Flingo
16th February 2007, 02:59 PM
Rescued Thread
megustaleer 17th February 2006 10:40 AM
One of only half a dozen 'grown up' books in my parents house when I was a child was a 'Complete Plays Of Bernard Shaw', so between the ages of about 10 and 12 I learned all about Mrs Warren's Profession, and Captain Brassbounds Conversion and enjoyed the company of Major Barbara, The Man of Destiny and even The Devils Disciple. Et Cetera.
I have read other plays on occasion since then, (Death and The Maiden, and Spoonface Steinberg spring to mind) and am just wondering if other BGOers have tried reading plays, and what they thought about doing so.
Adrian 17th February 2006 11:34 AM
My first experience at reading plays, and one that I have never recovered from, is reading Shakespeare at school. How I despise that man. We also read The Importance of Being Earnest, which I thought then was a clever pun on the name 'Earnest' but never paid enough attention to care. The only one that stands out was Hobson's Choice.
I love David Mamet's films, and the last play I read was Glengarry Glen Ross. It was a good read insofar I was rewatching the film in my head as I read it. But having never seen his Oleanna I would never read it.
I liken it to reading film scripts. I'm never happier than reading the script of Goodfellas or The Usual Suspects or any Dennis Potter, because they are mostly non-verbal writing. But a whole play that is just dialogue? Plays are meant to be performed, and I've never read one yet that came alive on the page.
Coincidentally I happened upon the Plays section in my local library this week (let's hear it for 822 in the Dewey Decimal system!) and couldn't find one that I wanted to borrow.
Hazel 17th February 2006 11:35 AM
I quite enjoying reading plays. I really enjoy setting out the scene in my head, giving different voices to diferent characters and living out the dialogue. I read alot of Tennesse Williams stuff and Ibsen, and I have read all the usual faves: Who's afraid of Virginia Woold, Waiting for Godot, The Iceman Cometh, Pygmalion etc etc. It's also nice to see a play then read the text, or vice versa. Seeing the play performed adds a nice dimension to it and different performances create different views. It's good to see how the version in your head transposed to the stage.
Adrian 17th February 2006 11:40 AM
Hazel, did you typically read the play first and then see it performed, or the other way round?
Unlike reading fiction, I can't "picture" a play in my head having just read it (as you probably gather from my first post :rolleyes: ), but I can get something out of reading one after I've seen it on stage.
Cathy 17th February 2006 11:59 AM
Most of the plays I've read have been prescribed reading for a course or at school so I don't know if they really count. Overall I found Shakespeare at school quite inspiring, I'm glad we did The Big Ones like Macbeth and Hamlet, tragedy ages better than humour I think. After studying Streetcar I read some more Tennessee Williams and enjoyed them - i think especially his later efforts were probably unstagable and they could have been novellas or short stories really. Again after studying an Arthur Millar I went out and read some more - i'm so glad I did because 'The Death of a Salesman' is such a cultural touchstone and is referenced everywhere and is pretty much relevant to nearly everything...ok so i pretty much loved that play then!
Hazel 17th February 2006 01:07 PM
Hazel, did you typically read the play first and then see it performed, or the other way round?
Honestly, it is kind of 50/50 - I have read all Arthur Miller's plays but have never seen any of them performed. I have read all Tennesee William's but that was because I saw Babydoll performed and loved it, and Streetcar the film first. I studied the text of Ibsen's The Doll House and went to see Hedda Gabbler so then read the rest of his stuff. It is really a mixture of both. The problem is there isn't really a year round selection of good stuff on at the theatre here in Glasgow. The Citizen's Spring season is really the best then it just gives way to summer kid's stuff then pantos. So if I really want to experience a play in particular I read the text and if by some miracle it comes on up here then I'll go and see it. Often seeing a play I haven't read before leads me to read more of the playwright's work. It's a mixed hotch potch of discovery.
Flingo 17th February 2006 01:12 PM
We studied Harold Pinter's The Homecoming at A level, and I was fascinated by it. Since then I have read The Birthday Party and The Caretaker.
Like poetry, I don't know why I don't read more.
If I was going to read and see something, I think I would read it first, then see it and then read it again. I was amazed with the Homecoming how differently I had pictured things to those involved in the play that we saw.
Cathy 17th February 2006 02:43 PM
Honestly, it is kind of 50/50 - I have read all Arthur Miller's plays but have never seen any of them performed. I have read all Tennesee William's but that was because I saw Babydoll performed and loved it, and Streetcar the film first. I studied the text of Ibsen's The Doll House and went to see Hedda Gabbler so then read the rest of his stuff. It is really a mixture of both. The problem is there isn't really a year round selection of good stuff on at the theatre here in Glasgow. The Citizen's Spring season is really the best then it just gives way to summer kid's stuff then pantos. So if I really want to experience a play in particular I read the text and if by some miracle it comes on up here then I'll go and see it. Often seeing a play I haven't read before leads me to read more of the playwright's work. It's a mixed hotch potch of discovery.
I saw a new play by Arthur Miller a few years ago at The Arches in Glasgow - before i lived here - it wasn't that great but its quite an interesting venue.
megustaleer 17th February 2006 10:40 AM
One of only half a dozen 'grown up' books in my parents house when I was a child was a 'Complete Plays Of Bernard Shaw', so between the ages of about 10 and 12 I learned all about Mrs Warren's Profession, and Captain Brassbounds Conversion and enjoyed the company of Major Barbara, The Man of Destiny and even The Devils Disciple. Et Cetera.
I have read other plays on occasion since then, (Death and The Maiden, and Spoonface Steinberg spring to mind) and am just wondering if other BGOers have tried reading plays, and what they thought about doing so.
Adrian 17th February 2006 11:34 AM
My first experience at reading plays, and one that I have never recovered from, is reading Shakespeare at school. How I despise that man. We also read The Importance of Being Earnest, which I thought then was a clever pun on the name 'Earnest' but never paid enough attention to care. The only one that stands out was Hobson's Choice.
I love David Mamet's films, and the last play I read was Glengarry Glen Ross. It was a good read insofar I was rewatching the film in my head as I read it. But having never seen his Oleanna I would never read it.
I liken it to reading film scripts. I'm never happier than reading the script of Goodfellas or The Usual Suspects or any Dennis Potter, because they are mostly non-verbal writing. But a whole play that is just dialogue? Plays are meant to be performed, and I've never read one yet that came alive on the page.
Coincidentally I happened upon the Plays section in my local library this week (let's hear it for 822 in the Dewey Decimal system!) and couldn't find one that I wanted to borrow.
Hazel 17th February 2006 11:35 AM
I quite enjoying reading plays. I really enjoy setting out the scene in my head, giving different voices to diferent characters and living out the dialogue. I read alot of Tennesse Williams stuff and Ibsen, and I have read all the usual faves: Who's afraid of Virginia Woold, Waiting for Godot, The Iceman Cometh, Pygmalion etc etc. It's also nice to see a play then read the text, or vice versa. Seeing the play performed adds a nice dimension to it and different performances create different views. It's good to see how the version in your head transposed to the stage.
Adrian 17th February 2006 11:40 AM
Hazel, did you typically read the play first and then see it performed, or the other way round?
Unlike reading fiction, I can't "picture" a play in my head having just read it (as you probably gather from my first post :rolleyes: ), but I can get something out of reading one after I've seen it on stage.
Cathy 17th February 2006 11:59 AM
Most of the plays I've read have been prescribed reading for a course or at school so I don't know if they really count. Overall I found Shakespeare at school quite inspiring, I'm glad we did The Big Ones like Macbeth and Hamlet, tragedy ages better than humour I think. After studying Streetcar I read some more Tennessee Williams and enjoyed them - i think especially his later efforts were probably unstagable and they could have been novellas or short stories really. Again after studying an Arthur Millar I went out and read some more - i'm so glad I did because 'The Death of a Salesman' is such a cultural touchstone and is referenced everywhere and is pretty much relevant to nearly everything...ok so i pretty much loved that play then!
Hazel 17th February 2006 01:07 PM
Hazel, did you typically read the play first and then see it performed, or the other way round?
Honestly, it is kind of 50/50 - I have read all Arthur Miller's plays but have never seen any of them performed. I have read all Tennesee William's but that was because I saw Babydoll performed and loved it, and Streetcar the film first. I studied the text of Ibsen's The Doll House and went to see Hedda Gabbler so then read the rest of his stuff. It is really a mixture of both. The problem is there isn't really a year round selection of good stuff on at the theatre here in Glasgow. The Citizen's Spring season is really the best then it just gives way to summer kid's stuff then pantos. So if I really want to experience a play in particular I read the text and if by some miracle it comes on up here then I'll go and see it. Often seeing a play I haven't read before leads me to read more of the playwright's work. It's a mixed hotch potch of discovery.
Flingo 17th February 2006 01:12 PM
We studied Harold Pinter's The Homecoming at A level, and I was fascinated by it. Since then I have read The Birthday Party and The Caretaker.
Like poetry, I don't know why I don't read more.
If I was going to read and see something, I think I would read it first, then see it and then read it again. I was amazed with the Homecoming how differently I had pictured things to those involved in the play that we saw.
Cathy 17th February 2006 02:43 PM
Honestly, it is kind of 50/50 - I have read all Arthur Miller's plays but have never seen any of them performed. I have read all Tennesee William's but that was because I saw Babydoll performed and loved it, and Streetcar the film first. I studied the text of Ibsen's The Doll House and went to see Hedda Gabbler so then read the rest of his stuff. It is really a mixture of both. The problem is there isn't really a year round selection of good stuff on at the theatre here in Glasgow. The Citizen's Spring season is really the best then it just gives way to summer kid's stuff then pantos. So if I really want to experience a play in particular I read the text and if by some miracle it comes on up here then I'll go and see it. Often seeing a play I haven't read before leads me to read more of the playwright's work. It's a mixed hotch potch of discovery.
I saw a new play by Arthur Miller a few years ago at The Arches in Glasgow - before i lived here - it wasn't that great but its quite an interesting venue.