Participation in this club is completely free. All that’s necessary is to show up, when you can, at our monthly get-together, typically the third Monday evening of the month at 7:30 pm. If that day is a holiday, or a majority of members have a conflict, we can discuss changing the day, but only to another Monday. We’ve voted on changing to a different day of the week in the past, but Monday seems to work best for the majority of members expressing a preference. Every time we start a new play, I’ll send an announcement about what the play is, and the time and place we’ll meet to read it. I’ll post reference materials on the Files page as well: plot summary, vocabulary, etc. You don’t have to read this material, but it’s there if you want it.

Congratulations on joining Shakespeare in Tokyo. I hope you enjoy the club even a small part as much as I do. Here are a few tips to help you make the most of the experience.

With discussion, we typically get through one or two acts of each five act play in the course of one evening’s reading. Therefore, it usually takes three readings, i.e. three months, to finish each play. After the play is finished, those present vote on which play to read next. I like to heighten the variety by alternating between comedies and tragedies. Also, for the first eight years I insisted that we could not repeat a play until we had worked our way completely through the canon; of course, now that we’ve finished, the slate is totally cleared, opening the way to vote on your favorites!

It’s not necessary to read the play ahead of time, although of course you are free to do so, and you may even rehearse the role you are hoping to read. Our procedure is very informal: after general discussion, volunteers agree on which parts they will read for the upcoming scene. Then at the end of the scene, there is more discussion, and parts are re-assigned for the following scene. This works well, since it gives many different people the chance to participate, and no one is forced to read a very wordy role all night.

I encourage everyone to volunteer to read at least a small part. Many people arrive wishing to just listen, and some are shy about reading, sometimes due to limited English or public speaking ability. I do my best to honor those wishes. However, sometimes we have fewer participants than roles, and I may press those present to take one of the smaller roles.
Whether you intend to read or just listen, we do ask that you bring your own copy, either in book form or printed off the internet. Every now and then we have a problem with people not bringing a script. In these circumstances we try to accommodate everyone by doubling up, but it makes it much harder to follow along if two people are trying to share. With each new play I’ll post a link to an online version of the play for you to print out and bring with you to the reading.

At present, we meet every month in the TLC (Teaching and Learning Center), Room 208 of Temple University, in Sangenjaya, Tokyo. Please see the Access page for directions to Temple. One important note: There is to be no drinking, eating or smoking in the TLC room. We typically take a break halfway through the evening, during which time you can eat or drink in the cafeteria, or smoke outside. Many of our members bring snacks with them from home or a convenience store, since the selection in the cafeteria vending machines is somewhat limited.

From time to time, I will also post information on upcoming theatrical events in and around Tokyo. If you have any such information that you would like to share with others, just send it to me and I’ll pass it along.

You may of course remove yourself from this list at any time. For those of you who have been with me since the days of email notification, bear in mind that I can’t remove you from the list myself; you will have to find the “unsubscribe” email address listed on the site, send it, and then follow the subsequent instructions you receive by email.

Congratulations again on being a part of the fun. The time and effort I have put into this group has been more than repaid with the beauty of Shakespeare.