading List: Mystery Plays

Ready to add a little mystery to your drama classroom? We’ve put together a list of plays full of secrets, twists, and unexpected turns that are sure to captivate your students. Whether they’re...
Halloween Reading List
Featured Plays

October Reading List: Plays for Halloween

October has arrived and Halloween magic is in the air! If you're a fan of thrilling tales, spooky stories and things that go bump in the night, then this is the list for you! Our October list is...
Creeptastic Plays and Macabre Musicals for Fall
Teaching Drama

Creeptastic Plays and Macabre Musicals for Fall

It’s spooky season, and if you’re looking for plays and musicals to frighten, horrify, and creep you out, you’re in the right place. Below you’ll find 10 scary plays from our own Theatrefolk...
We accept

In addition to the above payment methods, Purchase Orders are accepted from US and Canadian Schools.

Info for your purchasing department