Chapman University’s English Department has partnered with WordTheatre for a fall series that is bringing America’s finest short story writers to Orange for celebrity and student performances!
Stars of Downton Abbey and Longmire will help kick off the series at a free event on September 16. Actors Lesley Nicol, pictured left, (Mrs. Patmore, Downton Abbey) and Cassidy Freeman, pictured below-right, (Longmire, Smallville) will be reading stories by author Jill McCorkle, who will also be present at the event. Chapman University President, James L. Doti, will be introducing the series on that Monday.
There will be two ticketed events following the kick off on October 14 and November 4. On October 14, author David Means, winner of a 2013 Guggenheim Fellowship (among many other awards) will join the event from New York. Authors Percival Everett and Danzy Senna will help wrap up the series on November 4. Everett has penned 25 works of fiction,and both him and Senna have won numerous awards for their work.
Each of the three evenings, a selection of film and television celebrities, as well as one of Chapman’s
theater students and the author, will perform the featured authors’ stories. The performances take place at 7 pm in the Fish Interfaith Center at Chapman University, One University Drive, Orange, Calif. 92866. These performances will be followed by a Q&A with the artists and signings.
The WordTheatre Artistic Director, Cedering Fox, selects the stories, casts the actors and directs the performances. WordTheatre performs in Los Angeles, New York and London. Past actor/author pairings including Board Member James Franco reading Jim Shepard, Honorary Board Member Amanda Seyfried reading Dylan Landis, and Julianna Margulies reading Amy Hempel, among many others. This year, WordTheatre has partnered with Chapman University and distinguished author/professor Richard Bausch to bring these writers and actors to Orange.
Admission to the September 16 event is free and open to the public. The following two performances are free for students with an ID and $18 for the general public. Tickets are available at this website. You can also check for cast updates HERE.
