Why read a play?

In the mind of an inexperienced play reader such as myself, the concept of watching a performance of a play appeals to me much more than reading through a play myself. However, the author of this article brought light to the value and importance of reading a play and envisioning it for yourself. A production that is put on by a director as an “opinion,” can often be misinterpreted and disconnected to the author’s original intent of his work. Differently, a play is 100% how the author wanted his work to be portrayed, and it is up to the reader to interpret the messages and themes for oneself.

            While I do recognize the value of interpreting a play for oneself as opposed to watching the interpretation of a play from the visions of a director, I also think that the author of this article fails to mention the value of performance in society. Playwrights do not write plays so that they can be read—plays are written to be performed in front of a live audience so that they can entertain, edify, and exalt. Nonetheless, I look forward reading plays in this class so that I can interpret them for myself and so that I can have a better understanding for myself of what truly is the reason for reading a play.