Now, it's probably safe to say that, when given the option, most people aren't coming in to the library to read Romeo and Juliet when they can watch a performance of the play instead. And most people probably don't wonder if the script for a musical is in the library when they could just watch the latest movie adaptation. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't be coming in to the library for the latest scripts and playbooks anyway! Here are a few reasons why theatre plays make good reading fodder, as well as a few different ways to enjoy them here at APL!
It's Less of a Time Commitment!
Taking time out of your day to go see a play or a musical is kind of a big process! The average theatre experience can sometimes take up to three hours nowadays, once you include the intermission & travel. But, when you think about it, that's a pretty easy time commitment when you're reading! It doesn't seem that way, but you can read through a lengthy play by Shakespeare or Chekov in an afternoon - and skip the intermission!
They're Engaging to Read Aloud!
I'm not going to sit here and pretend that reading through a play is a perfect substitute to seeing the play the way it was meant to be - performed on the stage, but that doesn't mean that you can't have some fun with it. The words you're reading in a play are meant to be spoken aloud, which means that you can read along yourself easily. You can even get a group of friends and read aloud with them! There's something that's similar to that in professional and amateur theatre called staged readings, where actors are performing the play to an audience with their scripts in front of them, often times while just standing or sitting. And guess what? That is also really entertaining! Even if you're not looking to flex your performing prowess, the performability of the play means that, even when reading in your head, you can read the lines the way any actor does. Though, if you'd prefer hearing the play in your head...
We Have Plays on Audiobooks!
Plays on audiobook are a great way to get the feel for a theatrical performance while engaging with the text of the play itself. The Aurora Public Library has quite a few plays available as an audiobook, not only physically here in the library, but through Hoopla and Overdrive as well. Many of these audiobooks are pretty high quality too, with recognizable casts and producers. For example, the BBC have collected some of their radio adaptations of famous plays in audiobook format, and there are many more available with casts full of familiar faces. An added bonus is that, because plays are shorter than traditional books, plays on audiobooks are also shorter than traditional audiobooks. The audiobook for 12 Angry Men, for example, comes in at under 2 hours. That means you can fill your time with even more plays!
You Can Talk Plays with Others!
Here at APL, we also have a program that's all about talking plays! Theatre Club is a book club-like program where instead of discussing regular old books, we discuss theatre instead. And the fun with a program like this is that, even if reading through plays still isn't something that suits your fancy, the library has, as part of its collection, many performances available as DVD's. And that doesn't even go into the movie adaptations, or the performances available in full through our online services like Hoopla! Theatre Club has talked about all kinds of plays, from the iconic plays of Shakespeare, to well-loved Broadway musicals, and even local, Canadian talents, like Newmarket-born Norm Foster! The program runs the first or second Sunday of every month and their next scheduled discussion, on October 12, 2025, is Shakespeare's Macbeth! So don't feel shy and come on down if your interested!
Finale
Well, as you can see, there are lots of benefits to including some plays into your regular reading, as well as some fun ways to engage with others at the library about what you're reading. Plays are stories that invite a lot of imagination when reading them, all while being less of a time-commitment than a traditional novel. They're also easy to read aloud to, and lend themselves well to audiobook formats. Finally, they're often accessible as filmed adaptations, and can inspire many different discussions and debates about how things should look, often leading to spirited conversations about how to stage it. So, why not pick up a play, and give it a chance?
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