The Canterbury Tales

adapted by Lindsay Price Canadian Author from Chaucer

Chaucer's classic collection of tales comes to life in a brilliant full-length adaptation.

A group of travelers set out for Canterbury on a pilgrimage. To pass the time they entertain each other with a storytelling contest. Best story wins a prize.

Each and every performer gets a chance to shine in this spirited, charming script.

Great characters, lots of humour, and strong ensemble work. Text uses modern English.

Comedy Classical Adaptation

Average Producer Rating: 5.0 out of 5

Also available in a competition-length version here.

Recommended for High Schools and Middle Schools

Running Time

About 70 minutes

Approximate; excludes intermissions and scene changes

Cast

8 Characters

4 M 4 F

Easily Expandable

Set

Simple Set

Length

69 pages

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Free Excerpt

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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.

8 Characters

4 Males
4 Females
Easily Expandable

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.

Woman One

The Hostess Female 47 lines

The owner of the Tabard Inn, where the pilgrims stay. She travels with them to Canterbury. With doubling also plays:
Fox (Prioress' Tale) Female 27 lines
Queen (Wife of Bath's Tale) Female 16 lines
Eveline (Franklin's Tale) Female 3 lines
Agnes (Pardoner's Tale) Female 30 lines

Woman Two

The Wife of Bath Female 64 lines

She has been married five times and is searching for number six. She is from Bath. With doubling also plays:
Hilde (Reeve's Tale) Female 0 lines
Bertha (Wife of Bath's Tale) Female 30 lines
Avaline (Franklin's Tale) Female 2 lines
Waitress (Pardoner's Tale) Female 14 lines

Woman Three

The Cook Female 43 lines

The cook at the Tabard Inn. With doubling also plays:
Pertelote (Prioress' Tale) Female 40 lines
Maude (Reeve's Tale) Female 18 lines
Eve (Wife of Bath's Tale) Female 68 lines
Joanne (Franklin's Tale) Female 4 lines

Woman Four

The Prioress Female 49 lines

The prioress is in charge of a priory (a monastery). With doubling also plays:
Allison (Miller's Tale), Female 15 lines
Mary (Wife of Bath's Tale), Female 11 lines
Dorigen (Franklin's Tale) Female 26 lines
Old Woman (Pardoner's Tale) Female 10 lines

Man One

The Reeve Male 57 lines

The manager of a manor in the later medieval period. With doubling also plays:
John (Miller's Tale) Male 33 lines
Arviragus (Franklin's Tale) Male 8 lines
Jacob (Pardoner's Tale) Male 46 lines

Man Two

The Pardoner Male 55 lines

The Pardoner sells religious forgiveness and relics for a fee. With doubling also plays:
Nicholas (Miller's Tale) Male 40 lines
Simekin (Reeve's Tale) Male 30 lines
Aurelius (Franklin's Tale) Male 17 lines

Man Three

The Miller Male 73 lines

The miller operates a mill, which grinds grain (corn or wheat) into flour. With doubling also plays:
Knight (Wife of Bath's Tale) Male
Astrologer (Franklin's Tale) Male

Man Four

The Franklin Male 58 lines

A Franklin is a property-owner, but not of noble birth. With doubling also plays:
Chanticleer (Prioress' Tale) Male
Allain (Reeve's Tale) Male
King (Wife of Bath's Tale) Male
Harold (Pardoner's Tale) Male

Other

The Voice of Chaucer Male 7 lines

This should be taped by one of the other men in the cast.

Praise for The Canterbury Tales

Sydney Sniezek

Parkland School District

This play was an excellent ensemble piece for a middle school setting. It allows for so many students to shine and practice their comedic acting skills and simply be joyful and engaged on stage. It also allows for traditional literature to live on the stage. Lindsay Price's adaptation is excellent and is fun for the whole family.

Catherine Grootenboer

St Columba Anglican School

It was a great introduction to Medieval Theatre storytelling. Easy to break up into sections and rehearse. Some very funny scenes - great to show that even though we feel like we are so different from people in the past, we aren't!

Tamara Studniski

HKIS

This play was a real win for our program. I needed to combine two drama classes for a single production, and this script made it easy. One class handled the stories, the other performed the frame, and everything fit together seamlessly. The classical literature angle was a wonderful bonus.

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