A Century of Pulitzer Prize Plays: How Many Can You Read?

Members of Cold Reads/Charlotte, a North Carolina play reading pool, will celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama by reading as many of the 85 winners as we can find and legally obtain within the year, and we encourage others nationwide to do the same.

Specifically, we challenge all Americans to corral a few friends, download a few plays to e-book devices (for free), and read—aloud, with no preparation (cold), for no one but yourselves. Those who do are welcome to take up the gauntlet and sign up to officially compete for the Cold Reads Prize.

We kick off the project, we'll read Why Marry?, by Jesse Lynch Williams—the first play to receive the award—on May 16, the date of its presentation. Subsequent events will take place as scheduled nationwide.

For details and guidelines, visit www.coldreads.wordpress.com.

Haven't read a play since high school (Shakespeare)? Few of us do. Why not?

We read novels. Plays are novels without narrative—just people talking. Perfect for a convivial (campfire) gathering with friends.

Browse the blog for the personal and societal joys and benefits in reading plays, and ask yourself it isn't worth a few hours now and then.

Why don't we read plays? Because they're written to be performed. But only one American in twelve sees a single play a year. For the rest, the world of literature is all poetry or prose; drama is a black hole in our knowledge—unless we read.

Besides, it's fun. Entertaining. Enlightening. Inspirational. Good for the brain. It's not “acting” (unless you want to). Just pick a role and read, regardless of sex, are, or type. Swap around (or double up). Now and then you stop to clarify, recap, reflect, converse. It's like a book club (only we read aloud, together) or a poker party (dealing line in turn, as cards). Lots of conviviality.