Rudens (The Rope) by Plautus

Right from the sea a fisherman a hamper drew;
Unlocked, it showed the tokens of his master’s child:
Daughter she was, though servant to procurer vile,
Established, after shipwreck, as her father’s ward —
Now safe, though still unknown. At last, his daughter proved,
She weds her erstwhile lover, Plesidippus true.

Roman comedy is one of the greatest what-ifs in theater. We have copious evidence that it was extremely funny and well-written, but alas, very few actually good plays survived the fall of the Empire.

Fortunately, we do have Rudens (The Rope) by Plautus! An Actually Good Play that fans of every shipwreck dramedy from Twelfth Night to Pirates of the Caribbean can enjoy.

A Falconbridge staged reading Tuesday August 27 at 7 PM at Arts + Literature Laboratory, 111 S. Livingston Street in Madison. Free and open to the public. RSVP below welcome but not required.

Directed by Jay Seevers.