A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Players in the Game

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  4w, 9m

Dale Wasserman

"A gripping, brilliantly constructed play by a master of drama." - Hollywood Reporter

"PLAYERS IN THE GAME boasts beautifully etched characters, each role an actor's delight." - Drama-Logue

"The clash between the Grand Inqui…

Players in the Game

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    4w, 9m

Details

Summary
The Bishop of fourteenth century Prague is humane, witty and happily immoral, which suits his city just fine. However, it displeases the Pope who sends a clever young Inquisitor to force obedience from the Bishop, triggering a collision that ends shockingly. You'll recognize the game as that old, "Who's Got The Power?" but you've never seen it played for such amazing stakes.
THE BISHOP: In his sixties; a powerful presence.
RICHARD THE HEALER: A charming rascal in his 20’s.
JARMILA: The Bishop’s serving girl; delicious.
WALDO: A monk; the Bishop’s factotum.
ADLETA VASSELI: Sparkling eyes and mind. Age, about 30–35.
BRUNO: A professional soldier.
ANNA SARBAN: An aristocrat; perhaps 20; icily beautiful.
JEAN CHARLIER: The Grand Inquisitor. Young, handsome, terrifying.
BROTHER TAVOLO: A Dominican monk.
RUTHARD: A rugged aristocrat in his fifties.
AMIEL: A hedonist, faintly effete.
GORIZIAN: A German. Obnoxious.
DARK WHORE: Vivid, rough.
BLONDE WHORE: Smiling, simple-minded; mute.
  • Time Period Medieval (6th-14th c.)
  • Setting 1316 A.D. The City of Prague, in Bohemia.

Media

"A gripping, brilliantly constructed play by a master of drama." - Hollywood Reporter

"PLAYERS IN THE GAME boasts beautifully etched characters, each role an actor's delight." - Drama-Logue

"The clash between the Grand Inquisitor and the corrupt but tolerant Bishop of Prague is a scene made in theatre heaven -- a remarkable scene, a deadly contest, the stuff of which classics are made." - Los Angeles Herald-Examiner

"The voices in Dale Wasserman's PLAYERS IN THE GAME are ostensibly 14th century, but in actuality are disturbingly modern. What we have here is a play for all seasons." - Forth Worth Star-Telegram

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $110 per performance

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Authors

Dale Wasserman

Dale Wasserman

Dale Wasserman (1914-2008) wrote for theater, television and film for more than 50 years and is best known for the musical Man of La Mancha, a multiple Tony Award winner.

He also wrote the stage play One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, based on Ken Kesey’s novel, which has won s ...

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