This week StageOne read through a Nativity themed play that we throught was very well written and could be performed during a variety of Christmas services.

Michael Hale introduced us the a new play this week called "The Playboy of the Western World" by by Irish playwright John Millington Synge.

StageOne had another exciting Play Reading Workshop with Michael Hale where we concluded The Ghost Train play by Arnold Ridley. This was an exciting play with many unexpected twists at the end. We also begun reading a play about a drama society attempting to perform Macbeth, but everything in the production keeps going wrong. Extremely funny

On Tuesday Michael Hale lead another play reading workshop where we began reading another comedy / farce play called The Government Inspector, by novelist Nikolai Gogol.

Plot Summary

The corrupt officials of a small Russian town, headed by the Mayor, react with terror to the news that an incognito inspector will soon be arriving in their town to investigate them. In the rush to cover up their considerable misdeeds a report that a suspicious person who arrived two weeks previously from Saint Petersburg and is staying at the inn. This person, however, is not an inspector; it is Khlestakov, a foppish civil servant.

The officials learn that Khlestakov has been charging his considerable hotel bill to the Crown, the Mayor and his crooked cronies are certain that this is the dreaded inspector. For quite some time Khlestakov realize that he has been mistaken for someone else. Meanwhile, he enjoys the officials' terrified deference and moves in as a guest in the Mayor's house. He also demands and receives massive "loans" from the Mayor and all of his associates. He also flirts with the Mayor's wife and daughter.

Following this, the village's Jewish and Old Believer merchants arrive and begging Khlestakov to have the Mayor dismissed from his post for they are sick and tired of the Mayor's demands for bribes, Stunned at the Mayor's rapacious corruption, Khlestakov states that he deserves to be exiled in chains to Siberia. Then, however, he pockets still more "loans" from the merchants, promising to comply with their request. By now the Mayor is terrified that he is now found out and pleads with Khlestakov not to have him arrested.

Khlestakov announces that he is returning to St. Petersburg, having been persuaded by his valet Osip, that it is too dangerous to continue the charade any longer. After Khlestakov and Osip depart, the Mayor's friends all arrive to congratulate him. Certain that he now has the upper hand, he summons the merchants, and vows to squeeze them for every kopeck they are worth. However, the Postmaster suddenly arrives carrying an intercepted letter which reveals Khlestakov's true identity—and his mocking opinion of them all.

The Mayor, after years of bamboozling Governors and shaking down criminals of every description, is enraged to have been thus humiliated. He screams at his cronies, stating that they, not himself, are to blame. While they continue arguing, a message arrives from the real Government Inspector, who is demanding to see the Mayor immediately.

This week we will have another brilliant comedy workshop with Roger. Roger had brought with him a variety of comedy books and biographical books including Tommy Cooper and Spike Milligan. Roger invited us to debate what types of comedy particular comedians focused on. Examples included slap-stick, paradying, innuendos.

Following Roger, Adam led his first Shakespeare work shop and intorduced us all to Othello and talked abit about the play and the plot, and characters. The plot essentially involves a charcter called Iago trying set up Othello because he go passed over for promotion. We read through the first two scenes and immediatley got a feel for what Iago was up to. We will continue to look at the play abit further.

This week StageOne began reading Don Juan. The story of Don Juan ("Don Giovanni" in Italian) is a legendary, fictional libertine or rogue whose story has been told many times by many authors. Some of the best known works about this character are Molière's play Dom Juan ou le Festin de pierre (1665), Byron's epic poem Don Juan (1821),
and "Don Giovanni", an opera composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte.

The story of Don Juan is that his is a rogue and a libertine who takes great pleasure in seducing women and proposing to marry them and in most versions of the story enjoys fighting the men to whom the women are already committed. The rogue does not believe in anything, God included and does get what is coming to him, as warned by one of the many women his seduced.

Don Juan is used synonymously for "womanizer", especially in Spanish slang.

The edition we read was by Molière' and translated by Neil Barlett . Book ISBN 1840024399

This week we finished with our reading of Oscar Wilde's comedy, "An Ideal Husband" and we got to find out that it all ended happily for all the main characters. Mrs Cheavley did not succeed in her blackmailing campaign and as far as we know got what was coming to her.

This week we continued with our reading of Oscar Wilde's comedy, "An Ideal Husband" and we were introduced to the political maneuvering and the blackmail faced by Sir Robert and the horrible Mrs Cheveley. Its an exciting read with a lot of conversation between charcters.

Tonight we started reading Oscar Wilde’s comedy “An Ideal Husband”. This, as we quickly discovered, bears a very strong resemblance to today’s world even though it was written in 1895: corrupt politicians, scandal, people living out of touch with society etc. With a cast including many female parts, and only 1 female member present tonight, this did mean a little artistic licence with the gender of the parts being read! Although it starts off being a little condescending and not exactly showing an immediately likeable set of characters, we soon got into the parts and started to enjoy the way the play sees past their pretence and the real character comes through.

This week finished reading the play An Enemy of the People by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. We have already read the first two acts and enjoyed reading about the struggles of the play's protagonist, Dr Stockmann, who wants to do the right thing but is threatened by social intolerance, corruption and supression of free thinking of the people in charge and systems in place.

This week we began reading the play An Enemy of the People by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. We have read the first wo acts and enjoyed reading about the struggles of the play's protagonist, Dr Stockmann, who wants to do the right thing but is threatened by social intolerance, corruption and supression of free thinking of the people in charge and systems in place.

The play addresses the irrational tendencies of the masses, and the hypocritical and corrupt nature of the political system that they support.

Having read the first 2 acts some of the corruption and supression is very present in some of the systems today which makes it even more enjoyable.

For more information see Wikipedia

This week we will begin a new play reading workshop with Michael Hale. A great chance to try out different characters, voices and expressions.

Our previous reading was a play by John Osborne, about Martin Luthor a German priest and professor of theology who initiated the Protestant Reformation.

Play Reading Tuesday 2nd November 2010

A play reading workshop with Michael Hale. A great chance to try out different characters, voices and expressions.

This week we will be finishing reading a play by John Osborne, about Martin Luthor a German priest and professor of theology who initiated the Protestant Reformation.

Very amusing in some places which has given us all some laughs.

Also very crticial of the status quo and the Church as it was then.

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