Interest Group: Reader’s Theater By Diane Petersen

In your wildest fantasy are you:  Ingrid Bergman, Sandra Bullock, Meg Ryan, Katherine Hepburn, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, or Elizabeth Taylor in a comedy, drama, historical event, or mystery?  If you answered YES, then welcome to Reader’s Theater.  Your fantasy will be played out from September to June on the second Tuesday of the month.

Thanks to the California Drama Exchange for bringing plays to AAUW study groups since 1958.  Sixty-three years!  WOW!

The Reader’s Theater interest group continued during the Covid-19 shutdown. We decided to read the plays via teleconferencing instead of Zoom. So, we did the following:

October 2020 – May 2021: The plays were delivered on the second Monday to the members at their homes in a mailing bag on their porches. I picked up the plays on the second Wednesday.

We always go out to lunch in June, so we stretched it throughout the summer months. June—August: We had lunch on the second Tuesday at Obo’s Restaurant at 11:30 am.

September 2021—June 2022: We will meet at Mary Williams’ home at 7 p.m. to read the following plays:

Sept. 14:  “Nude with Violin” by Noel Coward (comedy) — A famous painter of modern art is revealed to be a hoax.  His paintings were painted by at least three artists.  TV movies in 1956 and 1964.

Oct. 12: “Man from Earth” by Jerome Bixby (a science fiction film writer) (drama) — A college professor reveals at a party that he is thousands of years old.

Now it is your turn to look up the following plays and see what interests you to join us on the second Tuesday of the month:

Nov. 9: “The Rainmaker” by Richard Nash

Dec. 14: “A Touch of the Poet” by Eugene O’Neill

Jan. 11: “The Unexpected Guest” by Agatha Christie

Feb. 8: “Isn’t It Romantic” by Wendy Wasserstein

March 8: “Rose’s Dilemma” by Neil Simon

April 12: “Peg O’ My Heart” by Hartley Manners

May 9: “Dead Ringer” by Charles Ross

June 14: “Sweat” by Lynn Nottage

We laugh, cry and have fun reading the variety of plays that are sent to our group. If you are interested in reading any of these plays, please contact me: Diane Petersen (chair), 916-214-4644, ladypetersen@icloud.com to RSVP and get location information.

Walking Group By Vicki Nicholson