
About us
This is an online movie and play discussion group. While participants usually watch the film before attending the discussion, you are welcome to come if you haven't yet. You are also welcome to come late and leave early, if necessary.
We watch: 1) adaptations of plays for the large and small screen, 2) quality recordings of actual performances, and 3) films and documentaries about life and work in the theater.
We look at every style of theater and film, from all over the world, from the most accessible to the most challenging. Take a look at "past events" on our main page to see some of the things we've looked at in the last five years.
READING THE PLAY IS OPTIONAL, although doing so will increase your appreciation for the film and knowledge of theater history. If you don't read the play, the discussion will begin with a quick synopsis of how the play and film differ.
Fans of theater, film, literature, history—as well as actors, directors, playwrights, screenwriters and filmmakers—will find there’s a lot to learn by looking at the theater to film transformation.
Featured event

Mike Leigh's TOPSY-TURVY (1999)
“For nearly a decade, Gilbert and Sullivan’s collaborations have delighted the English people. But in 1884, their latest work, 'Princess Ida,' receives lukewarm press. In an effort to reconcile their creative differences and drawing inspiration from Japanese culture, they went on to create the hit opera 'The Mikado,' one of the duo's greatest successes.”
Welcome to our SUMMER of STORIES from the STAGE, in which watch and discuss films about life in the theater.
TOPSY-TURVY (1999)
Written and directed by Mike Leigh
With Jim Broadbent, Allan Corduner, Timothy Spall, Dexter Fletcher, Leslie Manville, Andy Serkis, Katrin Cartlidge and Shirley Henderson
2 hours 40 mins.
Available to rent on Prime Video, AppleTV and Fandango at Home, and to stream with subscriptions from HBO Max, YouTube, The Criterion Channel, Prime Video, and YouTube. Check https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/topsy-turvy for details.
This is an online movie and play discussion group. While participants usually arrive having watched the film beforehand, you are invited to come and listen if you haven't seen the film yet.
Upcoming events
2

Mike Leigh's TOPSY-TURVY (1999)
·OnlineOnline“For nearly a decade, Gilbert and Sullivan’s collaborations have delighted the English people. But in 1884, their latest work, 'Princess Ida,' receives lukewarm press. In an effort to reconcile their creative differences and drawing inspiration from Japanese culture, they went on to create the hit opera 'The Mikado,' one of the duo's greatest successes.”
Welcome to our SUMMER of STORIES from the STAGE, in which watch and discuss films about life in the theater.
TOPSY-TURVY (1999)
Written and directed by Mike Leigh
With Jim Broadbent, Allan Corduner, Timothy Spall, Dexter Fletcher, Leslie Manville, Andy Serkis, Katrin Cartlidge and Shirley Henderson
2 hours 40 mins.
Available to rent on Prime Video, AppleTV and Fandango at Home, and to stream with subscriptions from HBO Max, YouTube, The Criterion Channel, Prime Video, and YouTube. Check https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/topsy-turvy for details.This is an online movie and play discussion group. While participants usually arrive having watched the film beforehand, you are invited to come and listen if you haven't seen the film yet.
6 attendees
Juliette Binoche & Kristen Stewart in CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA (2014)
·OnlineOnlineThis multilayered drama from French director Olivier Assayas is a singular look at the intersection of high art and popular culture. Juliette Binoche is stirring as Maria, a stage and screen icon who is being courted to star in a new production of the play that made her famous—only this time she must assume the role of the older woman. Kristen Stewart is her beleaguered assistant, called upon to provide support both professional and emotional for her mercurial boss. And Chloë Grace Moretz is Maria’s new castmate, a starlet waiting in the wings. Filled with ethereal images of its Swiss Alps setting, “Clouds of Sils Maria” brilliantly dramatizes one woman’s reckoning with herself and the world.
Welcome to our SUMMER OF STORIES FROM THE STAGE, in which watch and discuss films about life in the theater.
This is an online movie and play discussion group. While participants usually arrive having watched the film beforehand, you are invited to come and listen if you haven't seen the film yet.
CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA (2014)
Written and directed by Olivier Assayas
Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart, Chloe Grace Moretz, Brady Corbet, Angela Winkler, Lars Eidinger and Brady Corbet
2 hours 4 mins.
In English with subtitled French and German
Available to stream and rent in a variety of places, check https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/clouds-of-sils-maria for details.1 attendee
Past events
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