Play readings

In all cases the venue is THE LAMB, Bath Street at 8 p.m.

2010 got off to a flying start with a reading in January of Harvey by Mary Chase. Best known as a film starring James Stewart and his six foot rabbit friend, Harvey, this original play version was utterly charming and was a perfect winter warmer during a very cold and snowy New Year.

In February we read Bouncers by John Godber. Set in a northern nightclub, Bouncers is now considered a modern classic featuring as a set text for schools. The acting version is frequently updated to keep it fresh and real. A great read!

On Monday 8^th March the choice of play is One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Dale Wasserman adapted from the novel by Ken Kesey. The protagonist , Randle Patrick McMurphy, is a wildly funny rebel who feigns insanity in order to finish his prison sentence in a mental ward rather than a work farm. However, when he meets the fellow members of the asylum, he discovers that they make a lot more sense than the restrictive and conformist establishment, embodied by the cruel and controlling Nurse Ratched. Large mixed cast.

On Monday 12^th April we will be reading Terence Rattigan's classic play Separate Tables which is, in fact, the collective name of two one-act plays both taking place in the Beauregard Private Hotel, Bournemouth. The first play, entitled "Table by the Window", focuses on the troubled relationship between a disgraced Labour politician and his ex-wife. The second play, "Table Number Seven", is set about eighteen months after the events of the previous play, and deals with the touching friendship between a repressed spinster and a retired English army officer, Major Pollock. The secondary characters - permanent residents, the hotel's manager, and members of the staff - appear in both plays. Large mixed cast.

On Monday 10^th May we expect to be reading Oscar Wilde's only novel The Picture of Dorian Gray adapted by FDC member Geoff Hunt who will directing his stage version in November this year. It is a gothic horror with a strong Faustian theme and we all await this adaptation with baited breath, creaking doors, heaving bosoms, and a delicious little shiver down the spine!

Please note that readings start at 8 p.m. so get there early, get a drink, meet some people, and sit comfortably before we begin.

For your diaries - the remaining 2010 play reading dates will be as follows:-

• 14^th June
• 5^th July
• 13^th September
• 11^th October
• 8^th November