Play Reading SIG |
Do you love reading plays? Our SIG gives participants a chance to read aloud and analyze scenes and characters from prize-winning plays. We meet once or twice per month for two hours, usually on a Friday afternoon, so as not to conflict with other OLLI courses. During the year we are open to suggestions as to which plays to read, while in the summer we choose plays that we can both read and view. We encourage our members to prepare and lead discussions on plays that interest them. Thriving on group participation, we allow two sessions to cover each one. Particular editions are selected that can be obtained online or through your local public library. We meet on Zoom, except in summer when we sometimes meet in-person. Please contact Alice Roth, Barbara Waldinger or Karel Fisher for more details or additional information about the Play Reading SIG. |
Schedule of Forthcoming Play Reading Events All meetings are on Fridays from 3-5 pm. May 8 & 15: Frankie and Johnny in the Clare de Lune by Terrence McNally. (Facilitator: Paula Kaplan-Reiss.) This play is showing at Shakespeare & Company starting in late July. Frankie, a waitress, and Johnny, a short-order cook talk through the night in a small Hell's Kitchen apartment. The play "blends gritty realism with gentle romance." June 12 & 19: Love Song by Abi Morgan. (Facilitator: Mara Winn.) IN PERSON MEETING. This play will be at the Unicorn Theatre starting in late July. Love Song traces a marriage across decades. According to the Unicorn website, "the play places two versions of a couple side by side, allowing past and present to unfold simultaneously on stage." July 10 & 24: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard. (Facilitator: Nancy Walters.) This 1966 play made Tom Stoppard an overnight sensation. It is a tragicomedy centered on two minor characters in Shakespeare's Hamlet, who struggle to understand the events of which they are a part. The play echoes Beckett's Waiting for Godot. Hamlet is playing at Shakespeare & Company, starting Aug. 15. August 7 & 21: Noises Off by Michael Frayn. (Facilitators: Karel Fisher and Barbara Waldinger.) See this at Barrington Stage in Pittsfield, starting Aug. 19. "Doors slam, actors don’t know their lines, the leading lady can’t find her sardines, the ingénue is on auto-pilot — and they haven’t even raised the curtain yet! Noises Off, the ultimate farce, invites us behind the scenes as a bumbling cast rehearses a fantastic flop." September 18 & 25: Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov. (Facilitator: Jeanne Kempthorne.) We'll read the original play in conjunction with Barrington Stage's production of "Vanya," which starts Oct. 8. "Mark H. Dold stars in this one-man adaptation of Chekhov’s classic tale of love, art, and attempted murder. Comedic and tragic, our shared humanity is thrust into sharp focus in Vanya. This fresh adaptation explores the kaleidoscope of human emotions, harnessing the power of the intimate bond between audience and one actor playing all of the roles, in a tour-de-force performance." |
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