Play Reading
This group meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month in Rooms 1 and 2 at 14.00 to 16.00 in the George Ward Centre.
The group, which started in 2009, reads plays, but we don't perform them, hence no acting experience is needed in order to join. The current leaders are Mary and Janice, with Brigid and Pat suggesting plays. Average meeting attendance is around 8 to 10.
The group covers the full gamut of plays from serious to comedy, classical to modern but some 5 years ago decided to concentrate on the more serious end of the spectrum – a decision that has proved highly popular and very rewarding. In that time it has read plays by the likes of Chekhov, Ibsen, Pinter, J M Barry, and Tennessee Williams and during 2018 focused on Terence Rattigan and Arthur Miller.
Brigid and Pat take responsibility for researching and obtaining scripts from a variety of sources and during meetings, Mary both assigns roles and facilitates a discussion about the play. Attendees tend to find themselves drawn deeply into the plays and hence the discussions tend to be very lively. They are sometimes further enriched by memories shared by attendees who have seen the play performed. Occasionally, the group will watch a performance on DVD of a play it has recently read. Also, having the U3A’s trips organiser as a member, the group has made the occasional theatre visit to see a live performance.
The group is very friendly and welcoming. If you want to come along, U3A members can find Janice's phone number in the Annual Programme.