The concept is simple: we read a play together out loud in good company. Everyone who wants to gets a chance to read, but it's perfectly okay just to listen. Copies of the script will be available to participants during the event. Please note that play readings are not performances.
After the reading, we hang around for a bit to chat about the play and other things. Remember to bring your own snacks and refreshments.
We often read plays to see if anyone is interested in putting on a production, or to give actors the chance to familiarise themselves with a play in advance of upcoming auditions. Play readings may also act as script workshops – the playwright wants to hear the play read aloud and get feedback in order to edit the play before the first performance.
New play readings will be added to the "upcoming" list as they are decided upon.
WEDS 14 AUGUST at 7 PM – THE LAST OF THE WILD BEES by Vladislav Nenchev
The August reading will be a script workshop and chance to read the play in advance of the auditions on Saturday 31 August. The reading will be led by Vladislav Nenchev, who is looking for both feedback on the script and actors interested in an autumn production.
THE PLAY
This is the not-so-distant future of ours, in which all species of wild bees have gone extinct. The Wild Bees of Ettlingen, often addressed just as "The Bees", is a small volunteer organization dedicated to taking care of the forests and meadows which have lost their most impactful natural pollinators.
We focus on four of the most pivotal members of The Bees as they prepare for one of their regular "flights". Even though they have plenty of flights behind their backs, this one is not going that well. In fact, it's gearing up to be a monumental disaster, as multiple conflicts, rivalries, and personal problems threaten the future of these guardians of the memory of lost species. Will The Bees survive these troubles, or will they ultimately join the actual wild bees in history?
SUN 1 SEPTEMBER at 1 PM – PURGE by Sofi Oksanen
The September reading will be a chance for actors to familiarise themselves with the play in advance of a preliminary casting session on Sunday 8 September.
THE PLAY
Purge is a chilling drama of two generations of women. Set in the occupied Estonia of the 1940s and again in the same country fifty years later, the playl grapples with the realities of a new Europe.
VENUE & HOW TO ENTER
The readings will be held in at the NoName Theatre (Hietaniemenkatu 7B, 5th Floor, 00100 Helsinki). The entrance is technically on Lapuankatu, past the K-Market. Ring the "5th Floor" buzzer to the left of the blue gate under the "Keskisuomalainen Osakunta" sign. The main door will probably be unlocked, but if not, ring the fifth-floor buzzer by the door. Once inside, take the elevator up to the fifth floor.
ADMISSION
Admission is free, but a small voluntary entrance fee on-location would be greatly appreciated to help cover our venue and printing costs.
