30 scripts written by us, free to practise with, record and put in your reel.
Every one lists voice age, accent and length, so you can pick a read that fits the audition you are chasing.
Mid-story — she finds him trying to rid himself of the cursed sword alone
MAN"You weren't supposed to find me here."
WOMAN"You weren't supposed to be here alone. How long has it been speaking to you?"
MAN"That's not — it doesn't speak."
WOMAN"Kael. How long."
MAN"Since the bridge. Since I used it on the soldier who was going to — it doesn't matter. The point is it's my problem to solve."
WOMAN"The point is you've been carrying a cursed weapon through my camp for three weeks and lying to my face every day."
MAN"I didn't want you to—"
WOMAN"What? Help you? What a terrible thing to do." She held out her hand. He looked at it for a long time.
MAN"It'll hurt you if you touch it."
WOMAN"Let me worry about that," she said. He gave her the blade. It didn't hurt her at all. Something moved across his face that she decided not to name yet.
What it is for: A duet with a secret at its centre: he is hiding, she is done being lied to. Two voices plus the narration between them. Watch out for: Playing her angry from the top. She is hurt first; the anger covers it. The turn is 'It didn't hurt her at all', which should be said plainly, not as a reveal. What casting listens for: Casting listens for whether the narration sounds like a third voice or bleeds into whoever spoke last.
Opening — enemy general and queen, first meeting across a negotiation table
WOMAN"I expected someone older."
MAN"I expected someone less composed, given the circumstances."
WOMAN"My city is surrounded. Composure is the one thing I still control."
MAN"A fair point. I'll remember that." He set his sword on the table, hilt toward me. "I'm not here to accept your surrender."
WOMAN"Then why are you here?"
MAN"Because the Emperor is wrong about this war. And I need someone on the inside of these walls who knows it too."
WOMANI looked at the sword. At him. "That's either the most dangerous thing anyone has said to me in ten years of war."
MAN"Or?"
WOMAN"Or the most useful." I did not touch the sword. I sat back and studied him with the particular attention of a woman who has survived this long by reading people correctly. "Talk," I said. "Quickly."
What it is for: A first meeting played as a negotiation. Two people of equal rank measuring each other. Watch out for: Going regal. She is exhausted and holding it together; he picks every word carefully. The turn is the sword set down hilt first, and her 'Or the most useful.' What casting listens for: Casting listens for status: two powerful people, neither of whom has to raise their voice.
Late in story — she's used her power to the point of collapse, he finds her on the shore
MAN"How much did you use?"
WOMAN"Enough."
MAN"Enough to sink the fleet or enough to kill you?"
WOMAN"Both felt equally important at the time."
MAN"Seren." He crouched beside her. She was half in the water, and the sea was still moving wrong — responding to her breathing. "Look at me. Are you still in it?"
WOMAN"In what?"
MAN"The tide. Are you still calling it?" (A pause.)
WOMAN"Mostly."
MANHe took both her hands. He'd been told not to touch a tide caller mid-pull. He did it anyway. "Come back," he said. Not a command. Something else. She looked at him for a long moment, and then, very slowly, the sea went flat.
WOMAN"You're not supposed to do that."
MAN"I know."
WOMAN"You could have been dragged in."
MAN"I know that too." She didn't let go of his hands. He didn't either.
What it is for: Quiet after the storm. Low-energy intimacy after a big off-page event. Watch out for: Playing her as dying. She is wrung out and still dry ('Both felt equally important'). The turn is 'Come back', which the text says is not a command, so do not bark it. What casting listens for: Casting listens for whether the Irish holds on the soft lines, where most people drift back to their own accent.
Midpoint — he's caught her poaching in the sacred wood for the third time
MAN"Third time."
WOMAN"I know how to count."
MAN"Third time I let you go."
WOMAN"Generous."
MAN"Idiotic, more like. Why do you keep coming back?"
WOMAN"The wood calls me. I don't expect you to understand that."
MAN"The wood calls you."
WOMAN"Mock me if you want."
MAN"I'm not mocking you."
WOMANA pause. He looked into the dark between the trees.
MAN"It calls me too. Has since I was seven. That's why I became its warden."
WOMANShe stared at him. "Then why do you keep turning me out?"
MAN"Because you take from it rather than tending it."
WOMAN"I take what it offers."
MAN"That's not what offering looks like."
WOMANHe held the gate open.
MAN"Come back in daylight. I'll show you what it actually wants to give you."
WOMANShe looked at the gate. At him. "This feels like a trap."
MAN"Everything interesting does."
What it is for: Banter that opens into a confession halfway through. Watch out for: Keeping the sparring tone after 'It calls me too.' That line changes the scene; everything after it is slower and more careful. What casting listens for: They want to hear the shift from game to truth without a gear change you can see.
She is the last oracle; he is the soldier sent to protect her — midpoint argument
WOMAN"I've seen how this ends."
MAN"Good. Tell me."
WOMAN"That's not how it works."
MAN"Then what exactly is the use of a seer who won't see?"
WOMAN"One of us lives. I know which one. And I am telling you — as clearly as I am able — that I am not interested in it being me." (Long silence.)
MAN"So you've already decided."
WOMAN"The vision doesn't ask my opinion."
MAN"Then neither do I."
WOMANHe moved to block the path.
MAN"You don't get to show me a future and expect me to walk into it like a good soldier."
WOMAN"You don't have a choice."
MAN"Neither do you. Because I'm not moving."
WOMANShe stared at him — this man who had been assigned to her like a problem to be managed — and felt the vision shift, just slightly, at the edges. She had not accounted for stubbornness this specific. "The fates won't like this," she said.
MAN"The fates can get in line."
What it is for: An argument where both people are right. Stubbornness that comes from care, not ego. Watch out for: Making the soldier a hothead. He is calm and immovable; 'Then neither do I' is quiet. The turn is the vision shifting 'at the edges', which belongs to her. What casting listens for: Casting listens for a seer who sounds certain without sounding mystical.
Two rival mages forced to share a binding spell — late story, it's wearing off
MAN"It's fading."
WOMAN"I know. I can feel it." I pause. "You'll be free by morning."
MAN"We'll both be free."
WOMAN"Right. Yes." Another pause. "You can stop finishing my sentences after that. I know you've found it irritating."
MAN"I haven't found it irritating."
WOMAN"You've found it invasive, then."
MAN"I've found it—"
MANHe stopped. "It hasn't been what I expected."
WOMAN"No. It hasn't." We were quiet. The binding had done strange things to both of us — we feel the shape of the other's thoughts, not the content, just the texture. I knew the weight he carried without knowing its name. He knew the loneliness of my practice without knowing its history.
WOMAN"I'll miss it," I said, very quietly.
MAN"We could cast it again, voluntarily."
WOMANI looked at him. "That would be extraordinarily inadvisable."
MAN"Yes ... do you want to?"
What it is for: The end of forced proximity: two rival mages about to lose the spell that brought them close. Watch out for: Rushing to the last line. The long paragraph about 'the shape of the other's thoughts' is the heart of it; take it slowly and privately. The turn is 'We could cast it again, voluntarily.' What casting listens for: They listen for the gap between what she says and what she wants, especially on 'extraordinarily inadvisable'.
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Opening — she's been caught mid-theft inside a god's vault
MAN"You picked the lock on a divine vault."
WOMAN"Technically I picked three locks. The last one was impressive, I thought."
MAN"You're not afraid of me."
WOMAN"I'm terrified of you. I'm just better at talking when I'm terrified."
MAN"What were you sent to take?"
WOMAN"Who says I was sent?" He looked at her with eyes that were doing something unsettling with the light.
WOMAN"...The obsidian compass. Third shelf. I was told it was yours and that you wouldn't miss it."
MAN"Who told you that?"
WOMAN"Someone who clearly doesn't know you." She met his gaze. "Are you going to kill me?"
MAN"I'm going to make you a different offer."
WOMAN"I'm going to regret this."
MAN"Almost certainly." He sat down and folded his hands. "The person who sent you has something of mine that actually matters. Help me get it back and you may keep the compass."
WOMANShe looked at a god, sitting in his pillaged vault, watching her with patience that was clearly very old. "Fine," she said. "But I want it in writing."
What it is for: Comic nerve against ancient power. A fast talker and a very slow listener in the same scene. Watch out for: Giving the god a big booming voice. He is patient and old, which is scarier and funnier. Her turn is the drop from patter to honesty on '...The obsidian compass.' What casting listens for: Casting listens for contrast in tempo between the two voices, not in pitch.
Mid-story — she returns to settle a debt from a year ago; he's been waiting
MAN"You came back."
WOMAN"I said I would."
MAN"Humans say many things."
WOMAN"I'm aware. I came anyway."
WOMANShe set the sealed case on the cave floor between them. "Your scale. I kept it safe, as agreed."
MAN"And in return you want the name."
WOMAN"I want the name."
MANHe was quiet for a long time. For something this large and this old, quiet had a weight to it. "The name of the man who burned your village is Tareth Vane. He serves the Second Court. He will be in Korrath by the next dark moon."
MANShe absorbed this.
WOMAN"That's enough time."
MAN"Enough time for what, exactly?"
WOMAN"To end it."
MAN"Alone?" She picked up her sword belt.
WOMAN"As planned."
MANHe looked at her for a long, considering moment. "Your plan is insufficient," he said.
WOMAN"I managed—"
MAN"I will come with you." She stopped.
WOMAN"You're a dragon."
MAN"Yes. That tends to help."
What it is for: A bargain with a creature who has all the power and uses almost none of it. Watch out for: Growling the dragon. He is dry and exact. The turn is 'I will come with you': underplay it and 'Yes. That tends to help' gets its laugh. What casting listens for: They listen for a huge creature played with small, precise choices.
Late in story — she must leave the wood or it will keep her; he's known this longer than she has
WOMAN"You knew. How long have you known?"
MAN"Since the third month. The wood started growing toward you."
WOMAN"And you didn't tell me."
MAN"I didn't want you to go."
WOMAN"That's not—"
MAN"I know what it is. I'm telling you anyway."
WOMANHe looked at the tree line. The old trees — the ones that had stood since before the word old had meaning — were bent toward her. Even now.
MAN"If you stay another season it won't matter what you want. It will keep you."
WOMAN"Maybe I'd be kept willingly."
MAN"Not after the first century."
WOMANShe looked at the trees. At him. The distance between those two things was everything. "Come with me." A silence so old it had its own texture.
MAN"I can't leave."
WOMAN"Can't or won't?"
MAN"In my case they've always been the same."
WOMAN"They don't have to be." He looked at her, and for one moment something moved through his face that was entirely, terribly human. Then:
MAN"Walk to the edge with me ... I want to see how far I get."
What it is for: A goodbye neither of them will say out loud. Restraint across a long, sad scene. Watch out for: Crying it. The pain lives under very plain lines. The turn is 'In my case they've always been the same': he is admitting something, not reporting it. What casting listens for: Casting listens for a character who is centuries old but still sounds like a person.
Climax — mid-battle at sea, the storm is out of control
WOMAN"Can you stop it?"
MAN"I called it. I can't uncall it. I can only ride it."
WOMAN"That's not the same as stopping it."
MAN"No. It isn't." A wave hit the hull. Both of them grabbed the rail.
WOMAN"What do you need from me?"
MAN"Hold the heading north-northeast. Don't let anyone adjust it regardless of what the storm looks like. And—"
WOMAN"What?"
MAN"Don't let go of my hand." She looked at the hand he'd extended. Around them the sky was splitting.
WOMAN"Why?"
MAN"Because I'm going to go somewhere very loud and I need something quiet to come back to." She took his hand. He closed his eyes. The storm above them screamed and then — very slowly, like something enormous being steered by something small but very certain — began to turn.
WOMAN"It's moving."
MAN"Don't let go."
WOMAN"I'm not letting go."
MAN"Good. Neither am I."
What it is for: Action and intimacy at once: a screaming storm outside, quiet trust between two people. Watch out for: Shouting the whole thing. Lift over the wind for the first lines, then pull right in for 'something quiet to come back to', which is the turn. What casting listens for: They listen for energy control: big and small in the same minute.
Midpoint — trapped together in a realm where lies are physically impossible
WOMAN"You should know — in this realm, you cannot say anything that isn't true."
MAN"I'm aware."
WOMAN"So everything you've said since we crossed the threshold—"
MAN"Has been true. Yes." A careful pause.
WOMAN"Including the part where you said you weren't angry with me about Velanthor."
MAN"Including that part."
WOMAN"And the part where you said—"
MAN"Let's not inventory it."
WOMAN"You said you trusted me more than anyone alive."
MAN"I'm aware of what I said."
WOMAN"You sounded surprised when you said it."
MAN"I was." Silence. The Mirror Realm reflected everything back without edit.
WOMAN"I'm not going to pretend I didn't hear any of it."
MAN"I'm not asking you to." He turned to look at her, and in this place where nothing false could live, his expression was entirely unguarded. "I'm asking you to wait until we're out before we talk about what it means."
WOMAN"Why?"
MAN"Because out there I can choose what I say. In here I can only tell the truth, and the truth—" He stopped.
WOMAN"The truth what?"
MAN"Is more than I'm ready to give you in a realm with no door to leave by."
What it is for: A comedy of truth that turns tender. A man trying very hard not to say anything. Watch out for: Playing him as cold. He is cornered and a little embarrassed. The turn is 'I was', which should sound like it slipped out. What casting listens for: Casting listens for subtext in a scene where nobody can lie: the tension is in what they choose not to say.
The Hollow King
Dark fantasy, assassin and kingAdult (30-45)Neutral BritishTwo narrators (duet)90 secondsabout 89s
Cast: MANWOMAN
She was sent to kill him; she didn't — now it's the night before the trial that will decide everything
MAN"You should leave. While there's still time."
WOMAN"I'm not leaving."
MAN"If you're in this city when the verdict comes—"
WOMAN"I know what happens."
MAN"Then you understand why I'm asking you to go."
WOMAN"I understand. I'm still not going." Silence. The candle between them was burning low.
MAN"Why did you spare me? At the beginning. I've never asked you directly."
WOMAN"Because you were reading to your daughter."
MANHe looked up.
WOMAN"I had a clear shot. You didn't know I was there. And you were sitting on the floor of the nursery, reading to a child who was already asleep, because—" She stopped.
MAN"Because I didn't want to stop."
WOMAN"Yes." Another silence. "A man who does that is not the man they told me you were." He stood and went to the window. "I've done things that deserve what's coming," he said. "I know."
WOMAN"Then why—"
MAN"Because some things deserve a fair account before they're judged. And no one has given you one." She picked up her cloak. Not to leave — to stay warmer through the night. "I'll be here," she said. "At the trial." He didn't argue again.
What it is for: Night-before-the-trial stillness. A long, low scene with one story told inside it. Watch out for: Adding pauses everywhere. The silences are already written in. The turn is 'Because you were reading to your daughter.' What casting listens for: They listen for whether you can hold tension at low volume for ninety seconds.
Ink & Exile
Magic system fantasy, scholar and outcastAdult (25-40)Neutral AmericanTwo narrators (duet)90 secondsabout 1.5 min
Cast: MANWOMAN
Midpoint — he reads the marks on her skin and understands what she is
MAN"Roll up your sleeve. The left one."
WOMAN"Why?"
MAN"Because I think I know what those marks are and I need to be wrong." She rolled up her sleeve. He looked at the marks for a long time without touching them.
MAN"You're Unwritten."
WOMAN"That's what they called it when they threw me out, yes."
MAN"Do you know what Unwritten actually means?"
WOMAN"That my marks don't exist in the registry. That I'm a mistake. That—"
MAN"It means you're writing a new language." She stared at him.
MAN"These marks aren't corrupted. They're original. I've spent fifteen years studying every ink system ever documented and I have never—" He stopped. He looked at her differently now. "You have no idea what you are."
WOMAN"They told me I was nothing."
MAN"They were afraid of what they couldn't read." He finally — carefully — touched the edge of one mark. It glowed faintly under his fingertip. He exhaled.
WOMAN"What does it say?"
MAN"I don't know yet. But I'm going to learn." He looked up. "If you'll let me." She had spent three years being told she was a mistake. This man was looking at her like she was a discovery. "Okay," she said. The word felt enormous. "But slowly."
What it is for: A discovery scene: one person realises the other is extraordinary. Wonder without gushing. Watch out for: Making him breathless. He is a careful scholar whose life's work has just been overturned; the excitement is held in. Her turn is 'Okay', and then 'But slowly.' What casting listens for: Casting listens for the moment she believes him, played without a big breath.
The Dead God's Name
Mythic fantasy, questAdult (30-45)Neutral BritishTwo narrators (duet)90 secondsabout 1.6 min
Cast: WOMANMAN
Opening — he's come to her for access to something buried; she's been waiting for him
WOMAN"You're the scholar."
MAN"How did you—"
WOMAN"You're the seventh. The others gave up at the mountain pass. You didn't." She stepped aside from the gate. "Come in. It's cold and you've been travelling a long time."
MAN"You knew I was coming?"
WOMAN"The god told me. Which is unusual, since the god is dead."
MANHe stopped. "Which god?"
WOMAN"The one you're looking for. The one no one has said aloud in four hundred years."
MAN"That's not possible."
WOMAN"No. It's inconvenient, which is different." She handed him tea without asking. He took it without thinking.
WOMAN"The god says you're the only person in four centuries to actually care about the truth rather than the power."
MAN"And that matters to a dead god?"
WOMAN"Apparently it's the one thing a dead god still has opinions about." She sat. "The name you're looking for is in the burial chamber below this house. The god says I may take you there."
MAN"Just like that?"
WOMAN"Just like that." She met his eyes. "Although the god also says you won't like what the name requires of you when you find it."
MANA silence. "Did the god say whether I do it anyway?"
WOMAN"Yes," she said. "That's why you're the seventh and not the first."
What it is for: An opening built on a strange premise delivered matter-of-factly. Making the uncanny sound domestic. Watch out for: Playing her as eerie. She is a practical gatekeeper who makes tea. The turn is the last line, which reframes him: say it gently. What casting listens for: They listen for dry wit inside high fantasy, which is harder than it sounds.
The Apprentice's Twelfth Candle
Comic fantasy, wizard and apprenticeAnyNeutral BritishTwo narrators (duet)1 minuteabout 63s
Cast: ALDRICWREN
Opening: an old wizard returns home to find his new apprentice has set his tower on fire
ALDRICWren.
WRENMaster Aldric. You're back early.
ALDRICThe tower is on fire.
WRENPartly on fire. The library is mostly fine.
ALDRICWhat did you do?
WRENYou said to practise the lighting charm.
ALDRICOn a candle.
WRENI did it on a candle. The first eleven times.
ALDRICAnd the twelfth?
WRENI wanted to see how big it would go.
ALDRIC...
WRENQuite big, it turns out.
ALDRICDo you know how many apprentices I have had in forty years?
WRENIs this the speech about how I'm the worst?
ALDRICNine. Not one of them could light a candle in their first month.
WRENSo I'm not the worst.
ALDRICYou are by far the worst. Fetch a bucket. Then we start the extinguishing charm, before you find out how big that goes.
What it is for: Comic duet across a big age gap. A weary old wizard and an unrepentant apprentice. Watch out for: Making Aldric shout. He has seen everything and is too tired to be angry. The turn is 'Nine', where he quietly admits she is gifted. What casting listens for: Casting listens for two ages that are clear from rhythm and attitude, not from a funny old-man voice.
The Smith and the Knight
Epic fantasy, eve of battleAdult (30-45)ScottishTwo narrators (duet)90 secondsabout 1.5 min
Cast: MAIRICALLUM
The night before battle: a knight brings his damaged sword to the smith who forged it for his father
MAIRIPut it on the anvil. Let me see what you've done to it.
CALLUMIt's only notched.
MAIRIIt's notched in four places and bent at the tip. You've been using it as a crowbar.
CALLUMThere was a gate.
MAIRIThere's always a gate with you.
CALLUMCan you fix it by morning?
MAIRII can mend it by morning. I can't make it last. You need a new blade, and a new blade is three weeks.
CALLUMI haven't got three weeks.
MAIRII know what you haven't got.
CALLUMMairi.
MAIRIHold the lamp. Closer. There.
CALLUMYou're angry.
MAIRII made this sword for your father. He brought it back to me twice in thirty years. You've brought it back three times since spring.
CALLUMHe was a better fighter.
MAIRIHe was a more careful man. It's not the same thing.
CALLUMWill it hold?
MAIRIIt'll hold if you stop hitting gates with it.
CALLUMAnd if it doesn't?
MAIRIThen you come back here with the pieces. Do you hear me? Whatever's left. You bring it back to this anvil and I'll make you another.
CALLUMThat's three weeks.
MAIRIThen you'd better be alive in three weeks.
What it is for: A duet of care disguised as irritation. Practical work, old history and a promise. Watch out for: Playing Mairi as a nag. Every complaint about the sword is fear for him. The turn is 'Whatever's left. You bring it back to this anvil.' What casting listens for: Casting listens for two Scottish voices that stay distinct and a real shift from bickering to plea.
Midnight: two sisters, each crowned by a rival faction, meet alone in the empty throne room
ELISANDEYou came alone.
ROWENAYou asked me to. I assumed it was a trap.
ELISANDEIt isn't.
ROWENAI know. If it were a trap you'd have lit more candles. You always did like to see people's faces when things went wrong.
ELISANDEWe were nine.
ROWENAPeople don't change, Elisande. They get crowns.
ELISANDESit down.
ROWENAOn which chair? There is only the one, and we both seem to think it's ours.
ELISANDEThen sit on the steps. Like we used to.
ROWENA...
ELISANDEThe northern lords march on the fifth. Yours and mine. They don't care which of us wins. They only need one of us to lose, so they can be very sorry about it and take the regency.
ROWENAYou're sure.
ELISANDEI read their letters. You taught me to open a seal with a hot knife, remember? You were eleven and very proud of yourself.
ROWENAI remember.
ELISANDESo. Two queens. Or no queens.
ROWENAOr one queen, and her sister, who is extremely good at opening letters.
ELISANDEIs that an offer?
ROWENAIt's a negotiation. Light another candle. I want to see your face when I win it.
What it is for: A female duet of rival sisters. Politics on the surface, childhood underneath. Watch out for: Making them sound alike. Elisande is careful and tired; Rowena is quick and cutting. The turn is 'Then sit on the steps. Like we used to.' What casting listens for: Casting listens for two distinct women with a shared history you can hear.
On the black river: a woman who has just died has no coin for the ferryman
FERRYMANFare.
NUALAI don't have it.
FERRYMANEveryone has it. They put it under your tongue.
NUALAThey were in a hurry. My sister did the arrangements. She forgets things.
FERRYMANThen you wait on the bank. A hundred years. Those are the rules.
NUALAA hundred years.
FERRYMANIt passes.
NUALAFor you, maybe. You've a boat. What do I get?
FERRYMANThe bank.
NUALACould I pay you some other way?
FERRYMANHow?
NUALAI could row. You look tired.
FERRYMAN...Nobody has ever said that.
NUALANobody's looked, I'd say. How long have you been at it?
FERRYMANSince before your language.
NUALAThen sit down, for pity's sake. Give me the oar. You can tell me where to go.
FERRYMANThat is usually my line.
NUALAWell, it's mine now. Budge up.
What it is for: Mythic comedy with a kind heart. A practical dead woman and an ancient, exhausted ferryman. Watch out for: Making the Ferryman spooky. He is bored, then startled to be noticed. The turn is 'Nobody has ever said that.' What casting listens for: Casting listens for comic warmth in the Irish voice and real surprise in the other.
Midnight at a fae market stall: a woman is asked to pay in something other than coin
TESSHow much for the lantern?
VEYLINYour name.
TESSNo.
VEYLINYour laugh, then.
TESSI use my laugh.
VEYLINA memory, then. Something small. A Tuesday.
TESSWhich Tuesday?
VEYLINAny Tuesday. You have thousands.
TESSThat's what you said to my grandmother.
VEYLIN...
TESSShe sold you a Tuesday for a silver comb. It was the day she met my grandfather. She spent sixty years not remembering how.
VEYLINAh. You're that one's girl.
TESSI am. And I'm not buying a lantern. I'm here to buy back a Tuesday.
What it is for: A short fae-bargain duet with a reveal. Charm versus a woman who came prepared. Watch out for: Playing Veylin as villainous. He is a charming shopkeeper. The turn is 'That's what you said to my grandmother', and his silence after it. What casting listens for: Casting listens for a quick, clean exchange and a clear shift in who holds the power.
The Witch Across the Lane
Cosy fantasy, second chancesMature (55+)Neutral AmericanTwo narrators (duet)1 minuteabout 64s
Cast: HENRYAGATHA
Cosy fantasy: a retired knight knocks on the door of the village witch he has avoided for thirty years
HENRYEvening, Agatha.
AGATHASir Henry. On my step. You usually cross the lane to avoid my step.
HENRYMy knee's gone.
AGATHAThe village doctor is a fool with a nice beard. Come in. Mind the cat, he bites knights.
HENRYOnly knights?
AGATHAHe has a very specific history.
HENRYI didn't come about the knee.
AGATHANo?
HENRYThirty years ago I rode through here with the Duke's men. They wanted this cottage burned. I told them it was empty.
AGATHAI know. I was in the cellar.
HENRYYou knew it was me?
AGATHAI knew your voice. It's why I never turned you into anything.
HENRYI've meant to say thank you for thirty years. And sorry.
AGATHASit down and say both properly, and I'll put the kettle on. The knee we'll do after.
What it is for: Cosy fantasy for older voices. A thirty-year-old debt settled over a kettle. Watch out for: Playing them old. They are sharp, funny and a bit stiff with each other. The turn is 'I knew your voice. It's why I never turned you into anything.' What casting listens for: Mature duets are rare practice material. Casting listens for warmth that is never sugary.
Midnight on a border wall: a veteran and a new recruit watch the treeline
BRAMDon't look straight at it.
OSKARAt what?
BRAMThe treeline. Look straight at it and you see nothing. Look a bit to the left. Your eyes do better at the edges.
OSKARHow long have you been up here?
BRAMNineteen winters.
OSKARHas anything ever come out of the trees?
BRAMTwice.
OSKARWhat happened?
BRAMThe first time, we rang the bell and forty men came up those stairs.
OSKARAnd the second time?
BRAMThe second time I was on my own, and I didn't ring the bell, because I was frightened. I've been on this wall every night since, making up for it.
OSKAR...
BRAMDon't look at me, lad. Look at the trees.
OSKARBram. Left of the dead oak.
BRAMI see it.
OSKARDo I ring the bell?
BRAMYou ring the bell.
What it is for: A male duet: an old soldier and a new recruit, and a confession in the dark. Watch out for: Hurrying Bram's confession. It is the longest line and the one he has never said aloud. The turn is 'I didn't ring the bell, because I was frightened.' What casting listens for: Casting listens for two men who sound different in age and experience without caricature.
A young rider has climbed to an old dragon's ledge to ask to be chosen
ISLAI've come to be chosen.
OSSERAHave you.
ISLAI passed the trials. I have the token. I climbed the whole cliff without the rope.
OSSERAI watched. You slipped twice.
ISLAI didn't fall.
OSSERANo. You did not. What is your name?
ISLAIsla Venn. Third daughter of the Venn farm. We keep goats.
OSSERAGoats.
ISLAI know it's not grand.
OSSERAI have eaten a great many goats. I have never once thought them grand. Why do you want to ride?
ISLATo serve the realm.
OSSERAThat is what the token says. Why do you want to ride?
ISLA...Because my brother rode. And he didn't come back. And I want to see what he saw.
OSSERAThat is a better answer.
ISLAIs it good enough?
OSSERAI carried your brother for six years. He talked the entire time. Mostly about goats, now I think of it.
ISLAYou were his dragon.
OSSERAI was. I have refused every rider since. They all came up that cliff with the rope.
ISLASo is that a yes?
OSSERAIt is a get on, before I change my mind. And grip with your knees. Your brother never did.
What it is for: A young rider and an old dragon, and the dead brother between them. Humour turning into grief and back. Watch out for: Giving Ossera a monster voice. She is dry, ancient and fond. The turn is Isla's real answer: 'Because my brother rode.' What casting listens for: Casting listens for a young voice that sounds genuinely young and brave, not cute.
The Wrong Grave
Dark comic fantasy, necromancyAdult (25-40)Neutral AmericanTwo narrators (duet)1 minuteabout 63s
Cast: PIPLORD GRAVENHOLT
In a crypt: a nervous young necromancer has raised the wrong person
PIPHello. Sorry. Hello.
LORD GRAVENHOLTWhere am I?
PIPThe crypt. Under the chapel. I'm Pip. I'm, er, the necromancer.
LORD GRAVENHOLTYou are fourteen.
PIPNineteen. I have a young face. I was trying to raise my aunt.
LORD GRAVENHOLTI am not your aunt.
PIPNo. I can see that now. You're much taller.
LORD GRAVENHOLTI was buried with considerable ceremony three hundred years ago.
PIPYes, the plaque was lovely.
LORD GRAVENHOLTAnd what, precisely, did you want with your aunt?
PIPShe hid the family silver before she died, and nobody knows where.
LORD GRAVENHOLT...Under the third stair of the east tower.
PIPHow do you know that?
LORD GRAVENHOLTBecause I hid it there first. Your family stole it from me.
PIPOh.
LORD GRAVENHOLTYes. Oh. Fetch a lamp, child. We are going to the east tower.
What it is for: Dark comedy for two voices. A nervous young necromancer and a very offended nobleman. Watch out for: Doing a horror voice for the lord. He is a snob, not a monster. The turn is 'Because I hid it there first.' What casting listens for: Casting listens for comic contrast: one voice rushing, one voice taking its time.
The Oathbreaker
Epic fantasy, betrayalAdult (30-45)Neutral BritishTwo narrators (duet)90 secondsabout 1.5 min
Cast: DAME ORLATOBIAS
Late in the story: a knight confronts the squire she trained, who opened the castle gate to the enemy
DAME ORLAGet up.
TOBIASI can't.
DAME ORLAYou can. Your leg is bruised, not broken. I checked while you were out. Get up.
TOBIASAre you going to kill me?
DAME ORLAI haven't decided. Tell me why.
TOBIASYou know why.
DAME ORLAI know the east gate was opened at midnight from the inside. I know you had the key. I would like the rest from the boy I taught to hold a sword.
TOBIASThey had my mother.
DAME ORLA...
TOBIASIn the village. Open the gate and she lives, they said. They showed me her ring. I knew the ring.
DAME ORLAYou should have come to me.
TOBIASAnd you'd have done what? Ridden out for one old woman, with the castle under siege?
DAME ORLAYes.
TOBIASYou wouldn't.
DAME ORLAI would have, Tobias. That's what an oath is. Not a promise to the king. A promise to the person standing next to you.
TOBIASThen I broke it.
DAME ORLAYou did. Is she alive?
TOBIASI don't know.
DAME ORLAThen get up. We're going to find out. And when we've found her, you and I are going to have a very long conversation about gates.
What it is for: A knight confronting the squire who betrayed her. Anger, love and a definition of loyalty. Watch out for: Making Dame Orla cold. She is furious because she loves him. The turn is 'Yes', when she says she would have ridden out for his mother. What casting listens for: Casting listens for authority and tenderness in the same voice, and a young man who is ashamed, not whiny.
The Healer's Price
Low fantasy, healer and mercenaryAdult (30-45)IrishTwo narrators (duet)1 minuteabout 64s
Cast: BRONAGHDECLAN
A village healer stitches a mercenary who will not say who stabbed him
BRONAGHHold still.
DECLANI am.
BRONAGHYou're holding still like a cat in a bath. Arm down.
DECLANHow bad is it?
BRONAGHAn inch to the left and we wouldn't be talking. Who did it?
DECLANNobody.
BRONAGHNobody's very good with a knife.
DECLANWhat do I owe you?
BRONAGHA name.
DECLANThat's not a price.
BRONAGHIt's my price. Every man who comes in with a hole in him, I ask who made it. That way I know who's coming in next.
DECLANAnd if I don't tell you?
BRONAGHThen you pay in silver like an ordinary fool, and next time you can go to the butcher.
DECLAN...It was my brother.
BRONAGHI know. He came in an hour before you. You broke his nose.
DECLANDid you set it?
BRONAGHI did. Crooked. Now lie back. This bit hurts.
What it is for: A stitching scene with a secret. Brisk, funny and quietly clever. Watch out for: Playing Bronagh as flirty or maternal. She is a professional with her own intelligence network. The turn is 'I know. He came in an hour before you.' What casting listens for: Casting listens for speed and dryness in the Irish voice and a man trying not to wince.
Night in an old map room: a mapmaker meets the ghost of the woman who drew the maps before him
EDMUNDWho's there?
CORDELIAYou've got the coastline wrong.
EDMUNDI beg your pardon?
CORDELIAThe bay at Harrow Point. You've drawn it round. It hasn't been round since the great storm.
EDMUNDThe great storm was two hundred years ago.
CORDELIAI'm aware. I drew it.
EDMUNDYou're Cordelia Marsh.
CORDELIAI was.
EDMUNDYour maps are the reason I became a cartographer. I've copied every one of them.
CORDELIAI can see. You copied the mistake on the western islands.
EDMUNDThere's a mistake on the western islands?
CORDELIAI put it there on purpose. So I'd know who was copying me.
EDMUND...
CORDELIADon't look so wounded. You're the first in two centuries who copied it well.
EDMUNDWill you show me the bay?
CORDELIAFetch more candles. It's going to be a long night.
What it is for: A ghost story played as a professional rivalry. Dry wit and a shared obsession. Watch out for: Making Cordelia wispy or spooky. She is a cranky expert who has been dead a long time. The turn is 'I put it there on purpose.' What casting listens for: Casting listens for two grown-up voices with a real intellectual spark between them.
Rivals at the Mage Trials
Academy fantasy, rivalsYoung adult (18-25)Neutral AmericanTwo narrators (duet)45 secondsabout 46s
Cast: KITSABLE
The final round of the mage trials: two rivals trapped in the same collapsing maze
KITOf course it's you.
SABLEDon't look so pleased.
KITI'm not pleased. I'm stuck in a maze with you, which is the same as being stuck in a maze, but louder.
SABLEThe walls are closing.
KITI noticed the walls.
SABLEI can hold them. For a minute. Not longer.
KITAnd I can open the door. But not while I'm holding anything else.
SABLESo we need each other.
KITTemporarily.
SABLEUntil the door.
KITFine.
SABLEFine. On three.
KITWhose three?
SABLEMine, obviously.
KITOne.
SABLEThat's my count!
KITTwo.
What it is for: A fast young-adult duet with a comic button. Rhythm, overlap and bickering under pressure. Watch out for: Losing the stakes. The walls really are closing, so keep the pace up. The turn is 'So we need each other', which neither of them enjoys saying. What casting listens for: Casting listens for two young voices that stay distinct at speed.
A mountain inn: a cook informs the runaway prince hiding there that he will be peeling potatoes
MARTENYou'll be peeling.
ALARICI beg your pardon?
MARTENPotatoes. That sack. By supper.
ALARICI am the heir to the Amber Throne.
MARTENYou're a lad hiding in my inn with a price on his head, and my potato boy quit on Tuesday.
ALARICI have never peeled a potato.
MARTENI can tell. You're holding the knife like it owes you money. Thumb here. Away from you. There.
ALARICThis is absurd.
MARTENMost of life is. Keep going.
ALARICWhy are you helping me?
MARTENThe soldiers looking for you ate my stew last night and didn't pay.
ALARICThat's the reason?
MARTENThat, and your mother stayed here once, before she was queen. She peeled potatoes too. Badly. But she never complained.
ALARIC...I'm not complaining.
MARTENGood. Faster.
What it is for: A gentle comic duet with a heart. Status reversal between a runaway prince and a cook. Watch out for: Making the prince a brat. He is proud and frightened. Marten is unimpressed, not unkind. The turn is the mention of the prince's mother. What casting listens for: Casting listens for status play: the lower-ranked man is clearly in charge.
A kitchen: an old woman who has spent six wishes over a lifetime summons the spirit of the lamp for the last one
ZEPHIRAHello, Martha.
MARTHAYou're late. I rubbed that lamp an hour ago.
ZEPHIRAI was admiring the kitchen. You've painted it.
MARTHAYellow. Forty years ago. You were here.
ZEPHIRAWas I? Which wish was that?
MARTHANumber four. The rent.
ZEPHIRAAh. I liked that one. Very practical. Number one was a pony.
MARTHAI was nine.
ZEPHIRATwo, the boy at the dance. Three, getting rid of the boy at the dance.
MARTHADon't.
ZEPHIRAFive, your daughter's fever. Six, your husband's last winter being a kind one.
MARTHAIt was kind. Thank you.
ZEPHIRAThat's what I'm for. And now it's seven, Martha. After seven I go back in the lamp and wait for somebody new. So. Youth? Riches? Another pony?
MARTHASit down.
ZEPHIRAI don't sit. I'm a spirit.
MARTHASit down anyway. There's cake.
ZEPHIRA...What's the wish?
MARTHAThat's the wish. You sit down, have cake, tell me what you've been doing all these years between my wishes, and then you stay. I'm getting on. I'd like the company.
ZEPHIRANobody has ever wished for me.
MARTHAWell. Now somebody has. Lemon or chocolate?
What it is for: A tender comic duet about a lifetime told in wishes. Memory, loneliness and cake. Watch out for: Playing Martha as sad. She is brisk and has made her decision. Zephira runs through the list like old gossip. The turn is 'That's the wish.' What casting listens for: Casting listens for a mature voice with timing and a spirit character that is playful, not mystical.
Under the Frost Queen's Roof
Fairy tale, hostageAdult (25-40)Neutral AmericanTwo narrators (duet)90 secondsabout 1.6 min
Cast: LIRAHALVARD
An ice palace: a hostage tries, again, to get the silent guard assigned to her to talk
LIRAYou could talk to me, you know. It's allowed. I asked.
HALVARDIt is allowed.
LIRAHe speaks! Eleven days. I thought the queen had frozen your tongue.
HALVARDShe has frozen other things.
LIRA...What does that mean?
HALVARDI was a hostage too. Eight years ago. From the south, like you.
LIRAYou're from the south?
HALVARDBrightwater. By the river.
LIRAI know Brightwater. My aunt sold eggs there.
HALVARDThe woman with the blue cart.
LIRAThat's her.
HALVARDShe gave me an egg once, for carrying her basket. I was seven. I thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever been given.
LIRAWhy did you never go home?
HALVARDMy family could not pay the ransom. After a while the queen offered me a uniform instead of a cell. It was warmer.
LIRAMy family will pay.
HALVARDI know. That is why I have not spoken to you.
LIRABecause I'm leaving?
HALVARDBecause I did not want to remember what it is like to talk to someone from home, and then watch them go.
LIRA...Then come with me.
HALVARDI am a guard of the Frost Queen.
LIRAYou were a boy from Brightwater first. Show me the way out, Halvard. And then walk it with me.
What it is for: A silent guard finally speaks. A duet built on a shared home and a slow thaw. Watch out for: Making Halvard brooding. He is shy and out of practice at talking. The turn is the egg: 'I thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever been given.' What casting listens for: Casting listens for a quiet male voice with feeling underneath, and a woman who talks to fill the silence until she doesn't.
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