ArtsEmerson Announces Spring 2023 Play Reading Book Club

ArtsEmerson, Boston's leading presenter of contemporary world theater and film and the professional presenting and producing organization of Emerson College, recently announced the schedule for the Spring 2023 Play Reading Book Club (PRBC).

Now in its 9th season, ArtsEmerson's PRBC has gathered and formed a theater-going community throughout Greater Boston neighborhoods and virtually. This pioneering theatre literacy and community education program deepens the theater-going experience by offering unique and unprecedented access to scripts, artists, and conversations featured at ArtsEmerson, while expanding the social networks of its participants.

The book clubs meet over the course of a month to read, discuss, and analyze plays in the ArtsEmerson season prior to seeing them live on stage, facilitated by trained teaching artists from the Emerson College Masters in Theatre Education program and Boston theater professionals. After seeing the play together, participants have the opportunity to meet and discuss it with artists from the show. Since its inception, the PRBC continues to partner with local hubs of community such as the Boston Public Libraries, Boston Centers for Youth and Families, alongside a newly established virtual space.

Participation in the program is free and registration is now open to the public for the Spring 2023 PRBC for, Cointelshow, And So We Walked, and Nehanda.

"Now in our 9th PRBC season, a lot of participants are enjoying being in a room of people (or gathering virtually) and having diverse conversations, not because they're talking about one culture or the other but people are bringing their diverse experiences to their perspectives on the work," said Akiba Abaka, Program Director and Creative Producer at ArtsEmerson. "It's becoming a place where people are going to work things out. The play is the prompt for the conversation and at PRBC, participants are afforded a very detailed experience before, during and after seeing the plays which continues to help us build a sense of community and foster social connectivity."

The PRBC experience provides a space where people can learn about the plays ArtsEmerson presents and dialogue about the intrinsic impact of these plays on their lives. The program is also accessible by providing participants not only access to scripts and oftentimes playwrights, but also by being available at locations in neighborhoods throughout Greater Boston and by providing a virtual option.

"The plays selected by ArtsEmerson are immensely provoking and engaging, drawing on my emotions, intellect and being," said PRBC participant Ayoka Drake. "I participated in multiple virtual PRBC sessions during the pandemic which showed that we are a true community. We struggle through life and its challenges and come together to celebrate, cope, heal, share and press on together."