"The play's the thing" -Hamlet, William Shakespeare

Play reading groups have a long tradition.

In Virginia Woolf's "Mrs. Dalloway," the character Peter Walsh describes reading Shakespeare out loud with some companions.

In E.M. Forster's "A Room with a View," the character of Mr. Beebe remarks on the pleasure of reading plays out loud.

And in his book, "Caravans," James A. Michener talks about how—in the mid-1940s—foreign embassy personnel in Kabul, Afghanistan gathered in the evenings and read plays out loud as a form of entertainment.

More recently, during the COVID lock downs, online play reading group activity soared. Here at WICE we thought this would be a very nice addition to our Literature program, and a recent survey of WICE members indicated that there's a real interest in it.


In the near-term, WICE's "From Page to Stage" group will focus on reading plays with the following qualities:

  • Available in English
  • Award-winning
  • 6 - 10 characters
  • Two acts

Furthermore, we strive to have a balance in gender among the authors, and a mix of nationalities.

The plays listed below all meet these criteria, and these will be the candidate plays for the time being. This list is by no means exhaustive or exclusive, and any other play that meets the criteria is open for inclusion. Once the group gets further established, we can expand our selection criteria.

Participation in this group is free for WICE Members, although registration is required.

If you would like more information or if you have questions, please email:

literature@wice-paris.org

Return to Literature

Sample Candidate Plays

     
Title Playwright Nationality Characters Awards
A Raisin in the Sun Lorraine Hansberry American 7 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award
Dancing at Lughnasa Brian Friel Irish 7 Tony Award for Best Play
The Children's Hour Lillian Hellman American 9 Pulitzer Nominee
Clybourne Park Bruce Norris American 7 Pulitzer Prize for Drama / Tony Award for Best Play
The Real Thing Tom Stoppard British 7 Tony Award for Best Play
Top Girl Caryl Churchill British 7 Obie Award for Playwriting
Jitney August Wilson American 9 Olivier Award
Sweat  Lynn Nottage American 9 Pulitzer Prize
The Heidi Chronicles Wendy Wasserstein American 8 Pulitzer Prize, Tony Award
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Christopher Durang American 6 Tony Award
Arcadia Tom Stoppard British 9 Laurence Oliver Award for Best New Play
Black Watch Gregory Burke Scottish 10 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play

UPCOMING EVENTS

    • 06 Oct 2023
    • 2:30 PM - 5:00 PM
    • To Be Determined
    • 12

    Starting in the October 2023, usually on the 1st Friday of the month, WICE will be having a cold play reading group. This group will gather and read out loud various plays that meet the following criteria:

    • English language
    • Award winning
    • One or two acts
    • 6 - 9 characters

    We hope to have the autumn trimester's plays chosen and a meeting place identified soon, so keep an eye on this space for further information.

    • 03 Nov 2023
    • 2:30 PM - 5:00 PM
    • To Be Announced
    • 12

    Starting in the October 2023, usually on the 1st Friday of the month, WICE will be having a play reading group. This group will gather and read out loud various plays that meet the following criteria:

    • English language 
    • Award winning
    • One or two acts
    • 6 - 10 characters

    We hope to have the autumn trimester's plays chosen and a meeting place identified soon, so keep an eye on this space for further information.

    • 01 Dec 2023
    • 2:30 PM - 5:00 PM
    • To Be Determined
    • 12

    Starting in the October 2023, usually on the 1st Friday of the month, WICE will be having a cold play reading group. This group will gather and read out loud various plays that meet the following criteria:

    • English language 
    • Award winning
    • One or two acts
    • 6 - 9 characters

    We hope to have the autumn trimester's plays chosen and a meeting place identified soon, so keep an eye on this space for further information.