posted
Apr 13, 2018
21st Annual Staged Reading / Bloomsday Celebration of James Joyce’s Ulysses
The Wild Geese Players of Seattle
join Bloomsday celebrations across the globe honoring Ulysses’ author James Joyce.
Our 21st annual staged reading of selections from the book will be held
on Saturday, June 16th, 2018 at 2:30pm at the
Seattle Central Library,
1000 Fourth Ave, Seattle, WA 98104,
Level 4 – Room 2 – Howard S. Wright Family & Janet W. Ketcham Meeting Room.
Bloomsday (Bloom’s day, named for Ulysses’ main character, Leopold Bloom)
is a worldwide commemoration and celebration of the life of Irish writer James Joyce
and refers to the 24-hour period of 16th June 1904 in which Ulysses is set.
The book follows the wanderings of Bloom, a Jewish everyman,
and Stephen Dedalus, a young writer and Joyce’s alter ego,
as they wander the streets of Dublin.
Join us for a taste of Ulysses, in small bites.
This year’s reading features Chapter 8, “Lestrygonians”,
and Chapter 9, “Scylla and Charybdis”.
In the book, both chapters take place in the early afternoon.
We pick up where we left off last year in the middle of Chapter 8,
as Leopold Bloom is searching for lunch.
He enters Davy Byrne’s peaceful pub, gaining respite from the hubbub of Dublin.
Joyce, as ever, is preoccupied with “the significance of trivial things”,
through which we learn more about Bloom’s past and how others see him.
In Chapter 9, Stephen Dedalus is holding forth in the National Library of Ireland,
giving the performance of his life to an audience of
Irish writers and scholars who were part of the
Irish Literary Revival
of the early 20th century.
Stephen is an outsider, desperately trying to assert himself
in front of these gatekeepers of Irish culture.
He shares his elaborate theories on the life of Shakespeare,
why the bard left his second-best bed to his widow, Anne Hathaway,
and the fatherlessness of Hamlet.
The Wild Geese Players of Seattle have presented staged readings of Irish literature
by writers such as James Joyce and W.B. Yeats since 1998.
We are a diverse group of people with an interest in Irish literature,
and most of us are either Irish-born or have Irish connections.
We believe that poetry and certain novels are best read aloud,
that some words are better heard than read.
For more information,
visit the Wild Geese Players’ website www.WildGeeseSeattle.org,
like our Facebook group,
or follow @WildGeeseSea on Twitter.
Follow-up contacts:
George Reilly, Director, WildGeeseSeattle@gmail.com
Claudia Finn, CFinnSeattle@gmail.com
Click to read and post comments
posted
Apr 30, 2017
The Wild Geese Players of Seattle will present a staged reading of
Chapter 7, “Aeolus”, and the first half of Chapter 8, “Lestrygonians”,
adapted from the 1922 edition of James Joyce’s Ulysses, on June 16th, 2017.
Our annual Bloomsday readings started in 1998.
After concluding Ulysses in 2013, we started afresh three year ago.
This year, we’re reading Chapter 7, “Aeolus”,
and the first half of Chapter 8, “Lestrygonians”.
Chapter 7: Aeolus
Chapter 7 “Aeolus” begins at noon in the Freeman Journal‘s newspaper offices,
where Bloom is working on an advertisement.
Throughout the episode, Joyce parodies newspaper headlines of the day,
which also break the chapter into segments.
The chapter refers to the Odyssey when Aeolus, the ruler of the winds,
seals up all ill winds in a bag for Odysseus,
to contain them and ensure a smooth journey home.
But when a curious crew member opens the bag, the ill winds escape
and blow the ship back to Aeolus.
Chapter 8: Lestrygonians
Chapter 8 “Lestrygonians” begins at 1 PM.
As lunchtime approaches, Leopold Bloom is getting hungry,
and as he makes his way through the center of Dublin,
his thoughts drift towards food.
The chapter is full of references to food,
many of them alluding to disgusting eating practices.
The chapter is inspired by Homer’s depiction of the Lestrygonians,
a giant, cannibalistic tribe who devoured many of Odysseus’s men.
Reading at the Seattle Folio
The reading will take place:
7:30pm–10pm on Friday, June 16th, 2017,
Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum,
314 Marion St,
Seattle, WA 98104
Map.
- There will be a \$10 admission charge (\$5 for Folio members).
- The reading will take about 2 hours 20 minutes, including a
15-minute intermission, and should conclude before 10pm.
- Parking is available nearby.
- Be sure to use parking that is open until 10pm.
Please RSVP to the Facebook event.
Poster
We encourage you to download Leon Mattigosh’s
Aeolus/Lestrygonians poster
(PDF, 116KB) and post it around town.
Press Release
This is our twentieth year of Bloomsday readings.
(Press Release).
Commentary
Aeolus (Chapter 7)
Lestrygonians (Chapter 8)
Miscellaneous
Other Wild Geese Events
See our archives for details of our previous readings.
Kirkland Bloomsday, June 10th
Kirkland Bloomsday,
Saturday, June 10th, 2017
Book Tree,
609 Market St,
Kirland, WA 98033.
Click to read and post comments
posted
Apr 15, 2017
20th Annual Staged Reading / Bloomsday Celebration of James Joyce’s Ulysses
The Wild Geese Players of Seattle
join Bloomsday celebrations across the globe honoring Ulysses’ author James Joyce.
Our 20th annual staged reading of selections from the book will be held at
7:30pm on Friday, June 16th, 2017, at
Folio, 314 Marion St, Seattle, WA 98104.
This year’s reading features Chapter 7, “Aeolus”, and Chapter 8, “Lestrygonians.”
Bloomsday (Bloom’s day, named for Ulysses’ main character, Leopold Bloom)
is a worldwide commemoration and celebration of the life of Irish writer James Joyce
and refers to the 24-hour period in 1904 in which Ulysses is set.
Ulysses follows the wanderings of Bloom, a Jewish everyman,
and Stephen Dedalus, a young writer and Joyce’s alter ego,
as they wander the streets of Dublin.
The Wild Geese Players of Seattle have presented staged readings of
Irish literature, by writers such as James Joyce and W.B. Yeats, since
1998. We are a diverse group of people with an interest in Irish
literature, and most of us are either Irish-born or have Irish
connections. We believe that poetry and certain novels are best read
aloud, that some words are better heard than read.
For more information, visit the Wild Geese Players’ website
www.WildGeeseSeattle.org, like our
Facebook group, or
follow @WildGeeseSea on Twitter.
Follow-up contacts:
George Reilly, Director, WildGeeseSeattle@gmail.com
Claudia Finn, CFinnSeattle@gmail.com
About Folio: the Seattle Athenaeum
Now one year old, Folio is one of 21 membership libraries in North
America. Most of the books in the library come from private libraries.
Folio provides lovely and comfortable work spaces for readers, writers,
and browsers. It also has a full schedule of programs and discussion
groups open to the public. Members may borrow books and enjoy other
perks. Membership is only \$10/month. Details at the website:
www.folioseattle.org.
Click to read and post comments
posted
Apr 30, 2016
The Wild Geese Players of Seattle will present a staged reading of
Chapter 3, “Proteus”, and Chapter 6, “Hades”,
adapted from the 1922 edition of James Joyce’s Ulysses,
on June 19th, 2016.
Our annual Bloomsday readings started in 1998.
We started afresh two year ago, with the chapters that introduce
the two primary characters of the book,
Stephen Dedalus in Chapter 1 and Leopold Bloom in Chapter 4.
We continued that pattern last year, interweaving Chapters 2 and 5.
This year, we’re continuing with Chapter 3, “Proteus”, and Chapter 6, “Hades”.
Chapter 3: Proteus
In Chapter 3, Stephen Dedalus has wandered down to Sandymount Strand
(the beach at the southeast side of Dublin) to stroll and to think.
He contemplates different theories of vision, Aristotle’s in particular,
and remembers his adventures in Paris before his mother died.
Chapter 6: Hades
Meanwhile, in Chapter 6 we join the funeral of Paddy Dignam,
with Leopold Bloom sharing a carriage with Simon Dedalus (father of Stephen)
and others to Glasnevin cemetery.
As the carriage moves past Watery Lane,
Bloom sees Stephen and points him out to Simon.
Bloom’s Jewish parentage makes him an outsider to the Catholics in the cab,
and the conversation takes some awkward turns.
Reading at the Seattle Central Library
2pm–4pm on Sunday, June 19th, 2016,
The Seattle Central Library,
Level 4, Room 2 — Howard S. Wright Family & Janet W. Ketcham Meeting Room,
1000 Fourth Ave,
Seattle, WA 98104
Map.
Donations towards costs of posters and props are welcome.
Please arrive before 2pm to find a seat.
The reading will take roughly 90 minutes.
Please RSVP to our Facebook event.
Poster
We encourage you to download Leon Mattigosh’s
Proteus/Hades poster
(PDF, 1.7MB) and post it around town.
Press Release
This is our nineteenth year of Bloomsday readings.
(Press Release).
Commentary
Proteus (Chapter 3)
Hades (Chapter 6)
Miscellaneous
Other Events
See our archives for details of our previous readings.
Click to read and post comments