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The Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales

adapted by Lindsay Price 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:

Recommended for High Schools and Middle Schools

Running Time
About 70 minutes
Approximate; excludes intermissions and scene changes
Cast
8 Characters
4 M4 F, Easily Expandable
Set
Simple Set
Length
69 pages
Production Tips
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Free Excerpt
Classroom Study Guide
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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 M, 4 F, 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 [F] 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) [F] 27 lines
Queen (Wife of Bath's Tale) [F] 16 lines
Eveline (Franklin's Tale) [F] 3 lines
Agnes (Pardoner's Tale) [F] 30 lines
Woman Two
The Wife of Bath [F] 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) [F] 0 lines
Bertha (Wife of Bath's Tale) [F] 30 lines
Avaline (Franklin's Tale) [F] 2 lines
Waitress (Pardoner's Tale) [F] 14 lines
Woman Three
The Cook [F] 43 lines
The cook at the Tabard Inn. With doubling also plays:
Pertelote (Prioress' Tale) [F] 40 lines
Maude (Reeve's Tale) [F] 18 lines
Eve (Wife of Bath's Tale) [F] 68 lines
Joanne (Franklin's Tale) [F] 4 lines
Woman Four
The Prioress [F] 49 lines
The prioress is in charge of a priory (a monastery). With doubling also plays:
Allison (Miller's Tale), [F] 15 lines
Mary (Wife of Bath's Tale), [F] 11 lines
Dorigen (Franklin's Tale) [F] 26 lines
Old Woman (Pardoner's Tale) [F] 10 lines
Man One
The Reeve [M] 57 lines
The manager of a manor in the later medieval period. With doubling also plays:
John (Miller's Tale) [M] 33 lines
Arviragus (Franklin's Tale) [M] 8 lines
Jacob (Pardoner's Tale) [M] 46 lines
Man Two
The Pardoner [M] 55 lines
The Pardoner sells religious forgiveness and relics for a fee. With doubling also plays:
Nicholas (Miller's Tale) [M] 40 lines
Simekin (Reeve's Tale) [M] 30 lines
Aurelius (Franklin's Tale) [M] 17 lines
Man Three
The Miller [M] 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) [M]
Astrologer (Franklin's Tale) [M]
Man Four
The Franklin [M] 58 lines
A Franklin is a property-owner, but not of noble birth. With doubling also plays:
Chanticleer (Prioress' Tale) [M]
Allain (Reeve's Tale) [M]
King (Wife of Bath's Tale) [M]
Harold (Pardoner's Tale) [M]
Other
The Voice of Chaucer [M] 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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