How To Read Plays (1953)

[Music] yes yes I'll be waiting for you Tommy I'll be waiting for you he's coming home my boy is coming [Music] home on television in the movies perhaps on the stage you've enjoyed many plays plays that were presented to you but have you learned to enjoy reading plays presenting them to yourself people who have learned to do this say they have a world of new experiences open to them for much great literature from the Greeks through Shakespeare up to mod times is written in play form some plays are long some are short but no matter what the play the skills of play reading are much the same just what is a play let's look at one we see speeches and the names of the people speaking words set apart in italics or parentheses tell what the actors do these are called stage directions from these Clues you must see the play on the stage in your own mind a play try it think of a scene who's that that is a scene now how would such a scene be written enter Holden he goes to desk and starts looking through papers door is heard closing offstage Holden involuntarily who's there exit Holden from such words you create in your mind the complete scene that is play reading now let's study this job more closely let's begin the reading of a play a famous comedy she Stoops to conquer or the mistakes of a knight a comedy by Oliver Goldsmith first printed in 1773 1773 the times before the Revolutionary War the place in England an English country house now let's begin to present the play to ourselves act one scene one imagine the stage on which the play is to be given scene a chamber in an old-fashioned house since the author doesn't give us a full scene description we can only imagine our setting in a vague way in later reading we may have to change this picture perhaps add to it now we read year old time old manners old books old wife they are undoubtedly a fairly old couple perhaps you'll be reminded of people you've known after all going out to eat isn't so much we ought to do it more often we go out as often as we can afford well we don't go out as often as our neighbors you earn just as much money as they do you want to hear what I hear on the phone every day going out to eat here going out to eat there you've seen such couples now let's imagine them as characters in our play costume in the dress of the times of course later we may need to revise our ideas of these characters but for now we have two Essentials of our play a setting and characters what about the dialogue we can read it hurriedly take the first speech I vow Mr Hard Castle you're very particular is there a creature in the whole country but ourselves that yes we can read that way but if we do our play doesn't come to life we miss the fun let's try again Imagining the way the lines would be read by our Mrs Hardcastle hi th Mr Hard Castle you're very particular that's better isn't it to understand the play to enjoy it we usually must imagine the dialogue as actually heard now let's begin our play again Imagining the opening in full act one scene a chamber in an old-fashioned house enter Mrs Hardcastle and Mr Hardcastle Hi V Mr Hard Castle you're very particular is there a creature in this whole country who doesn't take a trip to town now and then to rub off the dust a little now there's the two Miss Hogs and our neighbor Mrs gisby Take A month's polishing every winter I am bring back vanity and affectation enough to last them the whole year notice the movements of the characters in relation to each other in my time the fols of the Town crept slowly Among Us now they travel faster than a stage coat its feries come down not only as inside passengers but in the very basket notice too how the gestures add meaning to the words you've been telling us about them these many long years and here here we live in this rumbling old mansion which looks for all the world like an inn but we never have any visitors our best visitor is old Mrs Mrs Oddish the curate's wife and Whipple gate the lame dancing master and for our entertainment you are forever telling old stories about Prince Eugene and so we have begun our play presenting it to ourselves through Reading and I love it from the dialogue and stage directions alone we have created a play through imagination we imagin a stage setting and characters and dialogue actually heard thus we produce plays on our imaginary stage I'm not as old as you make me not by more than one good year add 20 to 20 and see what money you can make on them that let me see 20 added to 20 makes just 50 and seven oh oh it's false you know I was but a play to enjoy in your own mind that is what play reading is there are many AIDS you can use to make play reading easier and more fun one is remembering other scenes you have seen and other people you have known that help you imagine the play more Vivid ly another Aid and a very important one is to act out the play as you read it first imagine the stage where it will be played when you use your imagination the room you are in can assume the essential characteristics of the stage setting Now read the first lines of the play putting yourself in the place of the character speaking when you come to the next character change and read in that character's manner these are AIDS that help you create in your mind's eye the glimpse of life that is the play the object of your reading try it learn to read plays for if you do you have a whole world of enjoyment at hand in the great plays in our [Music] literature