The Canterbury Tales
Two Act Comedy Adaptation - 4m/4w (with doubling. Secondary cast possible)
Bare stage, risers & cubes
Adapted from the original by Geoffrey Chaucer
Synopsis
From the Rogers High School production.
The Canterbury Tales follows eight travellers as they make their way along pilgrim's road to reach Canterbury Cathedral. In order to pass the time, one of the pilgrims suggests a game: they must all tell stories to each other with the best story winning a prize. The subjects of the stories range from sex, death, liars, friendship, riches, love, vanity, thieves, and sex.
A rollicking, good times adventure with full bodied and well drawn characters.
The Stories:
The Prioress' Tale
- A vain rooster falls prey to a flattering fox.
The Miller's Tale
- An old carpenter marries a young wife suffers the consequences.
The Reeve's Tale
- A clerk tries to cheat a cheating Miller.
The Wife of Bath's Tale
- A knight must learn what women most desire or lose his head.
The Franklin's Tale
- A woman gives a doting squire a seemingly impossible task.
The Pardoner's Tale
- Three fools swear they will kill death.
The Cook's Tale
- Throughout the play the Cook tries to tell a story but is never able to.
Characters
The play can be performed with 4 women and 4 men. It can also be performed with a secondary cast performing the pilgrims' stories. The majority of the characters can be any body type and any age - the Reeve is the only one in the script who describes himself as old.
The Pilgrims:
- Women
Wife of Bath, Cook, Prioress, Hostess - Men
Pardoner, Reeve, Franklin, Miller
History
Productions:
- Frodsham Players (UK)
- Adlib Theatre Company, (UK)
- The Willow School (NJ)
- Ashby Dramatic Society (UK)
- ACS Hilligdon International (UK)
- Aiken Community Playhouse (SC)
- Ten high school productions in 2007, 14 in 2006.
Publications
Published by Theatrefolk. Read sample pages.