Our American Cousin: every role by lines, words, and stage time

Tom Taylor. 17 speaking roles, 15,860 words, about 113 minutes of speech.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

Asa Trenchard has the most to say in Our American Cousin: about 636 lines and 5,141 words, 32.4% of the play. Tom Taylor’s comedy follows Asa Trenchard, a plain-spoken American who visits his aristocratic English relatives. Asa Trenchard carries about a third of the words, more than twice any other role. Florence Trenchard and the comic Lord Dundreary are the next-largest parts, each with about 14% of the words.

Speaking roles: 17
Scenes: 12
Words: 15,860
Speech time: 113 min

Every role, largest first

Role	Lines	Words	Share	Minutes	Scenes
Asa Trenchard	636	5,141	32.4%	36.7	9
Florence Trenchard	311	2,330	14.7%	16.6	7
Lord Dundreary	290	2,140	13.5%	15.3	6
Mr. Coyle	137	1,067	6.7%	7.6	5
Abel Murcott	119	992	6.3%	7.1	5
Mary	115	905	5.7%	6.5	4
Sir Edward Trenchard	120	878	5.5%	6.3	4
Mr. Binny	98	695	4.4%	5.0	6
Mrs. Mountchessington	78	594	3.7%	4.2	4
Georgina	46	296	1.9%	2.1	4
Augusta	44	272	1.7%	1.9	4
Mr. Buddicombe	27	158	1%	1.1	5
John Wickens	18	143	0.9%	1.0	2
Harry Vernon	20	127	0.8%	0.9	2
Sharpe	6	42	0.3%	0.3	1
Capt. De Boots	6	38	0.2%	0.3	2
Skillet	5	30	0.2%	0.2	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	1.1	1.2	1.3	2.1	2.2	3.1	3.2	3.3	3.4	3.5	3.6	3.7
Asa Trenchard
Florence Trenchard
Lord Dundreary
Mr. Coyle
Abel Murcott
Mary
Sir Edward Trenchard
Mr. Binny
Mrs. Mountchessington

The longest speeches

Speech	Scene	Words	Lines
Asa Trenchard: “You see, as nigh as we could reckon it up, she…”	Act 3, Scene 1	496	50
Lord Dundreary: “You may go. “My dear Frederick.” He calls me F…”	Act 3, Scene 5	160	16
Mr. Binny: “Mr. H’Asa Trenchard, Mr. H’Asa Trenchard! Oh h…”	Act 3, Scene 2	141	15
Mr. Coyle: “Shallow, selfish fool. She warned you of me di…”	Act 1, Scene 2	138	14
Abel Murcott: “No, no, it’s gone too far, it’s gone too far, …”	Act 1, Scene 2	126	13
Asa Trenchard: “All right, come along. Hold on, say, I may wan…”	Act 1, Scene 3	126	13
Asa Trenchard: “Say it again, last of hope and blessed promise…”	Act 3, Scene 2	122	13
Abel Murcott: “I need not tell you by what steps I came to th…”	Act 2, Scene 1	115	12
Florence Trenchard: ““It appears that when he quarreled with his da…”	Act 1, Scene 1	114	12
Abel Murcott: “He marry Florence! Florence Trenchard! My Flor…”	Act 1, Scene 2	109	11

Questions actors ask

Who has the most lines in Our American Cousin?

Asa Trenchard, with about 636 lines and 5,141 words, 32.4% of everything spoken in the play. Florence Trenchard is next, with about 311 lines (14.7%).

How long is Our American Cousin?

The full text has 15,860 spoken words, about 113 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 Our American Cousin?

17 named roles speak in this edition, across 12 scenes. 8 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.