Fanny’s First Play: every role by lines, words, and stage time

George Bernard Shaw. 21 speaking roles, 21,531 words, about 154 minutes of speech.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

Margaret has the most to say in Fanny’s First Play: about 357 lines and 3,033 words, 14.1% of the play. Fanny’s First Play is Shaw’s play within a play, framed by an Induction and Epilogue in which critics debate a new play by an unknown author. The load is spread widely: Margaret is the largest role at about 14% of the words. The Count and Savoyard speak only in the frame, and the inner-play roles each appear in two sections.

Speaking roles: 21
Scenes: 5
Words: 21,531
Speech time: 154 min

Every role, largest first

Role	Lines	Words	Share	Minutes	Scenes
Margaret	357	3,033	14.1%	21.7	2
The Count	237	2,088	9.7%	14.9	2
Gilbey	253	2,085	9.7%	14.9	2
Dora	229	1,963	9.1%	14.0	2
Mrs. Knox	206	1,738	8.1%	12.4	2
Knox	173	1,399	6.5%	10.0	2
Juggins	177	1,346	6.3%	9.6	2
Savoyard	158	1,341	6.2%	9.6	2
Bobby	154	1,200	5.6%	8.6	1
Trotter	143	1,190	5.5%	8.5	2
Duvallet	120	1,073	5%	7.7	2
Fanny	115	900	4.2%	6.4	2
Mrs. Gilbey	124	875	4.1%	6.3	2
Gunn	50	419	1.9%	3.0	2
Bannal	49	384	1.8%	2.7	2
Vaughan	39	330	1.5%	2.4	2
Footman	9	65	0.3%	0.5	1
Count O’Dowda	5	48	0.2%	0.3	1
Dora’s voice	4	40	0.2%	0.3	1
Margaret’s voice	1	10	0%	0.1	1
The critics	1	2	0%	0.0	1

Who speaks in which scene

Darker cells mean more words in that scene. Use it to plan rehearsal calls, or to see how long an actor waits between entrances.

Role	Ind	Act 1	Act 2	Act 3	Epi
Margaret
The Count
Gilbey
Dora
Mrs. Knox
Knox
Juggins
Savoyard
Bobby
Trotter
Duvallet
Fanny
Mrs. Gilbey

The longest speeches

Speech	Scene	Words	Lines
Duvallet: “Ah, madam, my daughters are French girls. That…”	Act 3	722	73
Margaret: “He did, just as if he had known me for years. …”	Act 2	525	53
Margaret: “I’m not hardened, mother. But I can’t talk non…”	Act 2	400	40
Dora: “Only fancy! he stopped to laugh at the copper!…”	Act 1	237	24
The Count: “Then, sir, tomorrow I start for Venice, never …”	Epilogue	211	22
Mrs. Knox: “No, Jo: you know I’m not. What better were my …”	Act 3	207	21
Fanny: “I don’t mind this play shocking my father mora…”	Induction	179	18
Dora: “I’m coming to it, old dear: don’t you be so he…”	Act 1	176	18
Duvallet: “I came in at your invitation—at your amiable i…”	Act 2	159	16
The Count: “Afford it! My dear Mr. Savoyard, if you are a …”	Induction	156	16

Small roles that can be doubled

These pairs of small roles never speak in the same scene, so one actor could play both. Check entrances and silent appearances in your script before you cast it this way.

Fanny and Mrs. Gilbey
Fanny and Dora’s voice
Fanny and Margaret’s voice
Mrs. Gilbey and Gunn
Mrs. Gilbey and Bannal
Mrs. Gilbey and Vaughan
Mrs. Gilbey and Footman
Mrs. Gilbey and Count O’Dowda
Mrs. Gilbey and The critics
Gunn and Dora’s voice
Gunn and Margaret’s voice
Bannal and Dora’s voice

Questions actors ask

Who has the most lines in Fanny’s First Play?

Margaret, with about 357 lines and 3,033 words, 14.1% of everything spoken in the play. The Count is next, with about 237 lines (9.7%).

How long is Fanny’s First Play?

The full text has 21,531 spoken words, about 154 minutes at 140 words a minute before pauses, scene changes, and cuts. Most productions cut the text, so running times vary.

How many speaking roles are in Fanny’s First Play?

21 named roles speak in this edition, across 5 scenes. 8 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.