Town Crier
Ring the bell and read the day's news to the market square. Everyone has already seen it on their phones. They gather anyway, and they listen.
c. 1200 – 1880About the role
For centuries, news arrived by voice. Town criers stood in the square, rang a handbell and read out proclamations, laws, lost property and the price of bread. People stopped what they were doing to hear it.
In the Market Square, you'll read the day's announcements twice a day in full costume. The news will be real, and slightly out of date. Your audience will know it already. Read it as if they don't.
What you'll do
- Collect the day's proclamations from the clerk at the town hall.
- Ring the bell three times and cry “Oyez, oyez, oyez!” to begin.
- Read each announcement clearly, from memory where possible.
- End with “God save the King”, or the local equivalent.
- Nail a copy of the proclamations to the inn door.
What we're looking for
- A loud voice that carries across a square.
- Confidence in a tricorn hat.
- Good diction, even in the rain.
- Stamina for two performances a day.
Perks
- A brass handbellHeavy, loud and engraved with the names of past criers.
- A scroll caseWaterproof, mostly. Keep the proclamations dry.
- A pint at the innTraditionally free after the afternoon cry.
