Note from Lucy, the Director

We were delighted to be invited back to perform for the 2016 Robert Taylor Society Conference, which again took place in the Pichette Auditorium in Pembroke College. 'Chastity on the Verge' was great fun to direct. Although it is technically a tragedy, it was easy to inject some farcical moments which met with uproar from the audience; some plot devices (such as the infamous dog, which is sent out into the garden by the Châtelaine to let the knight know she is ready for love-making) are inherently comic. Each of the characters- even the scheming Duchess- are likeable in their own way, with strong personalities and individual cunning and wit. One of the greatest successes was our transformation of the medieval narrator into a 20th-century, Rocky Horror-style compère, complete with dinner suit and glass of cognac. Other than this, we decided on authentic period costume, which provided a pleasing and effective antithesis to our audacious narrator, as well as to some suggestive stage directions which I couldn't resist adding in.

Note from David, the Translator

‘La Châtelaine de Vergi’ is a short narrative poem in medieval French. About two-thirds of the text consists of dialogue, so it calls out for full-scale dramatization. In this English version, entitled ‘Chastity on the Verge’, I have aimed above all at clarity and theatrical performability. I’ve employed rhyming verse in the same sprightly metre as the original in order to convey its artful and ironic flavour. My aim is to make this racy story of young love and betrayal accessible and entertaining for a modern audience.