Dates and times of meetings. To fit in with members’ other activities the group currently meets alternately on the first Wednesday and the first Thursday of the month, starting at 2.00 p.m. We have a break for a cup of tea and we finish around 4.45 p.m., depending on the length of the play we are reading. We meet in members’ houses, in rotation.

Choosing plays. The plays to be read are selected by members in rotation. The normal source is the County Performing Arts Library at Denbies. This involves visiting the library and searching the shelves to find what is available and suitable. For example, it is no use choosing a play with a cast of ten men and two ladies!

Types of plays. We have not got round to Shakespeare yet but we have read a variety of types of play including Night Must Fall, Separate Tables, The Winslow Boy, The Importance of Being Earnest and Boeing Boeing. We have also had afternoons of one-act plays and members’ favourite readings and poems.

How it works. No acting experience is needed to join the group -just an interest in drama and the ability to read lines from a book. Parts in the plays are rotated between members present in order to give equal opportunities to everyone to participate actively in the reading.

Other activities. On two occasions the group has been invited to provide the entertainment at the branch’s Christmas party. On the first occasion we presented a series of short humorous readings and poems culminating in a “condensed” version of “A Christmas Carol” lasting four minutes, followed by a doubly-condensed version which told the essentials of the story in forty-nine seconds! The event was made memorable by Mavis struggling valiantly (and not always successfully) in providing the right sound effects at the right moment! On the second occasion the members, led by Inspector Hugh Dunnit, presented a murder mystery for the audience to solve.

To send a message to a Group Leader, please use the Contact Point page. Current Group Status: Vacancies

Barbara