About us
Hello friends!
Well, with the recent developments in AI I was able to build this web application. A labor of love, I hope you'll like it. And in the near future I will publish the energy cost to build all of my web application projects (figured out how to do it somewhat accurately, per project).
Soon Coming Discount code for Meetup Group Members: ComeBackBill! on **playsoftheages.com** to sign up for Season One parts.
Still reading plays across the Ages and across cultures, as well. Starting Season One with just 12 selections, one per month:
People coming from other places get 2 free uses (1 part, one reading hosting) and then have $8/year site membership.
We don't use Zoom, these virtual rooms happen in the site, no data is saved or sold or used for any purpose, and every protection mechanism I'm aware of and can employ affordably is implemented, and with the way AI is, I'll be keeping an eye on it.
You can see the whole play on the site if it's scheduled for the season.
You can also host your own readings on the site, as long as it's public domain, your original play, or you own the rights to it. The forms walk you through it all when you're creating your play reading event. I thought this could be useful for playwrights, theater houses who own rights to plays, etc.
The Public Domain readings' recordings from the house seasons are saved and archived to the site's library, according to each reader's individual permissions settings, and if you're into acting ( as I am ), you can save clips from readings for your reel.
We'll be reading one per month on the last Sunday of the month around 6pm or 7pm EST, or 3pm PST. I'll be working on a facebook page as well, to see if more people will be interested.
Love you much, please submit feedback on the website if you have it, or here if the site is glitchy (It might be) and see you at the readings!! Bring a friend, y'all help me work out the bugs on this thing!
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ORIGINAL SHAKESPEARE READING GROUP IS NOW ON FACEBOOK: [https://www.facebook.com/groups/1464043154992087](http://clicks.meetup.com/ls/click?upn=u001.NY3oBFzZ5LJDG7YcnfSAKu-2FXfTGw-2FvPXD7PPRLlSXtenH8BJpErS0uAA-2Bk4qfKnM9f9AJCULIADdPZ-2FR2qGZlw-3D-3DbV1N_LyOzlL8IZNjM9i3fQQfGij-2FIUZ7sfOWcmFVxgkQsmXYwNfmVuHlMM1s3Utb-2BnPlgJ3H9KzXtpiz7KmK2-2FFV8IOJhnawf0nFUroR1J6IaZgnAhuoYp8sqKYqqGCt2RWl9ACw4yqjM-2BnVOG5DEHHrPcH07r4wlQj3FyqyAn4-2BK81J3sjM3Ql-2F1rGQZE6-2BcN9ToHqsV6ocotflWhaFMBHY5TBouF-2BI6qBkZMVeN-2F66FJNX4w704cvU-2BPl6Um9DNrCN3wsjR864kA3-2FTW3X95EZrWwP-2B7-2F4Fe8XrdUHs3lrB-2BGZx7bZCQPf1pkxGztnWibsKGC6xxdQFItF6P7u5Nmj5NjNtwu0PNtGMsVxHZ0MJ-2FIVjNaF1wTdM4e01indHYaOiSFsSxmEE-2FQI0-2FmBZOeEEBY5QOOYXOp7uUjAlBthnrb8KXXSJb8JIBh-2FsSH7eXmMcqFcO1wNGsKUd7-2BAd85ER7Np7XjBMPPVmbmRisWpQY0TFaJuKq9aphZqjpuBjd2kKKja8Y4-2BmhnHM2C7ihwvvZQhhqAqTHEL-2F6jKLTnlqv7bInoaHnr2hP8te8ryeDYBK2r9unHEzVlaDXTFbD9ONAqnSknQXI9R0fkhFdIu7wkeBY3tauTTiUPG11A-2BlegRyuUUTYod85bcYsnaKXUoomABt4Cyze3zXBeElHVdtxxP-2FaQRPohqnaqsq46Y4O0TJ)
New Format for Plays of the Ages Below
Hi All,
It's funny, the decision to take over this group happened quickly. I don't know how it will go, but I'm optimistic. I will continue tweaking what's becoming the many moving parts of this group as I go, please bear with me.
The plays we read will broaden quite a bit....
Here's the list (curated from Wikipedia based on my own theater education and world pov) -
Europe
Greek
Roman
Medieval
Commedia
Renaissance
Elizabethan
Spanish
French
Restoration
Neoclassical
Twentieth Century
American
Romanticism
Realism
Contemporary
African
Egyptian
West African
African Diaspora
Asian
Indian
Chinese
Indonesian
Thai
Japanese
The format is to read one play a week, going through these play genres in succession. I think if we set a three hour block of time each week, we still may not get through a whole piece, and that's ok. The purpose of this meetup now will be to dabble and build something of a global and historical theater education by simply reading all of these different kinds of plays together. And we can always either start or finish the play on our own time.
In fact, I think it will be our format to start the play in our own time, and agree to pick up the play for reading together towards the middle, or somewhere thereabouts, depending on how long the work is.
We'll have a play idea submission and voting mechanism set up eventually, and social channels to pull in more readers who might be interested in these niche works. Parts assignment might be electronically run, as well, meaning you go online and fill out a form for what part you want to read and it's first-come, first-served, with the option to be the alternate or understudy, or to split a role type into up to 3 readers during the reading.
Previous Welcome for this Group - (Previously Shakespeare Zoom Reading)
Welcome to all interested in reading - I want this open to anyone even if you haven't read plays aloud before. We will read one play over 2 weeks (2 Saturday or Sunday afternoons). Everyone gets a nice amount to read if they want it. Woohoo. I may cast when we meet or I may tell you your role(s) ahead. You don't need a zoom account. Oh, and you don't need a copy of the play.
Upcoming events
2
Sotoba Komachi + Aoi no Uye
·OnlineOnlineLet's read two short spooky Japanese plays from the 1400s : )
- Please Sign Up For Your Part Online at PlaysoftheAges.Com (unclaimed parts have to be generated (at least for now, we'll see how it goes))
Kanami and Zeami · translated by Arthur Waley, 1921
Sunday 25 October 2026, 7:00pm ET
Reading time: 24 minutes Age: Medieval · Japan Characters: 11
Two possessions. An old beggar woman turns out to be Ono no Komachi, the great beauty of her age, and is seized by the ghost of the lover who died waiting at her gate. Then a living woman's jealousy leaves her body and goes hunting.
The cast
- KOMACHI — Ono no Komachi · driver, sage · 37 lines
- PRIEST — A priest of the Kōyasan · authority · 21 lines
- ROKUJŌ — Princess Rokujō · (no type set on the site) · 19 lines
- CHORUS — the chorus, who often speaks for the others · chorus · 16 lines
- WITCH — the witch of Teruhi · sage · 9 lines
- COURTIER — in the service of the Emperor Shujaku · authority · 7 lines
- SAINT — The Saint of Yokawa · sage · 6 lines
- SECOND PRIEST — the priest's companion · authority · 6 lines
- MESSENGER — a messenger · messenger · 3 lines
- GHOST — (no description on the site) · obstacle · 1 line
1 attendee
The Cherry Orchard
·OnlineOnlineLet's read this Russian play from 1904 : )
- Please Sign Up For Your Part Online at PlaysoftheAges.Com (unclaimed parts have to be generated (at least for now, we'll see how it goes))
- In the Library, use the Season One filter
Please invite people you know along to help fill in the parts. Synthetic voices can't possibly be as much fun, can they!
Anton Chekhov, 1904 · translated by Julius West, 1916
Sunday 29 November 2026, 7:00pm ETReading time: 113 minutes Age: Modern · Russia Characters: 17
An estate is sold, an orchard comes down, and nobody quite manages to say what they mean. It opens in May with the trees in blossom and ends in October with the house shut and an axe starting on the trees.
The cast
- LUBOV — A landowner · driver · 111 lines
- LOPAKHIN — A merchant · driver, obstacle · 101 lines
- VARYA — Mme. Ranevsky's adopted daughter, aged twenty-seven · confidant · 76 lines
- GAEV — Mme. Ranevsky's brother · wit · 70 lines
- TROFIMOV — A student · sage, innocent · 65 lines
- ANYA — Mme. Ranevsky's daughter, aged seventeen · innocent · 55 lines
- YASHA — A young footman · hand, wit · 36 lines
- DUNYASHA — A maidservant · hand, innocent · 34 lines
- PISCHIN — A landowner · wit · 34 lines
- FIERS — An old footman, aged eighty-seven · sage, hand · 26 lines
- EPIKHODOV — A clerk · wit · 21 lines
- CHARLOTTA — A governess · wit · 18 lines
- TRAMP — A tramp · messenger · 3 lines
- VOICES FROM THE DRAWING-ROOM — chorus · 1 line
- STATION-MASTER — A station-master · hand · 1 line
- VOICE AT THE DOOR — chorus · 1 line
2 attendees
Past events
76
