Why would you want to read a play?

A lot of plays are performed badly. Orpheus Descending is fantastic to read but didn't seem to work on film.

"Why would you want to read a play? "

Not all plays read badly, take Oscar Wilde for example, it's easy for anyone to read his plays and enjoy them without even giving second thought to the fact that they are plays. Yes a play should ideally be seen in theatre but that doesn't mean they can't be enjoyed on the page.

When I read a play, especially a good one that engrosses me completely, I can see the players and scenes so crisply in my head. It is sometimes better than watching a play being performed by others.

I'd rather read a play than see one performed. For me it's a control thing -- in reading a play, I control the stage, character appearance, backgrounds, etc. . .in watching a play, I can never quite get past the fact that that I see people pretending to be other people on a stage.

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Originally Posted by DapperDrake

Not all plays read badly, take Oscar Wilde for example, it's easy for anyone to read his plays and enjoy them without even giving second thought to the fact that they are plays. Yes a play should ideally be seen in theatre but that doesn't mean they can't be enjoyed on the page.

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If you can't read the play and enjoy it, it's a bad play. It has to be emotional and visual enough in its writing to be able to perform it well.
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? makes for fabulous reading