Stage on the Page Drama Discussion Group

At each meeting we attempt to bring the written word to life through reading and discussion of drama's place in literature and culture. We examine specific aspects of the theatre that make it a truly unique and exhilarating art form. Meetings take place at 10 a.m. on the last Thursday of every month (except December, July, and August) at the Coralville Public Library. Copies of Stage on the Page plays are available for checkout at the Library.
Everyone is welcome!

Upcoming discussions:

Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street - a musical thriller by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler - April 24, 2008

This is the dark tale of Sweeney Todd, a barber who returns to London bent on revenge after serving time in prison for a crime he did not commit. Includes such memorable and achingly beautiful songs as A Little Priest, Johanna, Pretty Women, and Not While I’m Around. The original award-winning production starred veteran stage and screen actress Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett, while the most recent film version features Johnny Depp as the bloody barber.

Inherit the Wind - a drama by Lawrence & Lee - May 29, 2008

Science teacher Bertram Cates teaches evolution in his Tennessee classroom, though the law forbids him to do so. What follows is a gripping account of the trial, based upon the real-life battle between Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan in the Scopes “Monkey Trial.” This play is the basis for the famous 1960 film starring Spencer Tracy, Gene Kelly, and Fredric March.

The History Boys - a play by Alan Bennett - June 26, 2008

Winner of six Tony Awards including Best Play, The History Boys tells a thought-provoking yet comic coming of age story about a group of very talented but “rough around the edges” British schoolboys. Though they would rather be thinking about sports and sex, they must try to learn from two diametrically opposed teachers on the best way to get into England’s top universities.

Previous discussions:

The Cherry Orchard The Secret Garden The Glass Menagerie Ah, Wilderness! Oedipus Rex Macbeth Bat Boy : The Musical Glengarry Glen Ross The Importance of Being Earnest Man of La Mancha Tartuffe A Doll’s House Death of a Salesman You Can’t Take It With You Hamlet The Odd Couple Copenhagen Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead A Little Night Music The Fantasticks A Raisin in the Sun Proof  The Merry Wives of Windsor Lysistrata Long Day's Journey Into Night Doubt : a Parable The Piano Lesson Fortinbras Seven Year Itch Topdog/Underdog Our Town Cabaret Henry V The Threepenny Opera Stuff Happens Richard III Flyer The Producers Angels in America: The Millennium Approaches Collected Stories To Kill a Mockingbird The Full Monty 9 Parts of Desire King Lear The Three Sisters Anton in Show Business Sister Mary Ignatius Explains it All For You A Delicate Balance The Heidi Chronicles