A CAST of actors and crew will experience a "gentle introduction" to the stage this weekend as the Bermuda Musical and Dramatic Society (BMDS) hosts the first of two play readings.

Held each year, the readings are staged as a means of exposing novices to the many aspects involved in putting a play on the stage.

According to Jim Brier, the director of this weekend's play, the readings are what BMDS is all about.

"As the sign says over the door, BMDS is a theatre workshop," he said. "The readings primarily serve as a training mechanism at BMDS; a training ground where people can try anything they haven't done before. It's a very gentle introduction and put together relatively quickly, over two weeks. So it's somewhat compressed but it allows them to see every aspect of the production process."

This weekend will mark Mr. Brier's directorial debut. The vehicle for his experience is Science Fiction, a play he saw performed onstage in Canada.

"I was in Toronto a couple of years ago and saw the theatre production on a stage similar in size to Daylesford. I loved the original production and as I was walking out, thought, 'We could do this at BMDS.' It's not a really hard-core science fiction play, in that it's not about technology. It's more about people and how they interact, and the effect that events have on them.

"The main character is a washed-up science fiction author who has a roller-coaster couple of days. It starts with his dog dying and gets worse. He hasn't written in years, but by the end of (his experiences) he starts getting ideas again. In fact, all the characters experience some change over the course of the play. It touches on responsibility and how people look after each other."

The author of the play, David Widdicombe, has had several of his ventures produced across his native Canada and the United States. Written in 2000, Science Fiction received rave reviews at its Canada performances and won an Aurora Award - the country's highest honour in science fiction and fantasy writing - for best work in English. The play also received four Dora Awards including Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Production.

Said Mr. Brier: "It's a good script, and it's going to be a very good show . . . I hope. It's certainly entertaining. The play is not (one) where you get the full meaning the first time around. I've seen it and read through it and I'm still discovering little nuances and other aspects to characters that I hadn't seen before. So to some extent, it's taking on a life of its own."

Although Science Fiction will be a play reading audiences can expect some of the bangs and whistles which typically accompany a full-blown production.

"It will be minimalist but there are some props, costumes and special effects," he explained. "There will be a number of dramatic lighting and sound effects. It won't just be a group of people standing around reading from a script.

"Of course, we realise we're competing against the Bermuda Festival, but we're free. We're doing Science Fiction this week and next week, Angie Gentleman will be directing Love Affair.

"BMDS has historically held the play readings as a way of doing a very quick production. And so the play readings staged are fairly low-key productions - most of the cast is new to the stage, the technical people are helping out for the first time, and that's one of the good things about BMDS.

"It offers the opportunity to try all sorts of things. I originally started with BMDS, helping out on the sound/technical side. When they had the play readings last year, it was the first time I actually got on stage. And this is the first time I've tried directing anything. So it offers a vast array of experiences to anyone who's interested."

q Science Fiction - which includes adult language - runs tonight and tomorrow night in BMDS' Daylesford Theatre. Admission is free although donations will be gratefully accepted. Showtime is 8 p.m.