This is a discussion group (so no actual play reading in the sessions) and functions like a conventional book group. It meets usually on the second Thursday of the month, 10 am to 11.15 am. There is currently one space available - you can always come along for a taster session to try it out.

Before each monthly meeting we will read a set play (occasionally two plays or a trilogy).

For this year, there will be a volume of Arthur Miller plays to buy. This can be purchased from me (secondhand, just £8) or elsewhere.

Nearly all other plays will be available free of charge in English online - in this case, I will provide a link and you can then use your electronic device (iPad, laptop, etc.) to read the play at home. If you prefer, you could instead buy the plays inexpensively in secondhand volumes or in many cases borrow them from the library.

For all our plays (Ancient Greek, Shakespearean and Modernist) we will look at each in its historical context. All were written for the general public and so are immediately accessible.

The turn of the C20th and beyond marks a pinnacle of experimentation, with Nobel Prize winners for literature such as Pirandello, Beckett and Pinter.

For Shakespeare, online versions of the plays are available with the original poetic Shakespearean English on the left facing a modern English ‘translation’ on the right (e.g. at litcharts.com). You can also usually borrow footnoted copies via the Cambridgeshire County Libraries Service (50p reservation fee).

Our Ancient Greek plays are short. All are available in modern translation and so are easy to follow. Not only do they stand as great literature but they also tell us about Ancient Greece.

We will ponder apparent enigmas of Greek drama, e.g. why, in a democracy, do kings and queens regularly walk the stage? And why, in a patriarchal society in which women had little status or power, do so many of the plays feature powerful, commanding women (Clytemnestra, Medea, Antigone, Electra)?

For all plays, I will email you not only (where possible) a link to an online play script but also, often, a link to a theatre production, film or audiobook version of the play so that you can enjoy it in performance.

The dates and plays selected for the ‘year’ are set out below.

Euripides - Medea (8th October 2026)

Arthur Miller - The Crucible (12th November 2026)

Shakespeare - Twelfth Night (10th December 2026)

Arthur Miller - Death of a Salesman (11th February 2027)

Aristophanes - Clouds (11th March 2027)

Euripides - Hecabe (8th April 2027)

Aside from the small cost of our Arthur Miller set book, there will be a charge of just £10 for the year (6 sessions from October to April inclusive), to cover room hire - anyone joining midway through the year will pay pro rata. Group numbers will be restricted to 11.

If this new group appeals, please get in touch with the Group Leader via the blue envelope email icon.

More details

Set book for purchase

Henrik Ibsen: Four Major Plays (A Doll's House, Ghosts, Hedda Gabler, The Master Builder) (Oxford World Classics, ISBN: 978-0199536191). Around £7 new, secondhand around £4 (including P&P), e.g. from wob.com and amazon.co.uk. We will study 2 plays from this volume in 2025-2026 (Hedda Gabler & The Master Builder)..