The Franchise Affair
From the novel by Josephine Tey. Dramatised and adapted for a modern audience
A young girl is missing for almost a month. Two women live in a lonely old house, behind high walls and big iron gates. Is this where Betty Kane was held against her will? Inspector Alan Grant of Scotland Yard appears to give up on the case, for lack of definite evidence. But can Robert Blair, mild mannered local solicitor, get to the truth and save the reputation of a damsel in distress? The play is based on The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey. Written in 1948 it was named by the Crime Writers association in 1990 as one of the top detective novels ever written, but in the twenty first century it has been criticised for its outmoded attitudes towards women. Although set just after the Second World War it is actually based on a true case from 1753 of a young woman, Elizabeth Canning who claimed to have been held in a barn for a month, kidnapped by two women.
Type
Full Length
Genre
Drama
Duration (minutes) - excluding intervals
100
Style
Minimal set and an intriguing, often amusing story line. Attitudes expressed in the original book have been altered to reflect modern values, and to highlight any misogyny, discrimination and inequality.
Casting
1M, 2F with doubling but could be extended to 5 or more.
Scripts and Licencing
Contact the playwright for licences and scripts.