Wild Geese Players of Seattle

posted
Apr 15, 2008

The Other Bloomsday - Seattle 2008

Oxen of the Sun

James Joyce’s novel Ulysses takes place on June 16th, 1904. It follows the wanderings of Leopold Bloom, a Jewish everyman, and Stephen Dedalus, a young writer and Joyce’s alter ego, as they wander the streets of Dublin.

The centenary of Bloomsday, June 16th, 2004, was celebrated worldwide.

The Wild Geese Players of Seattle will present a staged reading of chapter 14, “Oxen of the Sun”, adapted from the 1922 edition of Ulysses. The reading will take place at the Elliott Bay Bookstore, 101 S. Main St, on Sat 14th June 2008 at 4:00pm.

The wandering Leopold Bloom visits a maternity hospital, where poor Mina Purefoy is entering her 3rd day of labor. Bloom encounters a group of drunken medical students, who carry on wildly while discussing poor Mrs. Purefoy’s fate.

In this chapter, Joyce’s incomparable narrative celebrates the history of the English language through elaborate parodies and structures. At the same time, he reveals much about contemporary attitudes surrounding pregnancy and birth.

Download the Oxen of the Sun poster (PDF, 45KB) and post it around town.

Entrance is free, but donations are appreciated.

Further background information on the Oxen of the Sun chapter can be found at the Kennesaw guide to Ulysses and the Joyce portal. Or read the text of the chapter here.

2005 rehearsal

2005 Rehearsal

Back: Joe Martin, Bill Barnes, Joseph Ryan, Ciaran O’Mahony.
Front: Niall McDonnell, Jim McDermott, Scott McKinstry.

Other Events

See our archives for details of our previous readings.

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posted
Apr 15, 2008

2008 Bloomsday Press Release

The Other Bloomsday 2008 - Press Release

Now that the excitement of the Joycean Bloomsday Centenary has passed, the Wild Geese Players of Seattle still continue their Joycean journey (as ever kindly supported by the Irish Heritage Club). This is the eleventh year that they are presenting staged readings of James Joyce’s Ulysses. In this year we find the story at Chapter 14, Oxen of the Sun. It is 9pm on a mid-June evening. Leopold Bloom attempts to visit an old friend at a maternity hospital, and somehow manages to make a tour through every English literary style before the twentieth century.

SATURDAY JUNE 14TH
Location TBD
DONATIONS AT THE DOOR

Further Information:

www.wildgeeseseattle.org

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