Language and land: two entities that can be shared or divided, communal or contested. Acclaimed Irish playwright Brian Friel depicted a people and their country that never settled these questions of who owns what in this regard, or where authority lies to set definitions and boundaries. This course explores how characters and circumstances in five of Friel's plays aspire and often fail to resolve those questions of language & land. Friel said the English and the Irish are two cultures "which are ostensibly speaking the same language but which in fact aren't." Even when Friel's characters dream and scheme of traveling to other places away from Ireland, that isle's power still shapes motivations and limitations. The plays selected for this journey are: Philadelphia Here I Come; Volunteers; Aristocrats; Translations; and Dancing at Lughnasa. Participants over this course's seven-week duration will read, discuss, and even act out scenes from these works in this exploration of a people that Friel renders as both vulnerable and immortal.

COURESE LEADER
T.J. Elliott, former Chief Learning Officer at ETS, is a memoirist, playwright, and theater director. His most recent and tenth play, RETROSPECTIVE, was produced this past year both Off Broadway and in London.

GENERAL INFORMATION
This Evergreen Forum course takes place in-person only and will not be recorded. No zoom or virtual attendance will be available for this course.Any general questions or concerns about this event should be directed to CMAP at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by calling 609-751-9699.

SENIOR SCHOLARSHIPS are available. Please submit a request form by following the link here to apply.

REFUND INFORMATION
If you are no longer able to attend an event/program, we invite you to donate the program fee to CMAP — call us for more information.

If you do need a refund, checks are issued for cash, check, and credit card payments; electronic payments are refunded electronically. Refund processing takes approximately 2 weeks.Refunds requested up to 6 business days before class are issued minus a $15 processing fee;no refund is offered 5 business days or less before class begins.No refund is offered for programs costing $15 or less, and a $15 processing fee applies to those who register for the same program more than once.