Published January 27, 2022. Contributed Content.
“Learning a new language is hard.
New sounds and new vocabulary are difficult to remember. Suppose you are looking for a different place to connect with others who are also learning English and want to improve their language skills. In that case, our Play Date activity is a new place to practice and expand your vocabulary by reading plays from around the world in English.
Join us in reading a new theatre play every month. You can volunteer to read parts of the play aloud or follow along while others bring the story to life. We will discuss the story and themes all together afterwards. All levels of English are welcome.
When: Every third Thursday of the month, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. (Next play date is on Feb. 18)
Where: Over Zoom
Thursday, Jan. 20, marked Crane Creations’ first Play Date of the Year. Participants read the play Harlem Duet by Djanet Sears.
This month we are reading Chimerica by Lucy Kirwood.
About the Play: In 1989, Joe Schofield takes a picture of a Chinese civilian confronting four military tanks in Tiananmen Square — an image that would captivate the world for decades to come. In 2012, as China-US relations dominated presidential election debates, a mysterious message linked to the event appeared in a Beijing newspaper. In response, Joe vows to uncover the story behind the unknown hero he photographed twenty-three years ago. A deft political thriller as well as a riveting personal journey, Chimerica explores the intertwining fortunes of two global superpowers.
About the Playwright: Lucy Kirkwood is a British playwright and screenwriter. Her plays have been performed across the UK and beyond, including the Royal Court Theatre, National Theatre, the West End and Broadway. Some of her critically acclaimed works include The Children, It Felt Empty When The Heart Went At First But It Is All right Now, and Chimerica (winner of the 2014 Olivier Award for Best New Play, the 2013 Evening Standard Best Play Award, the 2014 Critics’ Circle Best New Play Award, and the Susan Smith Blackburn Award). Lucy Kirkwood is a writer in residence at Clean Break, a feminist theatre company.
Register for Play Dates next session at Cane Creations’ website “
