Play Date
Read a play with us each month
Monthly play reading activity aiming to spread awareness, and increase appreciation of playwrights and playwriting from around the world. Anyone is welcome to join, and read regardless of play reading or language skills. The session will be followed by a discussion led by a professional theatre artist to spark conversations about the themes, style, form, and current world issues related to the selected play.
Coming up next
Third Thursday of the Month
7:00PM - 9:30PM
Unsettled
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
JC Niala is a prolific playwright, poet and historian. From Kenya, and based in Oxford, UK, Niala career spans continents. Some of her most notable works include, “The Strong Room” shortlisted by Wole Soyinka in BBC Africa Performance 2010, the film “Wazi? FM” and ”Something Necessary”. She is an honorary research fellow at the University of Warwick and a phd student at St Catherine’s College, Oxford. Her article “Why African Babies Don’t Cry” has been used as a training tool for several organizations. Through her playwritign, Niala engages with social and political issues, especially related to gender and colonial legacies.
ABOUT THE PLAY
Unsettled is a play about gender violence, post-colonial issues of land, development, social class and relations of both black and white Kenyans living in or returning to the country of Kenya. The play is set in a town in post-colonial Kenya in a period of rapid growth. Unsettled tackles who has control of the land and the conflicts and disparities that arise because of it. The play grapples with the repercussions and after effects of colonization.
JOIN PLAY DATE
Play Date is a monthly play reading activity, held on the third Thursday of each month. We read one play from around the world together. The play reading is followed by a group discussion about the play. Anyone is welcome to join and practice reading out loud, regardless of experience or level of English comprehension. With Play Date, learning English becomes fun. This is a place where you can practice speaking out loud, expand your vocabulary and meet new people. Play Date is produced by Crane Creations Theatre Company. Crane Creations is an immigrant led professional theatre company located in Mississauga, Ontario Canada. Join us for our next Play Date!
Reading a play is like venturing into a new world.
Third
Thursday
Every Month
every 3rd Thursday, 7:00PM - 9:30PM
Testimonial
FAQ
Most frequently asked questions and answers
Do I need to purchase a copy of the play to participate?
No, there is no need to purchase the play in order to participate in the play reading, although we strongly encourage you to supporting the livelihood of playwrights by purchasing their published work. For the purpose of Play Date read, we have obtained a permission of the playwrights to read their work and you will be provided with access to it on the day of the read. Please do consider supporting playwright by either purchasing the play, attending a show in the future or donating. Thank you.
Can I just listen if I don’t want to read?
Absolutely! If you would like to join us for one session just to see how it goes, feel free.
I have never read a play before. How do I prepare?
You are trying something new! Yay! No need to prepare anything, we will explain how things go during our event. If you have any special requests, or accessibility needs, please e-mail us at: info@cranecreations.ca
How do I suggest a play to read?
Of course you can! Join us for a Play Date, and enter your suggested play in the survey at the end of the session. Our team will read the play, contact the playwright (if the play is still under copyright) and add find a way how to add it to the schedule.
How are the roles going to be distributed?
Each Play Date we share the roles based on how many characters are in the story, and how many participants we have.
What If I'm not very good at reading?
Don’t worry. There is no pressure! This is your time to practice, and fail without judgement. People of all levels are welcome to join.