In March we read a Donald Marguiles' brand new play 'Time Stands Still'. The play asked some incredible questions about war and the role of a journalist as a recorder of events. Some beautiful dialogue and the seamless presentation of complex issues left everyone who attended quite excited about the play. With some itching to see or do a staging. Post the reading numerous emails arrived with links and anecdotes about the play. If you get a chance do check the play out at:
April announces a new innovation at Great Texts. Each three months will be marked with a particular theme. So April to June, the theme is: GEORGE BERNARD SHAW. We start with one of his most famous works, Candida, a comedy about the Victorian notion of love and fidelity.
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950) was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60 plays. Nearly all his writings address prevailing social problems, but have a vein of comedy which makes their stark themes more palatable. Shaw examined education, marriage, religion, government, health care, and class privilege. He is the only person to have been awarded both a Nobel Prize for Literature (1925) and an Oscar (1938), for his contributions to literature and for his work on the film ‘Pygmalion’ (adaptation of his play of the same name), respectively. Shaw wanted to refuse his Nobel Prize outright because he had no desire for public honours, but accepted it at his wife's behest: she considered it a tribute to Ireland. He did reject the monetary award, requesting it be used to finance translation of Swedish books to English.
Candia, first published in 1898, was a part of Shaw`s ‘Plays Pleasant’.Famed actress Katharine Cornell played the lead role on Broadway in five different productions, the last four were for her own production company. She was the actress most closely associated with this role, and Shaw stated that she had created "an ideal British Candida in my imagination" as she essentially re-evisioned the role of Candida, making her the central character in the play. Previously, Candida was not conceived by directors or actresses as important as the issues and themes that Shaw was trying to convey. The first time she played the role in 1924, she was so acclaimed that The Actors' Guild, which controlled the production rights to the play in the United States, forbade any other actress from playing the role while Cornell was still alive. In her final production of 1946, a young Marlon Brando played the role of Marchbanks.
We will be reading it on the 25th of April at 7:30pm at 18 Anukool, Sq. Ldr. Harminder Singh Marg, 7 Bungalows. Next to Daljit Gym. All are welcome. If you need directions call Varrun on 26392688 or 9930666332.
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950) was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60 plays. Nearly all his writings address prevailing social problems, but have a vein of comedy which makes their stark themes more palatable. Shaw examined education, marriage, religion, government, health care, and class privilege. He is the only person to have been awarded both a Nobel Prize for Literature (1925) and an Oscar (1938), for his contributions to literature and for his work on the film ‘Pygmalion’ (adaptation of his play of the same name), respectively. Shaw wanted to refuse his Nobel Prize outright because he had no desire for public honours, but accepted it at his wife's behest: she considered it a tribute to Ireland. He did reject the monetary award, requesting it be used to finance translation of Swedish books to English.
Candia, first published in 1898, was a part of Shaw`s ‘Plays Pleasant’.Famed actress Katharine Cornell played the lead role on Broadway in five different productions, the last four were for her own production company. She was the actress most closely associated with this role, and Shaw stated that she had created "an ideal British Candida in my imagination" as she essentially re-evisioned the role of Candida, making her the central character in the play. Previously, Candida was not conceived by directors or actresses as important as the issues and themes that Shaw was trying to convey. The first time she played the role in 1924, she was so acclaimed that The Actors' Guild, which controlled the production rights to the play in the United States, forbade any other actress from playing the role while Cornell was still alive. In her final production of 1946, a young Marlon Brando played the role of Marchbanks.
We will be reading it on the 25th of April at 7:30pm at 18 Anukool, Sq. Ldr. Harminder Singh Marg, 7 Bungalows. Next to Daljit Gym. All are welcome. If you need directions call Varrun on 26392688 or 9930666332.