Constant Reader discussion

Ok, at last, here is the first batch of plays. I am listing them in chronological order by the date they were written. I will post the next batch ASAP. Then I will post a tentative reading schedule.


Lysistrata by Aristophanes, 411 B.C. (available free online)
http://drama.eserver.org/plays/classi...
Lysistrata is a classical Greek play written by the Grecian master of comedy, Aristophanes. In the play, Lysistrata attempts to bring the Peloponnesian War to an end by convincing the women to deny their husbands sex, until the war is over. The problems she has convincing them to do it, and then convincing the men that they are serious, make up the story. The play is by turns funny, bawdy, and thoughtful, and reads extremely well 2000 some years after it was written.

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare, 1596 (available free online)
http://shakespeare.mit.edu/midsummer/...
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a romantic comedy suggested by "The Knight's Tale" from Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, written around 1594 to 1596. It portrays the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of amateur actors, their interactions with the Duke and Duchess of Athens, Theseus and Hippolyta, and with the fairies who inhabit a moonlit forest. The play is one of Shakespeare's most popular works for the stage and is widely performed across the world. (from Wikipedia)

Hamlet by William Shakespeare, 1601 (available free online)
http://www.william-shakespeare.info/s...
Shakespeare's classic tragedy about "something rotten in the state of Denmark."

The Misanthrope by Moliere, 1666 (available free online)
http://www.bibliomania.com/0/6/4/1967...
This play, like Molière's Tartuffe and others, is a comedy. It satirizes the hypocrisies of French aristocratic society, but it also engages a more serious tone when pointing out the flaws, which all humans possess. There is much uncertainty about whether the main character Alceste is supposed to be perceived as a hero for his strong standards of honesty or whether he is supposed to be perceived as a fool for having such idealistic and unrealistic views about society. This work centers on the protagonist Alceste, whose wholesale rejection of his culture's polite social conventions make him tremendously unpopular. In the first act of the play, he states: “…Mankind has grown so base, / I mean to break with the whole human race”. However, this conviction manifests itself in the primary conflict of the play, which consists of Alceste's intense love for Célimène, a flirtatious young woman who pays great attention to social appearances and conventions. Molière includes several instances of poetic criticism within his play, indicating his parameters on how to judge poetic output. He communicates his message, primarily, through Alceste, the play's main character. Alceste judges poetic output based on the true passion and feeling behind the rhyme. He communicates that flighty infatuations do not give way to good poetry: "That one should curb the heady inclination/ To publicize one’s little avocation".


A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, 1879 (available free online)
http://www.classicreader.com/book/2011/
This play was the first of Ibsen's to create a sensation and is now perhaps his most famous play, and required reading in many secondary schools and universities. The play was controversial when first published. It is often called the first true feminist play, although Ibsen denied this. The play is also an important work of the naturalist movement, in which real events and situations are depicted on stage in a departure from previous forms such as romanticism. (Wikipedia)

The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, 1895 (available free online)
http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/c/chekh...
The Seagull is the first of what are generally considered to be the four major plays by the Russian dramatist, short story writer, and novelist Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860 – 1904). The play was written in 1895 and first produced in 1896.

The Seagull tells a poignant love story centered on experimental playwright Konstantin's tragic quest for a burgeoning actress Nina. Swirling around the country estate are characters who reflect Konstantin's pain and suffering in their own harshly realistic ways. Instead of placing characters beneath a steady frame, Chekov lets his characters guide the subtle movement of the sad tale of devastated dreams and hopes.

The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov, 1904 (available free online)
http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/ac/ch...
The play takes place on the estate of Madame Ranevsky, the matriarch of an aristocratic Russian family that has fallen on financial hard times. She faces the possible loss of her family's magnificent cherry orchard.

The Good Person of Szechwan by Bertolt Brecht, 1943
Written in the early 40’s when Brecht was in exile in the United States. Three Gods come to Szechwan looking for someone who is truly living a “moral” life. They determine that they have found her in Shen Te, a local prostitute. The play follows Shen Te’s attempts to live a good life. She is so taken advantage of by the man she loves and her neighbors that she has to invent a male cousin to protect her. When Shen Te dresses as the male cousin, she is able to protect herself and her belongings. But soon Shen Te (as the male cousin) is arrested and charged with murdering his female cousin (Shen Te). Brecht uses the play to examine issues of how economic and patriarchal reality influence our ability to live a “good life”.

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, 1949 (available free online)
http://www.samuel-beckett.net/Waiting...
Two characters wait for someone named Godot, who never arrives. Godot's absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, have led to many different interpretations since the play's premiere. Waiting for Godot was recently voted the most significant English language play of the 20th century in a British Royal National Theatre poll of 800 playwrights, actors, directors and journalists.

And here is batch #2:

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams, 1955
Cat on a Tin Roof recounts a day in the life of a wealthy Mississippi family who are gathered to celebrate the birthday of patriarch, "Big Daddy" Pollitt. "Big Daddy" was recently diagnosed with cancer and much of the family drama revolves around what will happen to "Big Daddy's" fortune after he passes away. On top of the stress of his oppressive father's impending death, main character Brick suffers from alcoholism. The turbulence between Brick and his wife Maggie makes up the central portion of the plot. All of these elements combine to make up what has been considered one of Tennessee Williams most famous and dramatic works. (mahalo.com)

Krapp’s Last Tape by Samuel Beckett, 1957 (available free online)
http://www.bradcolbourne.com/krapps_l...
It is Krapp’s sixty-ninth birthday and, as has become his custom, he hauls out his old tape recorder, reviews one of the earlier years – in this case the recording he made when he was thirty-nine – and makes a new recording commenting on the events of the previous twelve months. (Wikipedia)

Barefoot in the Park by Neil Simon, 1963
Set in 1964, Barefoot in the Park follows the lives of newlyweds Paul and Connie Bratter as they adjust to married life in a tiny Greenwich Village apartment. Paul is a lawyer who's wound up a little too tight, while Connie is a free spirit bubbling over with romantic notions. In typical Simon style, all manner of comic chaos ensues as the Bratters' marriage begins to collapse under the pressure of a five-flight walk-up, a skylight that leaks snow, as well as an eccentric neighbor who must climb through their apartment to get to his, and Connie's misguided attempt to marry off her mother.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard, 1966
Acclaimed as a modern dramatic masterpiece, "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" is the fabulously inventive tale of "Hamlet" as told from the worm's-eye view of the bewildered Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two minor characters in Shakespeare's play. In Tom Stoppard's best-known work, this Shakespearean Laurel and Hardy finally get a chance to take the lead role, but do so in a world where echoes of "Waiting for Godot" resound, where reality and illusion intermix, and where fate leads our two heroes to a tragic but inevitable end.

Same Time, Next Year by Bernard Slade, 1975
A romantic comedy that focuses on two people, married to others, who meet for a tryst once a year for over two dozen years. It was nominated for 3 Tony Awards (the only win going to Ellen Burstyn for Best Actress) and it was nominated for 4 Drame Desk awards (and won 2 for Outstanding New American Play and Outstanding Actress).

The Piano Lesson by August Wilson, 1987
The play, which was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1990, is part of Wilson's ten play series, The Pittsburgh Cycle, about African-American life in the 20th century. The action takes place in Pittsburgh in 1936 at the house of a family of African-Americans who have migrated from Mississippi. The conflict centers around a piano that was once traded by the family's white master for two of the family's ancestors. Boy Willie and Berniece, the siblings who inherit the piano (carved to show family history), argue about whether or not to sell it. The Piano Lesson also received the Drama Critics' Circle Award and the Tony Award for best play.

An American icon, August Wilson (April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) depicted the human condition like no other playwright of his time. According to the NYT, "Mr. Wilson depicted the struggles of black Americans with uncommon lyrical richness, theatrical density and emotional heft, in plays that gave vivid voices to people on the frayed margins of life: cabdrivers and maids, garbagemen and side men and petty criminals. In bringing to the popular American stage the gritty specifics of the lives of his poor, trouble-plagued and sometimes powerfully embittered black characters, Mr. Wilson also described universal truths about the struggle for dignity, love, security and happiness in the face of often overwhelming obstacles."

Wit by Margaret Edson, 1995
Wit is a play by Margaret Edson about a university professor of English who is dying of ovarian cancer. As she copes with her life-threatening cancer she assesses her own life through the intricacies of the English language, especially the use of wit and the metaphysical poetry of John Donne. It won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh, 1998
This black comedy, set in a 1989 Irish village, centers on the life of Maureen Folan, a 40-year-old spinster, and Mag, her selfish and manipulative 70-year-old mother who tries to ruin what chance she has at escaping her claustrophobic life.

The Sunset Limited by Cormac McCarthy, 2006
The play involves only two nameless characters, designated "White" and "Black", their respective skin colors. Offstage, just before the play begins, Black saves White from throwing himself in front of a train, the Sunset Limited. All of the action takes place in Black's spare apartment in urban New York, where the characters go (at the behest of Black) after their encounter on the platform. Black is an ex-convict and an evangelical Christian. White is an atheist and a professor. They debate the meaning of human suffering, the existence of God, and the propriety of White's attempted suicide.

Here is a tentative schedule, but as always I am open to suggestions:

2009
3/20: Lysistrata
4/20: Waiting for Godot
5/20: Hamlet
6/20: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
7/20: The Misanthrope
8/20: The Beauty Queen of Leenane
9/20: The Cherry Orchard
10/20: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
11/20: The Piano Lesson
12/20: A Doll's House

2010
1/20: The Good Person of Szechwan
2/20: Same Time Next Year
3/20: Krapp's Last Tape
4/20: Wit
5/20: A Midsummer's Night Dream
6/20: Barefoot in the Park
7/20: The Seagull
8/20: The Sunset Limited

Fabulous! This'll be great. Thanks for all your work on this, Al. I love the range of works.

I hope to be able to read at least some of these with you all. I've already read several of them, but it's been eons.

Al, thanks so very much for all the hard work. I love the way you've arranged the plays -- Rosencrantz & Guildenstern after Hamlet (LOL!)

It looks like lots of fun! To quote a friend of mine from more than 20 years back, I'm so excited I could pee in my pants. :-D

Just noticed this thread ... LOVE the theater, hold and have held subscriptions to a few, usher for one. Only wish I had gotten in on the nominations - would have loved to see "Doubt" in the lineup - there's always next time beginning with 9/2010! What a lot of work - thanks Al. Plus thanks for noting those available online.

Liz:

There is the possibility that we will end up doing more than one play a month, so "doubt" could happen sooner :)

Whitaker:
I just couldn't resist Godot, Hamlet and R&G back-to-back - I think it will really make for great discussions!

And thanks everyone for nominating such great plays.

Al, this is a terrific list. Thank you for all your efforts. I am fortunate enough to have a lovely copy of Lysistrata with illustrations by Picasso. Some of these are available on the web for those of you who might be interested. Here's the URL http://www.williambennettgallery.com/...

thanks for the link Bruce - i love "serment des femmes"

Thats one of my favorites as well. Its on page 45 or so in my edition, about 3/4 of the way through Act I.

Oh, this is going to be fun! Thanks, Al!

Bruce wrote: "Al, this is a terrific list. Thank you for all your efforts. I am fortunate enough to have a lovely copy of Lysistrata with illustrations by Picasso. Some of these are available on the web for t..."

Will check it out, Bill. Thanks!
PS I downloaded the first pick today . all 38 pages!

Fantastic idea, Al.
I'll try to join in on as many as I can. Especially the online ones. An illustrated Lysistrata! Hmmm. :)

Can I just say that I love you people?! I've been rather absent the last couple of months due to work, work travel and getting completely absorbed by knitting projects.

So in getting caught up with what's happening on Constant Reader, I see the play nomination thread and think "Oh shoot, it's too late to nominate my favorite modern plays." Then I looked at the list and lo, and behold there they are: Stoppard, Wilson, and McDonagh.

Thank you and cheers to whoever nominated those plays and the rest of this eclectic list. This is going to be fun.

This great. I don't think I'll have time to read/join discussion for all of them, but I'll certainly try.

I don't know whether to post this here or wait for
discussions of Lysistrata, so I'll throw it out. In 2003 as part of protests against the invasion of Iraq, there was a world-wide "Lysistrata Project."
Google "Lysistrata Project" to find out about it: a global reading of an ancient play for a modern purpose.

Thanks Al,

I am looking forward to joining in on some of these - there are some good ones in there, aren't there.Thank you for all your hard work.

Juanitapat --
yes that was an interesting project. I worked on a production at the college where I was at the time.

I just noticed that Lysistrata is available to read on the net - http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/titles - you can browse for it. There are also quite a few other plays by Aristophanes there.

The illustrations are beyond magnificent! And the typography, too. What a beautiful presentation of the work!

Russ

Are you referring to the Picasso? Or is there another one I should be aware of?

Bruce wrote: "Russ

Are you referring to the Picasso? Or is there another one I should be aware of?"
Since you ask, let me sort it out. There were multiple possibilities and I picked one. Back in a min.
==
Aha! Following that recent link, above in message #21, and then searching for Aristophanes and Lysistrata, I found my way to E-text 7700, HTML format, illustrated by Bruce Lindsay.

Not Picasso, but very nicely done and full of vibrant life. The facial expressions are extraordinary in themselves.

Where do I find Picasso?

Ill have to take a look. Picasso did a version of the book for the Limited Editions Club in the 30s that is just gorgeous. I have a reprint edition bound in leather thats a duplicate of the original. You can find the 6 full page illustrations that he did by following the link I posted in message 10 in this thread - at the William Bennett gallery website. Hope you like them

Many thanks, Bruce. Definitely different!
I can just hear our humanities professor asking us to compare and contrast. :)

It occurs to me that this link directly to it will save the searching and possible confusion in finding the Gutenberg Lysistrata

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/7700/7...

I've downloaded Lysistrata from Gutenberg onto Word and then enlarged it - makes it easier to read and was quite quick to do. Can also highlight relevant bits with little effort.

There are also a few choices of downloads - I'm not sure it makes a difference - the one I did also has the illustrations included.

The differences would lie in the translation, presumably. Older translation are sometimes more stilted or have phrases that may no longer seem to "work" for a contemporary reader. Sometimes the difference of a British or American (if you are reading in English) may also lead to stylistic language choices. That said, the choice of translation probably does not matter that much.

Al, are you going to do a schedule of when we will be reading these plays or did you decide not to do that?

I think there's a tentative schedule in his third post, Barbara.

Oops, sorry, I will print that out.

Godot has been on my list for a while and is rising on TBR just in time for April's read! Destiny!!

so are we on The Sunset Limited?

Courtney:

The plays have sort of fallen by the wayside of late - there wasn't much of a response to the last several ones we did and you are the first to even notice/ask.

I would be up for reading The Sunset Limited with you. And anyone else would be free to join in. What timing works best for you.

Has anything been done about poetry? I'm not interested in drama (never got over highschool's study of Medea)

Natalie:

there is a huge Poetry board on CR run by Ruth, who is also a fabulous poetress. Just look for the Poetry board and you'll be in heaven.

Nothing for 2011 for plays?

Whoa, Al, I don't run the Poetry Group. That's Amy King. But if you're interested, Natalie, it is a very active group.

I do, however, shepherd the Poetry discussion folder here in Constant Reader. We talk about a different poem, suggested by CR members, each week. Very small and quiet compared to the separate Poetry Group.

Interest in plays never really took off here. We did it for a little while, but turnout/interest faded fast.

You can always start your own discussion about a play.

Ruth,
I just said you did poetry here at constant reader, not goodreads.

That's right, you did. I should read more carefully.

Wow--I just found this, and it seems that plays didn't really take. Ah well. It looks like you read some fabulous pieces. I'm partial to McDonagh and Marin Theatre Company (just north of San Francisco) is doing the Beauty Queen of Leenane. Although it's four years later, if there are any readers in this group who read that play and live in the SF Bay area, you might want to check it out! The cast is great and the director is terrific!

Oh, when I saw this, I thought it was a new series on CR. Sounds great! Wouldn't won't to read a play by McCormac, but many of the others I have read or seen.

I think the mistake was perhaps in having a separated folder/topic rather than just aiming for an occasional play read as one of the official books on either of the two lists which are voted upon or encoutaging and occasionl play discussion in the Constant Reader folder. We read severalplays (two at least that I recall quite clearly) over the years and the discussions were quite good.

Maybe someone of us will nominate a play or two next time. Probably one play is too little, but maybe comparing and contrasting the Greek plays written by different playwrights. That might be doable and fun.

☯Emily wrote: "Maybe someone of us will nominate a play or two next time. Probably one play is too little, but maybe comparing and contrasting the Greek plays written by different playwrights. That might be doa..."

Give it a go for the Classics Corner list next time around, Emily -- I think we need to throw in some plays on either list, nyself as I love reading plays and have since college days -- oh my half a century ago that is -- SHHHH -- don't tell.

I have a beautiful copy of Penthesilea: A Tragic Drama by Heinrich von Kleist, with illustrations [some erotic] by Maurice Sendak. That was certainly a change from children's books for him.

Also a copy of The King's Henchman: A Play in Three Acts, an obscure play by Edna St. Vincent Millay, lovely, sad story.

I think it would be great if CR read a play or six every year. We could, perhaps read Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" starting the day after X-mas and "A Midsummer's Night's Dream" (did get all the 's in! ;-)) in June. "August, Osage County" works well on Mother's Day. And so on ...

We could follow Barbara's lead with the short story thread but choose to do a play every other month, six total over a year.

Sometimes we have had Shakespeare's plays in the Classics section. They get voted on as any other book. If people think there is enough interest in this, though, I'll certainly set it up. Our other attempt at play discussion didn't really go so well, as you can see by the date on the beginning of this thread.

I vote yes for a Plays Thread. But you are so right, Sherry, I don't want to be out onstage alone doing a monologue !!! :P