Living Library: American Classics Series
As I Lay Dying
by William Faulkner
One of William Faulkner's finest novels, As I Lay Dying was originally published in 1930, and remains a captivating and stylistically innovative work. The story revolves around a grim yet darkly humorous pilgrimage, as Addie Bundren's family sets out to fulfill her last wish: to be buried in her native Jefferson, Mississippi, far from the miserable backwater surroundings of her married life. Told through multiple voices, it vividly brings to life Faulkner's imaginary South, one of the great invented landscapes in all of literature.
Invisible Man
by Ralph Ellison
A classic from the moment it first appeared in 1952, Invisible Man chronicles the travels of its narrator, a young, nameless black man, as he moves through the hellish levels of American intolerance and cultural blindness. Searching for a context in which to know himself, he exists in a very peculiar state. "I am an invisible man," he says in his prologue. "When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination--indeed, everything and anything except me." Invisible Man is more than just a book about race, it is also a book about humanity stumbling down the path to identity.
Poems & Short Stories of Edgar Allan Poe
by Edgar Allan Poe
Scattered between live presentations of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, The Tell Tale Heart and his poems, Annabel Lee and The Bells, students will have the chance to meet Poe, first the writer and then the man including a portrait of his extraordinary ambition and determination. Students will explore the nature and origins behind the artist's tortured soul.
The Bluest Eye
by Toni Morrison
The Bluest Eye, published in 1970, is the first novel written by Toni Morrison, winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature. It is the story of eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove--a black girl in an America whose love for its blond, blue-eyed children can devastate all others. Pecola prays for her eyes to turn blue: so that she will be beautiful, so that people will look at her, so that her world will be different. This is the story of the nightmare at the heart of her yearning and the tragedy of its fulfillment.
The Grapes of Wrath
by John Steinbeck
This Pulitzer Prize winning American Classic, set during the Great Depression focuses on a poor family of sharecroppers, the Joads, driven from their Oklahoma home by drought, economic hardship, and changes in the agriculture industry. The novel illustrates the dignity and spirit of man in desperate circumstances.
The Old Man and the Sea
by Ernest Hemingway
The last novel Ernest Hemingway saw published, The Old Man and the Sea has proved itself to be one of the enduring works of American fiction. It is the story of an old Cuban fisherman and his supreme ordeal: a relentless, agonizing battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream. Using the simple, powerful language of a fable, Hemingway takes the timeless themes of courage in the face of defeat and personal triumph won from loss and transforms them into a magnificent twentieth-century classic.
The Poetry of Emily Dickinson
by Emily Dickinson
Their Eyes Were Watching God
by Zora Neale Hurston
Initially published in 1937, this novel about a proud, independent black woman's quest for identity, a journey that takes her through three marriages and back to her roots, has been one of the most widely read and highly acclaimed novels in the canon of African-American literature.
To Kill A Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee tells of Scout and Jem's childhood in Alabama and how a series of events shook their innocence, shaped their character and taught them about human nature. Lee examines racism and other prejudices through a page turning story told in a wonderful, Southern voice.
A new approach to classics
In January of 2010, members of The APT Company of Educators and Performers developed a remarkable series of nine interactive classroom workshops to approach some of the most frequently taught American Classic Literature. Educators can schedule these experiences as a 90-minute in-class experiences or as the foundation of a fully integrated Residency in their school.
The American Place Theatre's Living Library: American Classics Series was developed through the Wellik Foundation & Flying E Ranch Residency Program, curated by the Del E. Webb Center for the Performing Arts.
Book a Living Library
Click the link below to fill out our Booking Inquiry Form and our education department will contact you within 48 hours to begin the booking process.
If you would like to speak with our education department, please contact our Company Manager/Outreach Coordinator, Rob Bradshaw at 212-594-4482 x10.
Need help funding your Literature to Life Program? Click Here.
WHEN & WHERE?
Zora - IL
Feb 1When: February 01, 2012 at 8:00pm
Where: College of Lake County
From the theatrical biography by: Laurence Holder
Performed by: Cheryl Howard
Discussion Facilitated by: Lisa Strum
Adapted & Directed by: Wynn Handman
For tickets and reservations: Please visit the College of Lake County website
Bring Literature to Life to your school! Visit The Zora Roster Page to fill out a booking inquiry form.
To connect with audiences, artists and media: http://www.literaturetolife.org/zora
Zora - IL
Feb 2When: February 02, 2012 at 11:00am
Where: College of Lake County
From the theatrical biography by: Laurence Holder
Performed by: Cheryl Howard
Discussion Facilitated by: Lisa Strum
Adapted & Directed by: Wynn Handman
For tickets and reservations: Please visit the College of Lake County website
Bring Literature to Life to your school! Visit The Zora Roster Page to fill out a booking inquiry form.
To connect with audiences, artists and media: http://www.literaturetolife.org/zora
The Giver - NYC
Feb 7When: February 07, 2012 at 11:30am
Where: The National Comedy Theatre
From the novel by : Lois Lowry
Performed by: Mara Stephens
Discussion Facilitated by: J'nelle Bobb-Semple
Adapted & Directed by: Elise Thoron
CLOSED TO PUBLIC - Exclusive performance for IS 30 Mary Ovington
Bring Literature to Life to your school! Visit the The Giver Roster Page to fill out a booking inquiry form.
To connect with audiences, artists and media: http://www.literaturetolife.org/giver
Invisible Man - NYC
Feb 8When: February 08, 2012 at 11:00am
Where: Harlem Stage
Written by: Ralph Ellison
Excerpts Performed by: Tarantino Smith
Activities Facilitated by: Margot Fitzsimmons
Experience Directed by: David Kener
For tickets and reservations: Please visit The Harlem Stage website
Bring Literature to Life to your school! Visit the Invisible Man Roster Page to fill out a booking inquiry form.
To connect with audiences, artists and media: http://www.literaturetolife.org/invisible
Zora - CA
Feb 9When: February 09, 2012 at 10:59am
Where: Oceanside Public Library
From the theatrical biography by: Laurence Holder
Performed by: Cheryl Howard
Discussion Facilitated by: Gwen Brownson
Adapted & Directed by: Wynn Handman
For tickets and reservations: Please visit the Oceanside Public Library website
Bring Literature to Life to your school! Visit The Zora Roster Page to fill out a booking inquiry form.
To connect with audiences, artists and media: http://www.literaturetolife.org/zora
The Giver - NYC
Feb 14When: February 14, 2012 at 3:56pm
Where: Yeshiva of Flatbush
From the novel by: Lois Lowry
Performed by: Mara Stephens
Discussion Facilitated by: Brendan Boland
Adapted & Directed by: Elise Thoron
CLOSED TO PUBLIC
Bring Literature to Life to your school! Visit the The Giver Roster Page to fill out a booking inquiry form.
To connect with audiences, artists and media: http://www.literaturetolife.org/giver
Invisible Man - NYC
Feb 17When: February 17, 2012 at 3:59pm
Where: The New York Public Library
Written by: Ralph Ellison
Excerpts Performed by: Tarantino Smith
Activities Facilitated by: Margot Fitzsimmons
Experience Directed by: David Kener
For tickets and reservations: Please visit The New York Public Library website
Bring Literature to Life to your school! Visit the Invisible Man Roster Page to fill out a booking inquiry form.
To connect with audiences, artists and media: http://www.literaturetolife.org/invisible
The Secret Life of Bees - NM
Feb 27When: February 27, 2012 at 11:15am
Where: University of New Mexico - Popejoy Schooltime Series
From the novel by: Sue Monk Kidd
Performed by: Denise Wilbanks
Discussion Facilitated by: Margot Fitzsimmons
Adapted & Directed by: Wynn Handman
For tickets and reservations: Please visit the University of New Mexico Popejoy website
Bring Literature to Life to your school! Visit The Secret Life of Bees Roster Page to fill out a booking inquiry form.
To connect with audiences, artists and media: http://www.literaturetolife.org/bees
The Secret Life of Bees - NM
Feb 28When: February 28, 2012 at 12:04pm
Where: University of New Mexico - Popejoy Schooltime Series
From the novel by: Sue Monk Kidd
Performed by: Denise Wilbanks
Discussion Facilitated by: Margot Fitzsimmons
Adapted & Directed by: Wynn Handman
For tickets and reservations: Please visit the University of New Mexico Popejoy website
Bring Literature to Life to your school! Visit The Secret Life of Bees Roster Page to fill out a booking inquiry form.
To connect with audiences, artists and media: http://www.literaturetolife.org/bees
The Kite Runner - DC
Feb 29When: February 29, 2012 at 12:05pm
Where: The National Cathedral School
From the novel by: Khaled Hosseini
Performed by: Sorab Wadia
Adapted & Directed by: Wynn Handman
CLOSED TO PUBLIC
Bring Literature to Life to your school! Visit the The Kite Runner Roster Page to fill out a booking inquiry form.
To connect with audiences, artists and media: http://www.literaturetolife.org/kite
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