About Us

WordTheatre is a nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping the love of language and literature alive through the ancient tradition of oral storytelling. Since it's inception in 2003, Artistic Director Cedering Fox and her partners have been creating and producing live events featuring literary works performed by world-class authors and actors at our salons in Los Angeles, New York and London. Recorded selections of the live events are broadcast on National Public Radio and distributed by HarperAudio. WordTheatre LA is currently designing a program that will bring our actor/associates into Southern California's toughest high schools to perform short stories. The goal is to ignite a new generation of literature fans!

WordTheatre LA

At WordTheatre LA, Cedering Fox produces and directs single author events with such luminaries as Donald Hall, Charles Baxter, Ron Carlson, Russell Banks, Ha Jin, Steve Almond, T.C. Boyle, Aimee Bender, Taylor Negron, Melissa Pritchard, Mona Simpson, Tobias Wolff and Rick Moody. Group author events have featured Z.Z. Packer, Luis J. Rodriguez, Julie Orringer, Dan Chaon, Hal Ackerman, Julia Sweeney, Tod Goldberg, Joe Olshan, Siv Cedering, Thomas Steinbeck, Mary Yukari Waters, Arthur Miller and Marion Thurm, among others. At these shows, the audience, actors and writers enjoy a meal followed by the readings, a Q & A and book signings. Books are provided for sale by Small World Books, Venice, CA.

Other Los Angeles shows include our annual Valentine’s Day event; our annual Mother’s Day celebration of "Not So Warm & Fuzzy Stories"; our Erotica series; our “Fusion” of established and emerging writers’ series; "Novel Beginnings" series, produced in association with Lisa Doctor. WordTheatre developed and launched “Life After Birth” with Dani Klein, a series of short stories written and performed by actors about how having children has changed their lives. In collaboration with The Met Theatre and The Autry National Center, WordTheatre LA and Darrell Larson, produced The Great Writers’ Series Rides Again, twelve nights of the best literary offerings from the Western genre performed by wonderful actors over twelve evenings.

WordTheatre LA’s next annual production of ACTS OF LOVE benefiting Cure Autism Now/Autism Speaks will take place on October 15, 2007 at The Geffen Theatre in Westwood with Minnie Driver, Catherine O’Hara and Mark Ruffalo already signed on to perform. On May 20, 2007 we will partner with Pen USA on their fundraiser, Forbidden Fruit, with Robert Wuhl and Evan Handler on board plus many more TBA.

WordTheatre NY

At WordTheatre NY, Darrell Larson partners with Cedering Fox to produce single author events, notably Rick Moody and James Salter. At East Hampton’s Guild Hall in July 2006, Darrell directed John Heard in a staged reading of Kay Eldredge’s one man show, The Rambler: The Principal Part of Dr. Johnson and Xander Berkeley in a staged reading of Gonzo: The Life And Times of Hunter S. Thompson As Only He Tell It.

WordTheatre LA and NY are enthusiast supporters of The Pushcart Prize. We have found many of our favorite authors in those thirty-one annual anthologies. We will continue to produce benefits for The Pushcart Prize Fellowships at East Hampton’s Guild Hall and in Los Angeles whenever possible as our way of saying thank you to Bill Henderson and all the distinguished judges who are committed to keeping independent voices in literature alive.

WordTheatre UK

WordTheatre UK, with Kirsty Peart producing and Christian Banfield directing, hosted two sold-out events in London benefiting Cure Autism Now. On March 12, 2007, we launch our collaboration with The National Short Story Prize of the U.K. founded by Alex Linklater in association with BBC Radio 4 (with 15,000 pounds going to the winner, this is the largest award in the world for a single story) with stories printed in Prospect Magazine, to benefit The Parkinson’s Appeal. We intend to do four shows in London this year, each benefiting a different charity.