Gender casting is flexible, although the original source material is binary. Feel free to adapt casting to suit your program.
NARRATOR
[A]
169 lines
Appears in modern dress. Can be seated in a large comfy chair or at a desk in front of a bookshelf.
Sense and Sensibility
HENRY DASHWOOD
[M]
2 lines
Has physical action, appears very briefly. Accessory: jacket or coat. Color identifier: black.
MRS. DASHWOOD
[F]
6 lines
Mother, sweet and kind, emotional. Accessory: bonnet or hat. Color identifier: cream.
ELINOR DASHWOOD
[F]
13 lines
Sense. No-nonsense, practical. Accessory: plain shawl or scarf. Color identifier: light blue.
MARIANNE DASHWOOD
[F]
11 lines
Sensibility. Emotional, dramatic. Accessory: lacy shawl. Color identifier: pink.
EDWARD
[M]
5 lines
Stodgy, serious, shy. Accessory: brown or blue coat. Color identifier: blue.
COLONEL BRANDON
[M]
9 lines
Distinguished, serious. Accessory: red uniform coat, brass buttons if possible. Color identifier: red.
WILLOUGHBY
[M]
6 lines
Charming rogue. Accessory: fancy period tie or cravat. Color identifier: purple.
LUCY STEELE
[F]
9 lines
Sugary sweet but vicious mean girl. Accessory: flashy, feathery shawl. Color identifier: hot pink.
Pride and Prejudice
MRS. BENNET
[F]
11 lines
A very silly woman, voice can get hysterical. Accessory: a handkerchief she waves about. Color identifier: bright, garish orange or yellow.
JANE BENNET
[F]
4 lines
Eldest daughter. Very kind and sweet. Accessory: a pretty lace shawl or scarf. Color identifier: a pretty pink.
ELIZABETH BENNET
[F]
20 lines
Middle daughter. Witty and lively. Accessory: a pretty flowered shawl or scarf. Color identifier: royal blue.
LYDIA BENNET
[F]
4 lines
Youngest daughter. Flirty and silly. Accessory: a fan. Color identifier: a bright red or violet.
BINGLEY
[M]
3 lines
Nice looking and well-mannered gentleman. Accessory: a jacket, possibly with a period cravat. Color identifier: blue-grey or silver.
DARCY
[M]
12 lines
Stuck up rich gentleman. Accessory: a dark jacket, preferably with a period cravat. Color identifier: gold.
CHARLOTTE
[]
7 lines
Lizzie’s best friend. Plain and dull. Accessory: a drab or ugly colored shawl or scarf. Color identifier: brown.
WICKHAM
[M]
1 line
Handsome young army officer, quite charming. Accessory: a red coat. Color identifier: scarlet or deep red.
MR. COLLINS
[M]
2 lines
The stupidest most annoying man in England. Accessory: a black coat and priest’s collar. Color identifier: a deep grey or black.
Mansfield Park
FANNY PRICE
[F]
22 lines
Kind and sweet goody two shoes. Accessory: a plain scarf or shawl. Color identifier: dark or rich red brown.
MARIA BERTRAM
[F]
1 line
A stuck up, haughty snob. First appears in person and then is represented by a doll. Accessory: any bright bauble that you can match for the doll. Color identifier: bright purple. The doll should have the same accessory and color identifier.
JULIA BERTRAM
[F]
1 line
A selfish younger sister, first appears in person and then is represented by a doll. Accessory: a simple feather, in a hat or handheld that you can match for the doll. Color identifier: hot pink. The doll should have the same accessory and color identifier.
EDMUND BERTRAM
[M]
12 lines
A nice, regular dude. Accessory: a dark jacket or coat. Color identifier: a medium brown or tan.
HENRY CRAWFORD
[M]
8 lines
An independently wealthy rake (he says so himself). Quite charming and a little bit sleazy. Accessory: a fancy tie. Color identifier: teal or turquoise.
MARY CRAWFORD
[F]
8 lines
Charming and well-mannered, sophisticated, but scheming. Playful and witty. Accessory: a fancy patterned scarf. Color identifier: teal or turquoise.
TOM BERTRAM
[M]
4 lines
A man about town. More flashy and dramatic than Edmund. Entitled and selfish. Accessory: a jacket. Color identifier: blue.
Emma
EMMA WOODHOUSE
[F]
24 lines
Handsome, clever, and rich. Not your typical Jane Austen heroine. Even though she thinks she knows everything, she’s kindhearted so she should not be played like a mean girl. She genuinely thinks she’s helping. Accessory: a fancy scarf or hat. Color identifier: gold.
HARRIET SMITH
[F]
9 lines
Emma’s less fortunate friend. She’s lived in a boarding school her whole life and is naïve and clueless. She speaks in an airy, empty-headed kind of way. She’s very sweet and sincere, though. Accessory: a shawl or lace handkerchief. Color identifier: pink.
MR. KNIGHTLEY
[M]
13 lines
Emma’s sister’s husband’s brother. Kind of like an older brother to Emma. He is full of advice all the time and, just like Emma, thinks he knows everything. Except he’s clueless when it comes to his own heart. Accessory: a tie or cravat, not fancy. Color identifier: brown or beige.
MR. WOODHOUSE
[M]
6 lines
Emma’s elderly father. He seems sweet and a little dithering, but he is also anxious and controlling in his own way. Accessory: a winter scarf or blanket. Color identifier: grey or light blue.
MR. ELTON
[M]
3 lines
The local clergyman, a young, handsome bachelor. Friendly and hero-like, until he turns out to be a snob. Accessory: a black and white clergy collar. Color identifier: black.
FRANK CHURCHILL
[M]
3 lines
The son of a neighbor who comes back for the first time in years and years. Handsome and charming. Is he all that he seems? A big flirt. Smirks a lot. Accessory: a fancy jacket or tie. Color identifier: peacock or teal.
JANE FAIRFAX
[F]
3 lines
Elegant, accomplished (which means she’s got talent) lovely in every way. Quite reserved and soft-spoken. Accessory: a pretty shawl or simple but elegant hat. Color identifier: turquoise or aqua.
Northanger Abbey and Persuasion
CATHERINE MORLAND
[F]
16 lines
The heroine of Northanger Abbey. Seventeen years old and naïve. Reads a lot of gothic romance novels, bodice ripper type things, and is always expecting melodrama. She is steady and loyal, though, and has a strong moral compass. Accessory: a romance novel. Color identifier: a pale peach or pink.
ANNE ELLIOT
[F]
7 lines
The heroine of Persuasion. Twenty-eight when the novel begins. She was in love with a nobody when she was nineteen and her family and friends persuaded her to break off her engagement to him. She’s never loved anyone else. She’s intelligent, wise, and calm. Not at all like the other vain snobs in her family. Accessory: a book of poetry. Color identifier: a medium or light blue.
CAPTAIN WENTWORTH
[M]
4 lines
Anne’s former fiancée. A swashbuckling hero of the Navy. After Anne broke off her engagement, he made a fortune and returns to Anne’s circle of family and friends. Resentful at first, he soon realizes he’s still in love with her. Accessory: a captain’s spyglass made from paper towel cardboard and toilet paper cardboard in successive sizes wrapped with black paper or painted and striped with gold or a rolled up chart or map. Color identifier: navy blue.
LADY RUSSELL
[F]
5 lines
Stand-in mom to Anne Elliot. Elegant, haughty and competitive. Accessory: a flowery or elegant scarf. Color identifier: deep teal.
MRS. ALLEN
[F]
7 lines
Wealthy older neighbor of Catherine Morland who invites her on a trip to Bath, England. Not as elegant as Lady Russell, and a bit silly. Into dresses and shopping and girly things more than books or reading. Can even be giggly. Accessory: a lacy, gaudy scarf or shawl. Color identifier: a bright yellow or gold.
HENRY TILNEY
[M]
4 lines
The witty hero of Northanger Abbey. He’s not silly, but he is wry. Great off the wall sense of humor. Accessory: a priestly collar. Color identifier: black, or a deep brown or maroon.
MR. ELLIOT
[M]
3 lines
Anne’s cousin. The most villainous villain ever because he appears charming and soft-spoken. He’s duplicitous and sneaky. Accessory: a fancy bow-tie or cravat. Color identifier: a muddy green.
JOHN THORPE
[M]
3 lines
Friend of Catherine’s. A far more obvious villain. Loud and obnoxious. Accessory: a dark jacket or coat. Color identifier: an ugly orange.
EXTRA ROLE LOUISA
[F]
0 lines
Anne’s sister’s sister-in-law. Can be a non-speaking role or represented with a doll.
