Family of Love is finished, so I am moving on to another city comedy.
If you're thinking about joining us on this project, you might like to know more about the characters. A star (*) before the name means the role is open - claim away!
WARNING: The only public domain version of the script I could find is
this 1607 edition, which would be very difficult to read from directly due to the archaic spelling and punctuation. I have prepared a script with modern spellings based on a
PD OCR version of the 1607 edition. Although I have made efforts to ensure the script matches the source, it is possible I have not caught every error. The readings will be proofed against the source, and I hope you will bear with me if I ask you to re-record a line or two if we catch any inconsistencies at the PL stage.
SCRIPTS
You can view Google Docs or Google Webpage versions of each act, whichever you prefer to read from.
ACT 1:
Google Doc |
Google webpage
ACT 2:
Google Doc |
Google webpage
ACT 3:
Google Doc |
Google webpage
ACT 4:
Google Doc |
Google webpage
ACT 5:
Google Doc |
Google webpage
As usual, I would prefer to keep the casting of the main roles gender specific. Some roles can be claimed by any reader. I will read Wages, and my niece and nephew will read the Boy and Scholars. A friend IRL is reading Nucome. I prefer not to allocate readers more than one role (if the project takes a very long time to complete, we can consider doubling-up later).
MALE ROLES
Sir Timothy Troublesome (Knight): 200 lines. The older male lead. A jealous knight who hatches a plans to foil his wife's supposed unfaithfulness by 'gelding' himself. His servant, Wages, tries to convince him Lady Troublesome is faithful, while another servant, Slacke (actually the Young Lord in disguise), argues for divorce because he secretly wants to wed the lady himself.
Young Lord Nonsuch [tomas]: 150 lines. A younger male and the villain of the piece. An arch manipulator, he spends much of the play in disguise (as "Slacke", a former soldier who becomes a servant of the Knight, and "Captain Woodley", a swaggering but cowardly officer). His main aim is to split up the Troublesomes so that he can seduce Lady Troublesome.
Nucome: 70 lines. A dim Welsh courtier. Has come to London to try at being a courtier, but is mocked for his unfashionable clothes and lack of bravery.
Master Correction: 30 lines. A stuffy, pedantic teacher.
Old Lord: 25 lines. Father of the young male lead. Plays the role of the nobleman who sets the scene for the play and presides over its denouement. Worried that his son, the Young Lord, is missing and presumed dead (in fact, he is in disguise, trying to woo Lady Troublesome)
Exhibition: 10 lines. An "inns-a-court man" (lawyer). Tries to woo Lady Troublesome but his legal gobbledegook doesn't get him very far.
Venter: <10 lines. An Alderman. Conversation parter of Old Lord Nonsuch. Concerned that his daughter, Nan, has gone missing (she is staying with Lady Troublesome).
FEMALE ROLES
The Lady Troublesome (Lady) [kitty]: 120 lines. The female lead. Wife to Sir Timothy (Knight). He incorrectly suspects her of infidelity. She forcefully defends her honour, and uses her wit to deflect the attentions of several men who try to tempt her from her husband.
Nan: 85 lines. Venter's daughter and an associate of Lady Troublesome. Falls for the Young Lord in his disguise as Slacke the soldier.
Peg: 60 lines. Kinswoman to Lady Troublesome. Falls for Nucome the courtier.
Mistress Correction: 50 lines. The madame of a brothel. Married to the respectable Master Correction, but plans to divorce him and marry Wages.
MALE/FEMALE ROLES
Wages: 200 lines. The joint largest role. Ostensibly the Knight's servant and go-between, Wages behaves similarly to the fool in King Lear, often dispensing comedic advice. He is also the cleverest character, often spotting deceptions before everyone else.
Boy: 20 lines. Nucome's page.
Servingman: 13 lines. A servant of Mistress Peg and Lady Troublesome.
Four scholars: Four schoolboys. There are four different children, but it will work if one person reads them all.
Cupid: <5 lines, but all long speeches.