Barat House Readings & Discussions
Thursday Evenings, 7:00PM
Reserve your tickets early for 5 sessions on
THE TIES THAT WOUND
This fall, the Barat House Reading Group returns to drama. In five modern plays, we will explore the dynamics of family troubles: between husband and wife; mother and daughter; father and daughter; father and son; mother and son; and in one of the plays, all of these relationships. If Tolstoy is right that each family is unhappy in its own way, these five dramas offer much to reflect on and much to reveal about the needs for and varieties of human compassion. The final session will feature a literary supper.
October 4. Martin McDonagh, The Beauty Queen of Leenane Maureen Folan is the last of Mag Folan’s daughters. Her sisters have found their escape from the oppressive control of their mother. Despite a history of mental illness, Maureen is trapped in the role of caretaker. A glimmer of hope for deliverance is kindled in the appearance of Pato, a lonely, middle-aged construction worker. The deeply troubling tensions between mother and daughter are played out in the dim, small kitchen of their home. Discussion Leader: Tom Taaffe
October 18. David Auburn, Proof Catherine takes care of her mentally ill father, a brilliant and widely respected mathematician. Hal, one of his devoted students, shows up at their home upon the father’s death anxious to mine his mathematical scribblings. One mathematical proof astonishes Hal, who is even more astonished at Catherine’s claim that she is the author. That Catherine has inherited her father’s genius is less certain to her sister Claire than that she has inherited his mental instability. These doubts injure the growing relationship between Hal and Catherine. Discussion Leader: Laurel Peterson
November 1. Edward Albee, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? George and Martha arrive home from a party given by her father for the academic community to which they belong. Their love for each other has become laced with disenchantment and has turned their marriage into a battleground. At Martha’s surprising invitation, a newly appointed professor and his new bride, Nick and Honey, arrive in the midst of this marital war zone. Martha and George’s “fun and game” post-party turns into a nightmare of unraveling secrets. Discussion Leader: Van Hartmann
November 15. Tennessee Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Greed, guilt, and dim hope for the future cloud Big Daddy’s 65th birthday celebration. Maggie, his daughter-in-law, has been trying to bring him a grandson, but her husband Brick, with troubles of his own, has been neglecting her. Her desire has been intensified by the news that Big Daddy is dying. The family drama is further complicated by the diffidence of Brick to his brother’s efforts to become the new “favored son” and gain control of the family fortune. Discussion Leader: Siobhan Taaffe
November 29. Eugene O’Neill, Long Day’s Journey into Night This long day is a journey into the dark night of the Tyrone family: Mary, the mother; James, the father; sons Jamie and Edmund; and daughter Cathleen. In this one day, set in their summer home, this family revisits over and over the wounds they continue to inflict on each other. All but one of the attempts at conversation and understanding that mark each scene are set around a meal being shared, but all are also marked by the addictions that are destroying this family. Discussion Leader: Kevin Doherty
$65 for series (Students must register for entire series) Used copies of these books are available at a reduced rate on amazon.com or bn.com. OR contact your local library and reserve a copy for desired date.