THE CANTERVILLE GHOST-PLAYSCRIPT(2008-9) - ACT 6

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

PLAYSCRIPT 2008-2009

ACT 6

NARRATOR: The Ghost did not know what to do. He was afraid of the twins.
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GHOST: The Otis family come from a modern country with no history and no soul. It is impossible to live with them in the same house. They´ve changed everything. The hall is full of photographs of Mr Otis. Where are the old paintings of all the Lord Cantervilles? These Americans are so uncivilised.
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CINDY: (whispering) Look, there´s the Ghost. He hasn´t seen us.
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ROBBY: Let´s jump out and frighten him.
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CINDY: Yes, we´ll shout in his ear.
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TWINS: Booooo....
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GHOST: Help! Help!
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Washington appears on the stage holding a syringe in his hand as if it were a gun.
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WASHINGTON: Stop here, Sir Simon. If you don´t stop, I´ll spray you with water from this syringe.
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GHOST: Help! Help! What can I do? (He goes through the chimney)
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CINDY: Look, he´s gone up the chimney.
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ROBBY: He´ll never come back. He´s afraid of us. We´ve won!
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WASHINGTON: Well done, children. That was a good plan.
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Mr and Mrs Otis appear on the stage.
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MR OTIS: What´s the matter? What´s all this noise in the middle of the night?
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MRS OTIS: You´ve woken me up. You´re very naughty, children.
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CINDY: We´ve frightened the Ghost, Mom and Pop.
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ROBBY: We put butter on the stairs.
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CINDY: We tied string across the corridors.
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ROBBY: We put water on top of the door.
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CINDY: We jumped out at him.
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ROBBY: That´s the end of the Ghost.
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MR OTIS: (sarcastically) I´ll write and tell Lady Canterville. The Ghost has gone!
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MRS OTIS: Good. Can I go back to bed now, children?
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WASHINGTON: Yes, it´s goodbye, Sir Simon.

END OF ACT 6

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST-PLAYSCRIPT(2008-9) - ACT 5

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

PLAYSCRIPT 2008-2009

ACT 5

NARRATOR: The twins made plans in the middle of the night.
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CINDY: Let´s have some fun with the Ghost.
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ROBBY: Yes, let´s make a ghost. The Otis Ghost.
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CINDY: That´s a good idea. Here´s an old sheet.
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ROBBY: And here´s a turnip.
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CINDY: Here´s a knife from the kitchen.
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ROBBY: And here´s a candle. Let´s put them all together to make a ghost.
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CINDY: There. That´s really good. Now let´s write a notice.
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ROBBY: Let´s hang it around our ghost´s neck.
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CINDY: Now let´s put the candle inside the ghost´s head.
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ROBBY: That´s good. I´ll light the candle.
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CINDY: Excellent. Now let´s go to our room and wait for Sir Simon.
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ROBBY: Yes, I think I can hear him coming.
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The twins leave the stage, almost immediately the ghost appears.
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GHOST: Three hundred years ago I murdered my wife. Now I will do another terrible thing. I´m going to frighten everybody in the family. First of all, I´ll go into Washington´s bedroom. Then I´ll go into Mr and Mrs Otis´s bedroom. Then I´ll frighten the twins. Haa haa haa. By the end of the night, they will all be mad. But I won´t hurt pretty Miss Virginia. She is the only one of the family who has not laughed at me.
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Suddenly the Ghost notices The Otis Ghost.
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GHOST: But what is this? Aaaaaaaaaaagh... It´s a ghost. Help! Help! Help!
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The Ghost disappears from the stage shouting and running. The twins who are watching behind a curtain appear.
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CINDY: Yippeee! We frightened him.
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ROBBY: He´s a stupid old English ghost.
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CINDY: Our American ghost is much too frightening for him.
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ROBBY: Hurrah for the Otis Ghost.
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CINDY: Quiet. He´s coming back (They hide behind the curtain).
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GHOST: I´ll go to look at the other ghost again. Perhaps it´s a friend. We can work together to frighten the Americans. Where is it? (The Ghost starts looking at the Otis Ghost) This is a curtain. This is a turnip. And this is a kitchen knife. What does this notice say? 'Ye Otis Ghoste'. Now I understand. I´m a fool. The twins have tricked me. I will murder them!

END OF ACT 5

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST-PLAYSCRIPT(2008-9) - ACT 4

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

PLAYSCRIPT 2008-2009

ACT 4

NARRATOR: That night, at one o´clock, Mr Otis woke up. There was a strange noise in the corridor.
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The Ghost appears carrying chains and making a lot of noise. Mr Otis appears carrying a candle and wearing his pijamas.
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MR OTIS: Who´s there?
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GHOST: Woooooooo. Woooooooo.
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MR OTIS: Who are you? Stop making that terrible noise. Nobody can sleep.
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GHOST: I am the Ghost of Sir Simon de Canterville. This is my house. Go away and never come back.
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MR OTIS: Look, take this bottle of 'Rising Sun American Lubricator'. Put it on your chains to stop them making a noise. Goodnight, sir. (Mr Otis leaves the living room)
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GHOST: What? Are you not afraid of me?
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Cindy and Robby appear in the room with some pillows in their hands.
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CINDY: Look, there´s the Ghost.
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ROBBY: Yippee. Let´s throw our pillows at him. (They start throwing their pillows at the Ghost who hadn´t seen them)
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CINDY: (Laughing) I hit him on the nose! (The Ghost tries to escape)
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ROBBY: He´s running away!
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Mr and Mrs Otis both appear because of the noise.
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MRS OTIS: Go back to bed, children.
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TWINS: We hit him with our pillows.
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MR OTIS: That´s not polite. That poor ghost has lived in this house for centuries. We should respect him.
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Virginia appears wearing a nightgown.
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VIRGINIA: Poor ghost. I am sorry for him.
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MR OTIS: But we must take his chains away from him. It is impossible to sleep with so much noise.
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Everybody leaves the stage. The Ghost appears again.
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NARRATOR: The Ghost was very angry. He made plans.
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GHOST: For three hundred years, I have lived in this house. Everyone was afraid of me. After all that, these Americans have come to live here. They have no respect. I will climb inside the old suit of armour in the hall. They will be afraid when they see the armour moving.
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The Ghost starts getting into the armour.
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GHOST: Ow... I´ve hurt my knees and my elbows.
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The twins appear from behind, moving slowly.
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CINDY: What was that noise?
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ROBBY: It´s the Ghost. Look, there.
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CINDY: Let´s get our peashooters. We´ll teach him a lesson.
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GHOST: Ow! Stop! Please, stop! Ow! Ow!
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Mr Otis appears holding a gun, Mrs Otis follows him.
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MR OTIS: Well done, boys. I´ve got my gun. Hold up your hands.
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GHOST: (Screaming with anger) I am the Ghost of Canterville Chase. I have lived here for hundreds of years. Listen to my terrible laughter. Your hair will turn white when you hear it. Haaaa. Haaaa. Haaaa.
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MRS OTIS: Are you all right? You must have a bad stomach-ache. Take this medicine. It is made in America. It´s the best in the world.
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The Otis family leave.
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GHOST: These Americans are stupid. But I will do terrible things. They will never come back to this house.

END OF ACT 4

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST-PLAYSCRIPT(2008-9) - ACT 3

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

PLAYSCRIPT 2008-2009

ACT 3

NARRATOR: There was a terrible storm that night. During the next few days, strange things happened in the house...
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The family are in the living room. Mr and Mrs Otis are drinking tea and reading, Virginia is painting, Washington is watching her and the twins are playing with their ball.
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MRS OTIS: Look, the stain is there again.
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WASHINGTON: Yes, I don´t understand it. 'Pinkerton´s Champion Cleaner' always works.
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CINDY: Every day, Washinton removes the stain.
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ROBBY: And every morning the stain is there again.
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WASHINGTON: Father locked the library door. But the stain was there again in the morning.
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CINDY: And every day the stain is a different colour. One day it´s red...
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ROBBY: Next day it´s purple...
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WASHINGTON: Next day it´s green...
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MRS OTIS: I´ve heard of blue blood. But I´ve never heard of green blood. (Mr and Mrs Otis laugh together)
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WASHINGTON: What´s the matter Virginia?
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MRS OTIS: Why are you looking unhappy?
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VIRGINIA: It´s nothing. Don´t worry.
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MR OTIS: This is interesting, perhaps there really is a ghost.
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MRS OTIS: I´m going to tell my friend in New York.
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WASHINGTON: And I´m going to write to the newspapers about it. We will be famous in America! We live in a haunted house!
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TWINS: Yippeeee!
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MR OTIS: Well, children, I see you enjoy living in Europe.
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VIRGINIA: I´m not sure. Things are very strange here.
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MRS OTIS: Yes, life in America is much better!
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MR OTIS: American actresses are much better than European ones!
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MRS OTIS: American food is much better than English food.
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WASHINGTON: Boston is more important than Rome.
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VIRGINIA: New Yorkers speak much more sweetly than Londoners.
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CINDY: But I like living in England!
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ROBBY: Yes, I want to see the Ghost tonight!
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CINDY: I don´t want to go to bed. I want to see the Ghost too!
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ROBBY: We don´t have ghosts in America.
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MRS OTIS: (standing up and going towards her children) No, children. You must go to bed now. It´s very late.

END OF ACT 3

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST-PLAYSCRIPT(2008-9) - ACT 2

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

PLAYSCRIPT 2008-2009

ACT 2

NARRATOR: So the Otis family came to live at Canterville Chase. They walked through the woods on a lovely July evening.

GARDENER: Good morning Mr and Mrs Otis. I was waiting for you. Mrs Umney has sent me to help you with your luggage.

MR OTIS: Good morning, and who are you?

GARDENER: Oh I´m sorry, I´m Tom, the gardener and this is my wife Julia. We hope you will enjoy it here in Canterville Chase.

MR OTIS: Thank you. We hope so, it seems a nice place.

GARDENER´S WIFE: Oh, how many children. That´s lovely, Canterville Chase is such a sad house, full of pictures and curtains and… ghosts….

GARDENER: Let me have your luggage, sir. Julia, help me please.

GARDENER´S WIFE:Yes, yes. Children, I will carry your suitcases. Don´t worry.

VIRGINIA: Listen, the birds are singing.

GARDENER: Yes, yes, the birds … ha ha … there are many birds here.

CINDY: Look, there are some squirrels.

GARDENER´S WIFE: Yes, lots of squirrels too..ji ji…

ROBBY: I can see some rabbits.

GARDENER: Plenty of rabbits… all kind of animals… but few people… you see…to talk to.

GARDENER´S WIFE: And you like talking so much! But don´t bother them any more, they´ve had a very long journey.

GARDENER: Yes, all from America. Must have been many days travelling…

(Nobody pays the gardener and his wife any attention. They are left behind with all the suitcases).

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WASHINGTON: But the weather is changing. Look at those dark clouds. (thunder)

VIRGINIA: Look at those big black birds.

CINDY: Yes, it´s beginning to rain.

ROBBY: I don´t like this English weather. American weather is much better.

GARDENER: I bet America is much more fun than Canterville Chase. Such a boring place to live.

GARDENER´S WIFE: Yes, I don´t understand why they spent so much money in this horrible, old house.

MRS OTIS: It´s all right. The house is very near.

WASHINGTON: Who is that lady waiting at the door? She looks very old and strange.

CINDY: She´s very ugly.

(The gardener and his wife laugh aloud and nod)

MRS OTIS: Be polite, children.

ROBBY: Is she a witch?

THE GARDENER AND HIS WIFE: The worst of witches!

MR OTIS: It´s Mrs Umney. She the housekeeper.

MRS OTIS: Here we are.

Living room with red curtains and a fireplace.

MRS UMNEY: Welcome to Canterville Chase. Come inside. Dinner is waiting for you.

SERVANT: Welcome sir, Welcome madam.
.

END OF ACT 2

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST-PLAYSCRIPT(2008-9) - ACT 1

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

PLAYSCRIPT 2008-2009

ACT 1

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NARRATOR: Mr Otis was American. He was very rich and very important. He wanted to live in an old house in England, so he decided to buy Canterville Chase, the home of Lord and Lady Canterville.

In a living room.

MR OTIS: Good morning Lord and Lady Canterville. It is a pleasure to have both of you here in America with us.

LORD CANTERVILLE: Good morning, Mr Otis. It is our pleasure. (handshake)

MR OTIS: Do you like America, Lady Canterville? (He kisses her hand)

LADY CANTERVILLE: Good morning, Mr Otis. Yes, America is absolutely fantastic. So fresh, so alive!

MR OTIS: Yes, yes. Well… How much do you want for your house, Lord Canterville? A hundred thousand dollars? Two hundred thousand dollars? (takes out a cheque book)

LORD CANTERVILLE: But Mr Otis, are you sure that you want to buy Canterville Chase? There is a ghost in the house.

MR OTIS: Thank you for warning me, Lord Canterville. But I don´t believe it. Only the English believe in ghosts.

LORD CANTERVILLE: Not only me, but many members of my family have seen the ghost.

MR OTIS: Ha ha, I think you´re joking.

LORD CANTERVILLE: Nobody could sleep at night because of the mysterious noises in the house.

MR OTIS: My Lord, I will pay you extra for the ghost, ha ha!

LADY CANTERVILLE: Don´t laugh Mr Otis. The Ghost really exists. People have seen it many times in the last three hundred years.

MR OTIS: I´m American, Lady Canterville. Americans don´t believe in ghosts. They are an old-fashioned European idea.

LORD CANTERVILLE: If you don´t mind having a ghost in the house, that´s all right. But please, remember that we have warned you.

MR OTIS: Thank you, Lord Canterville, I appreciate it. (A little pause) Now let me introduce my family. Lord and Lady Canterville, this is my wife, Mrs Lucrezia Otis.

MRS OTIS: I´m pleased to meet you, Lord Canterville. Your house is a lovely old house, Lady Canterville.

LORD CANTERVILLE: I Hope you enjoy living there.

LADY CANTERVILLE: But be careful with the ghost.

MRS OTIS: I´m sure I will, I don´t believe in ghosts and I sleep very well at night.

MR OTIS: And this is my eldest son, Washington.

WASHINGTON: I´m pleased to meet you, Lord and Lady Canterville. Are there many parties in England? I like dancing very much.

LORD CANTERVILLE: Yes, there are lots of parties. The English girls will enjoy dancing with you.

LADY CANTERVILLE: Yes, you´re a handsome young man.

MR OTIS: This is my daughter Virginia.

VIRGINIA: I´m pleased to meet you, Lord and Lady Canterville.

LADY CANTERVILLE: Do you like dancing too?

VIRGINIA: No, but I like riding very much. I want to ride my pony at Canterville Chase.

LORD CANTERVILLE: You are a lovely young lady. The English boys will enjoy going riding with you.

MR OTIS: And these are the twins, Cindy and Robby.

CINDY: Hi, Lord Canterville, I´ve never met an English Lord before… and an English Lady …(touching Lady Canterville´s dress) you must be very rich!

ROBBY: Hey, Lord Canterville, is there really a ghost in Canterville Chase? (They start moving around Lord and Lady Canterville)

MRS OTIS: Be polite, children.
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LORD CANTERVILLE: I´m pleased to meet you, children. You have a very nice and big family.
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LADY CANTERVILLE: Yes, really very very nice, Ha!
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MR OTIS: So will you sell us the house?

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LORD CANTERVILLE: Yes, Mr Otis. When do you want to move in?
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MR OTIS: As soon as possible. The children are really looking forward to living in a real English haunted house.

END OF ACT 1

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST-LEAFLET 2008-2009

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

LEAFLET 2008-2009

The EOI of Almeria presents:
NO LAUGHING MATTER THEATRE COMPANY
In
THE CANTERVILLE GHOST
By OSCAR WILDE

El grupo de teatro ‘No Laughing Matter’ presenta su sexta obra puesta en escena. Este año repitiendo la obra ‘The Canterville Ghost’ que fue nuestra segunda obra. Muchos de los que participamos en 2005 seguimos ahí, pero se han unido nuevos actores que hacen que esta obra siga pareciendo original aún cuando se haya visto ya anteriormente. Para nosotros, los que componemos el grupo de teatro ‘No Laughing Matter’ es siempre una gran satisfacción poder representar una obra todos los años. Formamos un gran equipo con ganas de trabajar, y aprender, pero sobre todo con muchas ganas de divertirnos y con deseos de compartir este rato con vosotros que venís a vernos. Somos un grupo formado por alumnos, ex-alumnos y profesores con una afición en común: el teatro.

INTRODUCTION

Oscar Wilde lived in the Victorian age. He was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1854. He studied at Oxford University in England. His plays and stories are often very light-hearted. They laugh at Victorian beliefs. He often suggested that art and wit were the most important things in life. He liked to shock people.

THE SETTING

The story takes place in an old English country house, Canterville Chase, which could perfectly be a traditional haunted house. Descriptions of the library paneled in black oak, and the armor in the hallway characterize the Gothic setting and help Wilde clash the Old World with the New. Typical of the style of the English Decadents, the gothic atmosphere reveals the author’s fascination with the macabre. Yet he mixes the macabre with comedy, juxtaposing devices from traditional English ghost stories such as creaking floorboards, clanking chains, and ancient prophecies with symbols of modern American consumerism. Wilde’s Gothic setting helps emphasize the contrast between cultures—setting modern Americans in what could arguably be a classic symbol of British history—and underscores the "modern" thinking of the house's mismatched residents, the Otises.

PLOT

Mr Otis and his family come from modern democratic America to live in old-fashioned England. They move into an old house in the middle of the countryside. As soon as they arrive, they hear a mysterious story about a ghost. Then, very strange things begin to happen. There is a bloodstain which changes colour. There are terrible noises at night. Finally, Mr and Mrs Otis´s daughter, Virginia, disappears…
America was a new nation, growing in power and success. Many English people thought that it had money but no civilization. Oscar Wilde sometimes also laughed at the Americans. But in The Canterville Ghost, the American family have many good qualities. Wilde shows that the English can learn from the fresh attitudes and behaviour of Mr Otis and his family. They are not afraid of anything.

This story is one of Oscar Wilde´s most famous works.
WE HOPE YOU ENJOY IT!

CAST

GHOST ………………………………..….ADOLFO ROSILLO HERRERA
VIRGINIA OTIS……….... Mª DEL MAR MURILLO DE LAS HERAS
MR OTIS ………………………………..…. ENRIQUE SEGURA RECHE
MRS OTIS…………………………………….…… MARÍA FERRIZ NÚÑEZ
CINDY OTIS…………………………….. SOFIA CAMACHO ESTRADA
ROBBY OTIS ……………..……..EDUARDO JESÚS GARCÍA ROJAS
WASHINGTON OTIS …………..…..ALEJANDRO GARCÍA SEGURA
CECIL…………………………………….…….SIMON RODRIGUEZ CRUZ
LORD CANTERVILLE…………. JUAN JOSÉ HERNÁNDEZ BAÑOS
LADY CANTERVILLE …………….… ROSANA SIERRA BARRANCO
MRS UMNEY ……………...…………..REMEDIOS MATUTE LOPEZ
SERVANT…………….………………….Mª DEL MAR LÓPEZ GARCÍA
GARDENER………………….. JUAN JAVIER BERENGUEL MARTÍN
GARDENER´S WIFE………………….. YOLANDA MARTÍN GARCÍA

NARRATOR……………………HEIKE DÍAZ ORTEGA
MUSICAL ARRANGEMENTS…GERARDO PARRA JUAN DE LA CRUZ
……. JOSÉ LUÍS RUÍZ
DIRECTOR: ROSANA SIERRA BARRANCO