Book-It Rep and UW School of Drama Host Novel Workshop Series, Now thru 1/20

Book-It Repertory Theatre and the UW School of Drama are collaborating for the second year in a series that explores potential adaptations for future main stage productions at Book-It. Four evenings of readings will take place at the Meany Studio Theatre on the Seattle campus. MFA acting, directing and design students present selections developed through intensive workshops and master classes. Selections for the 2013 series include: The Count of Monte Cristo, Run, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, and Portrait of a Lady.

Students and audiences alike will have the chance to foster Book-It's unique process of play development. According to Co-Artistic Director Myra Platt "an early reading of a fledgling adaptation with a discerning audience can shortcut development time and help steer a new work . . . it can also tell the company what won't work as a Book-It Style production."

Watch as each work is cultivated through collaborative experimentation with the adapter, director and participating actors. Audience responses to initial readings are a valuable step in the process leading to a world-premiere adaptation of the novel as theatre. Explorations in past Novel Workshops that have led to main stage productions for Book-It include Border Songs by Jim Lynch, and Prairie Nocturne by Ivan Doig.

Performances begin today, January 17, and continue through Sunday, January 20. All tickets to this series are $10 (general admission) and available through the University of Washington: (206) 543-4880, drama.washington.edu.

The reading schedule:

Thursday, January 17, and Saturday, January 19, 7:30 p.m.
The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas (père), adapted by Rachel Atkins, directed by David Quicksall
Run, by Ann Patchett, adapted and directed by Myra Platt

Friday, January 18, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, January 20, 2:00 p.m.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, by Michael Chabon, adapted by Jeff Schwager, directed by Josh Aaseng
Portrait of a Lady, by Henry James, adapted and directed by Annie Lareau

A leader in the narrative theatre movement, Book-It is a non-profit organization that since 1990 has dedicated itself to transforming great literature into exciting, quality theatre experiences. Through a spare production aesthetic, the company endeavors to spark imagination and inspire audiences to read. Book-It Repertory Theatre is a 2012 Governor's Arts Award-winner, a 2010 Mayor's Arts Award-winner, and recipient of a Founders Anniversary Grant from The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. The company's flourishing education department reaches 70,000 young people annually. Led by Founding Co-Artistic Directors Jane Jones and Myra Platt, and Managing Director Charlotte Tiencken, the company has a staff of 19 and a board of trustees numbering 18. The Mission: Book-It Repertory Theatre is a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming great literature into great theatre through simple and sensitive production and to inspiring its audiences to read.

The University of Washington School of Drama is one of the country's leading training institutions for theatre artists and scholars. Sixteen faculty and 20 staff members serve 150 undergraduate majors and 45 graduate students. The School offers a four-year undergraduate liberal arts education, Masters of Fine Arts degrees in acting, design, and directing, and a PhD in theatre history and criticism. Internationally, students study and present work at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland and in Pontlevoy, France as The Drama Collective. Faculty and alumni have founded theatres such as ACT (Seattle), Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Empty Space Theatre, and most recently, the Washington Ensemble Theatre, Emerald City Scene, Wing-it Productions, and Next Stage.

All performances take place in the Meany Studio Theatre: Lower Level Meany Hall on the UW Campus (NE 40th Street and 15th Ave. NE). Ticket and subscription information: (206) 543-4880, drama.washington.edu. All tickets $10.

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