Shakespeare

Status:Active, open to new members
Leader:
When: Weekly on Thursday mornings
10am
Venue: TBA
Engraving of Shakespeare - head

The Shakespeare group has been part of Buxton u3a since it was started by Judy Barrett over 20 years ago. It is now successfully restarted after the lockdown and Judy has chosen an honourable retirement.

We are now (19th March) about half way through "Julius Caesar". We usually read one act each week.

The group now has a WhatsApp group to which only group members have access. It works on smart phones and other devices and is very secure.

At our meetings we read a chosen play aloud which can take 3 or 4 weeks. We pause from time to time to consider Shakespeare's technique as a dramatist and poet, interpretations of the language of the times and sometimes the performance history and sources of the plots . Our major focus is however on the words themselves as spoken and performed. We are not experts in any academic sense merely enthusiasts for the bard's wonderful way with language. John Newton is group leader and looks after the essential administrative tasks. The reading parts are allocated by general agreement as is the choice of plays with no special system although it was recently suggested that we would try to mix tragedy and comedy in an equable way. Members contribute or not according to their personal interests and knowledge. It's a very democratic group.

We have recently got into the habit of watching a DVD of the play when we have finished reading it, usually at a member's house. We also inherited a library of BBC DVDs of all the plays from Judy which members can borrow to view at home.

New members are always welcome who may participate as much or as little as they wish. The only requirement is a copy of the current play. If you are not a member of Buxton & District u3a you can join us as a guest to see what it is all about before you commit to membership.