2008 Events

2007 Events

2006 Events

2005 Events

2004 Events

2003 Events

2002 Events

Past Events

2008 Events

August 23, 2008 @ M Bar

featuring Geno Montiero PEN Emerging Voices WordTheatre will bring to life unique stories written by graduates from the past few years of PEN USA's Emerging Voices program. These talents have been honing their words and preparing themselves for publication. The night is sure to be dramatic as fresh viewpoints take the stage to call your attention to their experiences and emotions!

PEN USA's Emerging Voices Program—the only one of its kind in the country—searches out, in various underserved communities, writers of a wide age-range who have already achieved a certain level of accomplishment, and essentially guides them through a mini-MFA in Creative Writing. The eight to ten Emerging Voices fellows, chosen from among multiple applicants annually, receive stipends and participate in intensive writing workshops, as well as in master classes at UCLA. In addition, in perhaps the most crucial aspect of the program, they work one-on-one with established, well-known writers who serve as their individual mentors—current and past mentors have included Aimee Bender, Chris Abani, Susan Straight, Kevin Starr, Janet Fitch, Carolyn See, Giaconda Belli, Mike Davis, Sherman Alexie, Judith Freeman, Peter Gadol, David St. John and Paul Mandelbaum—all in the interests of completing, by the end of the eight-month program, a sustained piece of work.

Now in its 13th year, Emerging Voices has produced an impressive group of more than 90 alumni, many of whom have gone on to serve as mentors themselves, and it has accounted for the publication of approximately 20 novels, short-story collections and books of poetry. In addition, the Fellows' work has appeared in countless magazines, newspapers, journals and anthologies,while the Fellows themselves have received numerous prizes, awards and residencies.

Their final reading is inevitably an occasion of startling polish and power.

To read more about the Emerging Voices program, you can visit:

http://penusa.org/go/voices/section/emerging-voices/

Directed by Cedering Fox

Produced by Cedering Fox and Lisa Doctor

July 17, 2008 to July 20, 2008 @ England

featuring Beatie Edney The Latitude Festival

For the second consecutive year, WordTheatre took part in the Latitude Festival on the Suffolk Coast!

WordTheatre performed in the Literature Arena with the talented voices of Ben Chaplin, Ray Panthaki, Henry Naylor, Dallas Campbell, Beatie Edney, Jonny Phillips, Alice Coulthard, Rae Hendrie, Gary Dourdan, Juliet Stevenson, David Soul, John Schwab, Richard Ayoade, Harry Treadaway, Maureen Lipman, Sally Hawkins and Megan Dodds reading hypnotizing stories from Aimee Bender, Tobias Wolff, John Cheever, Pamela Painter, and more to rapt festival crowds. We presented 5 1/2 hours of programming to hungry ears this year.

For more information about the Latitude Festival, visit: http://www.latitudefestival.co.uk/home/

June 28, 2008 @ 93 Merchant’s Path (corner of Ranch Court)

featuring Blair Bess Celebration of the Arts for NARSAD

WordTheatre presents Mysteries of the Mind, an original concert of spoken monologues woven together from fiction and memoir, accented with live musical performances and created exclusively for NARSAD. The event will take place at Twin Oaks Farm in Sagapnoack, NY.

7:30 arrival and 8:00 PM Show Time.

Cocktails, dinner and dancing to follow

May 28, 2008 @ M Bar

featuring Kyle Chandler Novel and Memoir Beginnings

This year, WordTheatre is partnering with American Bookseller's Association to present our annual Novel and Memoir Beginnings! The first few juicy pages of ten new and upcoming novels and memoirs will be performed on stage among the lush velvet tapestries and glittering chandeliers of M Bar in Hollywood on Wednesday, May 28th. Doors open at 7PM and perfomances begin at 8 PM. Book signings follow.

The show includes the work of Carolyn See, Joseph Olshan, Scott Phillips, Rachel Resnick, Dinah Lenney, Kerry Madden, Ronald Alexander, Diana Wagman, Evan Handler and T.C. Boyle, all of whom will be in attendance. Actor/Authors Dinah Lenney and Evan Handler will perform their own work, and other performers include Nancy Bell, Kyle Chandler, Autumn Chiklis, Catherine Dent, Mozhan Marno, Joel David Moore, Natalija Nogulich, and Parry Shen.

*appearances subject to availability

THIS SHOW IS SOLD OUT!!!

April 26, 2008 @ M Bar

featuring Wendy Makkena Readings from Tobias Wolff's New Book: Our Story Begins

Tobias Wolff's book of short stories both new and old, Our Story Begins, was performed by Tobias Wolff, David Clennon, Wendy Makkena, and Robert Forster.

The L.A. Times called Our Story Begins "a volume that belongs on everybody's shelf along with Hemingway's 'In Our Time,' Salinger's 'Nine Stories' and the collected works of Flannery O'Connor, Raymond Carver, Gabriel Garcia Maquez, William Trevor and Alice Munro. [Wolff's] stories ... build in your mind like summer storms."

To read the LA Times' review of Our Story Begins, visit:

http://www.latimes.com/features/books/la-bk-wiggins23mar23,0,2228386.story

THE SHOW SOLD OUT!

March 30, 2008 @ Canal Club

featuring Graham Hamilton National Small Press Month March 2008: Tales of Sex and Death

WordTheatre celebrates Small Press Month, a Nationwide Promotion highlighting the valuable literary works published and distributed by the Independents (as differentiated from the Conglomerates), at 11 AM Sunday, March 30th at Canal Club at the end of Venice Boulevard in Venice, California. A scrumptuous brunch is followed with a program of short story and poetry readings performed by actors and authors including Tess Harper, Rae Dawn Chong, Gary Dourdan, Sarah Maclay, Nina Revoyr and Graham Hamilton. Authors (not reading but signing books!) in attendence include Hal Ackerman, Ron Carlson and more TBA...

February 14, 2008 @ Social Hollywood 6525 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood 90068

featuring Blair Bess Hot Flicks: Love Scenes from the Silver Screen WordTheatre celebrated Valentine's Day in old Hollywood style in the ballroom at Social on Thursday, February 14, 2008 from 7 PM to 10 PM. Guests feasted on scrumptious appetizers from the new kitchen of Citrus at Social and then took a trip down memory lane as stars of today performed classic and contemporary love scenes from the best movies of all time in Hot Flicks: Love Scenes from the Silver Screen...

Performers were: Jack Conley, Illeana Douglas, Robert Forster, Chris Gorham, Amanda Seyfried, Kevin Weisman, Christina Pickles, Kali Rocha, Michael Rodgers, Toni Trucks and Raviv Ullman

Narrated by Blair Bess

Program:

7:00 P.M.              Doors Open, Cash Bar, Valet Parking is available
7:15 - 8:15 P.M.     Passed Hors D'Oeuvres
8:30 - 10:00 P.M.   Hot Flicks: Love Scenes from the Silver Screen

We recommended guests make a night of it by booking dinner reservations at Citrus at Social. http://www.chinagrillmgt.com/social/main.cfm

January 11, 2008 @ M Bar

featuring Meredith Scott Lynn The Women Stories by some of Los Angeles' finest authors were performed by some of Los Angeles' finest actors...

Aimee Bender was performed by Roma Maffia (Nip/Tuck)

Dylan Landis was performed by Amanda Seyfried (Big Love, Mean Girls)

Mary Otis was performed by Dinah Lenney (Internal Affairs, ER)

Holiday Reinhorn was performed by Meredith Scott Lynn (Hollywood Homicide, Legally Blonde)

Ellen Slezak was performed by Rusty Schwimmer (State of Grace, North Country )

Diana Wagman was performed by Lindsey Shaw (Aliens in America, Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide)

Deborah Vankin was performed by Nina Siemaszko (The American President, Private Practice)

2007 Events

December 9, 2007 @ MBar

featuring Donal Logue I'm Dreaming of a Writer's Christmas... Hanukkah.. etc...

Celebrate the Holidays in true WordTheatre style!
WordTheatre CDs make great stocking stuffers. And the 2007 Pushcart Prize is the perfect book for anybody who loves great writing. Feast and drink for an hour and then sit back and listen as...

December 3, 2007 @ Beverly Hilton Hotel

featuring Lisa Gay Hamilton Mysteries of the Mind An original WordTheatre event with music to benefit NARSAD, The Mental Health Research Association.

Performers included:

Lisa Gay Hamilton, John Heard, Catherine Dent, Jon Tenney, Tess Harper, Gary Dourdan, Richard Schiff...

October 22, 2007 @ Cafe des Paris

featuring Amanda Seyfried Kissing With Tongues: Tales of Love and Death

an evening of short story readings to benefit The TreeHouse Appeal "Ambitious about Autism"

Mark Addy (The Full Monty) read an introduction by Nick Hornby
Amanda Seyfried (Mean Girls, Mamma Mia!) read "The Kiss" by Pamela Painter
Alastair Mackenzie (Monarch of the Glen) read "A Happy Dream" by Steve Almond
and more!

October 15, 2007 @ Geffen Playhouse in Westwood, California

featuring Lorraine Toussaint Acts of Love: Children to Benefit Cure Autism Now/Autism Speaks
A Literary and Musical Celebration of Children in the Words of Those Who Love Them.

The fifth-annual Acts of Love took place on Monday October 15, 2007 at the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood, California.

Proceeds from this event benefited Cure Autism Now & Autism Speaks. The previous Acts of Love events have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for autism research.

Readings by: James Franco, Lorraine Toussaint, Dermot Mulroney, Barry Shabaka Henley, Richard Cox, Ian Hart, Wendie Malick, Ming Wen, Annette O'Toole, Gil Birmingham, Stephen Tobolowsky and Michael McKean
Read more.

September 30, 2007 @ MBar

featuring Rachel Miner Novel Beginnings III The opening pages of new novels by new and established writers!

Authors:
Amy Bloom, Ron Carlson, Helena Kriel, Anna Lefler, Michael Peterson, Lisa Rosenbaum, Robert Rotstein and Mary Yukari Waters.

Performers:
James Franco, Miguel Sandoval, Joel Polis, Jeff Elam, Jeanne Sakata, Natalija Nogulich, Anna Lefler, Rachel Miner
Read more.

August 12, 2007 @ Aphrodisiac Restaurant

featuring Annette O'toole Brunch with Amy Bloom and her Stories Lili Taylor (The Haunting, Six Feet Under) read "The Story" from A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You (First Vintage Contemporaries)
Michael O'Keefe (The Hot Chick, Vanished) read "Faultlines" from Come to Me (HarperCollins)
Annette O'Toole (Smallville, The Huntress) read "Silver Water" from Come to Me (HarperCollins)
Amy Bloom read from her novel, Away (Random House) Read more.

July 14, 2007 to July 15, 2007 @ Henham Park

featuring Ian Hart The Latitude Festival WordTheatre UK took part in The Latitude Festival at Henham Park, in Southwold, Suffolk, England with 3 1/2 hours of programming including celebrities such as James Franco, Lucy Brown, Ian Hart, and more. Read more.

June 17, 2007 @ MBar

featuring Robert Hall First Annual Father’s Day Dinner and Stories about – you guessed it! – DAD! Robert David Hall (CSI, The Practice) read "The Frank Orison", a 2007 Pushcart Prize winning story by Scott Geiger.
Sharon Lawrence (Hidden Palms, NYPD Blue) read "The Labrador Fiasco" by Margaret Atwood.
Nick Mennell (My Little Eye, Halloween) read "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Animal Kingdom", a 2000 Pushcart Prize winning story by Dan Chaon.
Edi Gathegi (Lincoln Heights, Gone, Baby, Gone) read "Shades" from William Henry Lewis' new story collection I Got Somebody in Stanton. Read more.

May 20, 2007 @ Aphrodisiac

featuring Shohreh Aghdashloo Readings from Banned Books The non-profit literary organization PEN USA and WordTheatre presented a benefit brunch for Pen USA featuring performances of excerpts from Banned Works of Literature on Sunday, May 20, 2007 at Aphrodisiac Restaurant in Los Angeles at 11:30 am. The event, which benefited PEN USA’s Freedom to Write programs, honored legendary actor, humanitarian and author Kirk Douglas for defending the freedom of expression. Douglas broke the notorious Hollywood blacklist in 1958, when the star/producer allowed blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo to be credited under his real name for the screenplay to Spartacus. Douglas has written nine books including the recently published Let’s Face It: 90 Years of Living, Loving, and Learning. Read more.

May 13, 2007 @ Aphrodisiac Restaurant

featuring James Franco Fourth Annual Mother’s Day Brunch and Not All Warm and Fuzzy Stories WordTheatre presented Our Fourth Annual Mother's Day Brunch and Not All Warm and Fuzzy Stories. Actors performing included Lucy Brown (star of London's hit televison series Primeval), James Franco (Spiderman 1, 2, 3), Amy Pietz (The Weber Show, Caroline in the City), Kurtwood Smith (That 70's Show, Dead Poet's Society), and Lorainne Toussaint (CSI, Law and Order). Stories by Richard Bausch, Amy Hempel, Langston Hughes, David Michael Kaplan, Alice Mattison. Produced and directed by Cedering Fox. Read more.

April 29, 2007

Brunch Benefit for The Pushcart Prize WordTheatre presented a Benefit Brunch for the Pushcart Prize at Canal Club, Venice. Prize winning stories from the last 31 years of the Pushcart Prize by Dan Chaon, Lorna Goodison, Mark Halliday, Stacey Richter, David Schuman, Richard Bausch and Pamela Painter were performed by Nicholas Brendon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), CCH Pounder (The Shield), Philip Baker Hall (Zodiac), Illeana Douglas (To Die For), Gil Bellows (The Weather Man), Wendy Makkena ( Sister Act) and TBA, respectively. Read more.

April 1, 2007

Taylor Negron Remade as Fiction A unique fusion of stories and soul-stirring music. Taylor’s presented his spin on Karen Carpenter, Charles Manson, and the storm surge of Katrina accompanied by Lili Haydn (called “the Jimi Hendrix of the violin” by George Clinton), Ben Hong on cello (principle cellist with the LA Philharmonic) and Adam MacDougall on piano. Read more.

Location: The Egyptian Arena Theatre, 1631 N. Las Palmas Ave., Hollywood, CA 90028

March 12, 2007

Love, Hate & Race in the UK Location: Cafe de Paris in London
Contemporary works concerning race performed by Ian Hart, Ray Panthaki, and Richard Schiff. Read More

February 14, 2007

Valentine's Day 2007

Location: MBar
Love & Eros: An Evening of Fairy Tales, Saucy Stories and Poetry

**Shakespeare, Walt Whitman, Anais Nin, D.H.Lawrence, Sappho, E.E. Cummings, Hillary Rollins & more...***

Performed by: Andrew Borba, Jessica Collins, Catherine Dent, Marcia Firesten, Edi Gathegi, Anson Mount, Christina Pickles, Michael E. Rodgers

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

January 21, 2007

Brunch with Rick Moody and his Stories

Location: Aphrodisiac
Ashton Holmes read Twister, The Ring of Brightest Angels Around Heaven
Ian Hart read Drawer, Demonology
Dane Delany read On The Carousel, Demonology
James Franco read Lamoine, a story hot-off-the-press.
Rick Moody read a selection from his upcoming collection.

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

2006 Events

January 29, 2006

Dinner with Melissa Pritchard and Her Stories @ MBar

Mary Kay Place read Funktionslust, Disappearing Ingenue (Anchor Books 2002).
Victor Williams read Sweet Feed, The Instinct for Bliss (Zoland Books 1995).
Marin Hinkle read Hallie: How Love is Found When the Heart is Lost, The Instinct for Bliss. (Zoland Books 1995)
Melissa Pritchard read her unpublished essay Notes from Kalighat, January 2006.

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

February 12, 2006

Hearts Aflame II @ MBar

An Evening of all new Love and Hate Letters, 18th Century Missives to 21st Century Emails. Performed by: Jordan Baker, Xander Berkeley, Bill Brochtrup, Sarah Clarke, Edi Gathegi, Kevin Kilner, Amanda Seyfried, and Julie Warner. “Hearts Aflame II" was created from the following anthologies:

Hell Hath No Fury
Edited by Anna Holmes
Carroll & Graf Publishers ©2002

The Fifty Greatest Love Letters Of All Time
Edited by David Lowenherz
Crown Publishers ©2002

A Love No Less
Edited by Pamela Newkirk
Doubleday ©2003

Created, produced and directed by Cedering Fox

March 11, 2006

Taylor Negron Remade as Fiction @ MBar

Dick Lit, I Have the Perfect Life, Where a Lawn Ought to Have Been, My Mother, I Am Moving to Seattle, Intermission, California Gothic, Tuesdays with Lucy

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

March 26, 2006

Brunch with Aimee Bender and Her Stories @ Aphrodisiac

Jessica Capshaw read What You Left in The Ditch, The Girl in the Flammable Skirt (Anchor Books 1998)

David Krumholtz read Loser, The Girl in the Flammable Skirt (Anchor Books 1998)

Mark Moses read The Meeting, Willful Creatures (Doubleday 2005)

Jon Tenney read Motherfucker, Willful Creatures (Doubleday 2005)

Aimee Bender read Hymn, Willful Creatures (Doubleday 2005)

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

April 23, 2006

Rick Moody @ The Cutting Room

Jodi Long read Boys from Demonology

Chris Noth read Drawer from Demonology

Anson Mount read The Grid from The Ring of Brightest Angels Around Heaven

Rick Moody read Grocery List from his new upcoming collection.

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox and Darrell Larson

May 7, 2006

Novel Beginnings I @ MBar

Graham Hamilton read from Jon Del Barrio’s novel. Rae Allen read from Charlene Kodimer’s novel. Kristina Lear read from Terry Hoffman’s novel. Geno Monteiro read from Kevin Brewerton’s novel. Deborah Puette read from Terri Cheney’s novel. Esperanza Catubig read from Myra Olga’s novel. Josephine Hagerty read from Linzi Glass’s novel. Mitchell Fink read from Philip Pfeifer’s novel. Mila Pesko read from Kira Rosella’s novel. Caroline Hall read from Iris Chayet’s novel. Lori Alan read from Lisa Doctor’s novel

Produced by Cedering Fox and Lisa Doctor
Directed by Cedering Fox

May 14, 2006

Celebration of Mother's Day @ MBar

John Shea read Love by Todd James Pierce from The Australia Story. Jorja Fox read Backyards by Catherine Austin Alexander. Roma Mafia read Working The Room by Deborah Vankin. Judd Nelson read She Forgot by Rick Moody

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

June 11, 2006

Brunch with Mona Simpson @ Aphrodisiac

Nina Siemaszko & Chris Payne Gilbert read Victory Mills. Dermot Mulroney read Night Nurse. Becca Goldinez read Coins

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

June 17, 2006

Novel Beginnings II @ MBar

Andrew Borba read from Chuck Freadhoff’s novel. Brooke Bastenelli read from Lauren Schwartzback’s novel. Michelle Joyner read from Jo-e Sutton’s novel. Jill Andre read from Lois Hamlish’s novel. Esperanza Catubig read from Nina Wong’s novel. Anna Nicholas read from Bridget Sampson’s novel. Deborah Puette read from Linzi Glass’s novel. Jessica Collins read from Fran Johnson’s novel. Jeura Leigh Hughes read from Terri Cheney’s novel. Linda Tan read from Kelly Sullivan Walden’s novel. Nick Mennell read from Mark Venaglia’s novel. Amy Sloan read from Keri La Salle’s novel. Graham Hamilton read from David Seligman’s novel

Produced by Cedering Fox and Lisa Doctor
Directed by Cedering Fox

July 28, 2006

Gonzo: The Life and Times of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson As Only He Could Tell It @ Guild Hall, East Hampton, NY

Staged reading performed by Xander Berkeley. Adapted and directed by Darrell Larson

Produced by Cedering Fox

July 29, 2006

A Celebration of 30 Years of Pushcart Prize-Winning Stories @ Guild Hall, East Hampton, NY

An Evening of Short-Short Stories Benefiting the Pushcart Prize Fellowships

Samantha Mathis read Jinx by Aimee Bender
Carla Gugino read Gina’s Death by Charles Baxter
Anson Mount read Red Beans and Ricely by Sydney Lea
Bob Balaban read Tomorrow’s Bird by Ian Frazier
Chris McDonald read Today Will Be A Quiet Day by Amy Hempel
Wendi Makkena read Self-Knowledge by Richard Bausch
Siv Cedering read her poem The Juggler
Dana Delany read The Party by Joyce Carol Oates

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

July 30, 2006

The Rambler: The Principal Part of Dr. Johnson @ Guild Hall, East Hampton, NY

Written by Kay Eldredge
Staged Reading performed by John Heard

Produced by Cedering Fox
Directed by Darrell Larson

August 19, 2006

Erotica @ MBar

Robert Forster read The Human Table by Marvin Cohen
Loreni Delgado read Aching for Mr. Dovebar by Rose Solomon
Anna Nicholas read her piece Quinn
Rosemary Maciel read Homunculus, Homuncula by Elvira Pearson
Jodi Long read Happiness: A Manifesto

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

September 18, 2006

Cure Autism Now Benefit @ The Geffen Playhouse

Acts of Love: Dreams
A very special, one-night only celebration of dreams and dreamers performed by some of today’s finest actors, singers and musicians

Performed by:
Keith David, Richard Schiff, Amanda Seyfried, Nita Whitaker, Gary Cole, Christopher Gorham, Samantha Mathis, Elizabeth Perkins, Talia Shire, Gary Dourdan and James Denton

Narrated by:
Don La Fontaine

Band:
Gary Dourdan and His All-Star Friends
Ryan Cross, Dorian Cheah, Frank Fontaine, Michael Raye
Singing Trio:
Ryan Bathe, Anita Dashiell-Sparks, Dionne Williams

Soloist:
Nita Whitaker

Created, produced and directed by Cedering Fox
Associate Producer and Dramaturge: Mila Pesko

November 12, 2006

Brunch with Tobias Wolff and his Stories @ Aphrodisiac

Chris Gorham read The Poor Are Always With Us, Back in the World (Random House 1996)
John Heard read Bullet In The Brain, The Night in Question (Random House 1997)
Camryn Manheim read The Night in Question, The Night in Question (Random House 1997)
Johnny Simmons read Powder, The Night in Question (Random House 1997)
Tobias Wolff read Her Dog from his upcoming collection.

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

November 18, 2006

DREAMS @ MBar

From Lord Byron to Harriet Tubman to Paul McCartney, a compilation of quotations from literature and life.

Performed by:
Ike Amadi, Nick Mennell, Mila Pesko, Rosemary Maciel, Sean Davis, Tony Mouleart, Loreni Delgado, Linda Tan, Josephine Hagerty, Graham Hamilton, Ellen Lawson, Toni Trucks, and Geno Monteiro

Originally performed September 18th, 2006 at the Geffen Playhouse as a benefit for Cure Autism Now

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

2005 Events

January 16, 2005

Fusion @ MBar

Andrew Borba read Email Offer by Ron Carlson
Jeremy Davidson read Introduction to Speech by Ron Carlson
Samantha Mathis read Rana Fegrina by Dylan Landis
Eric Balfour read Eastwood by Jim Ruland
Kevin Kilner read Olympus Hills by Ron Carlson
Taylor Negron read his new story Tuesdays with Lucy
Barry Shabaka Henley read Oh America by Ron Carlson

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

February 14, 2005

Hearts Aflame @ MBar

An Evening of Love and Hate Letters From 18th Century Missives to 21st Century E-Mails

Performed by:
Caroline Aaron, Bill Brochtrup, Rocky Carroll, Kevin Kilner, Dani Klein, Joey Slotnick, Amanda Seyfried, Julie Warner

"Hearts Aflame" was created from the following anthologies:
Hell Hath No Fury
Edited by Anna Holmes
Carroll & Graf Publishers ©2002

The Fifty Greatest Love Letters Of All Time
Edited by David Lowenherz
Crown Publishers ©2002

A Love No Less
Edited by Pamela Newkirk
Doubleday ©2003

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

April 3, 2005

Fusion @ MBar

An evening of 2005 Pushcart Prize Winning Stories and others by Umberto Eco, Nelson Eubanks & Rachel Seiffert

Anson Mount read Wonder: Red Beans and Ricely by Sydney Lea, The 2005 Pushcart Prize XXIX Best of the Small Presses
Jason George read Ninth Grade by Nelson Eubanks, The First Thing Smoking (Ballantine Books 2003)
Nicole Ansari read The Crossing by Rachel Seiffert, Field Study (Pantheon Books 2004)
Brenda Strong read Reading in His Wake by Pamela Painter, The 2005 Pushcart Prize XXIX Best of the Small Presses
Brian Cox reads Granita by Umberto Eco, Misreadings (Harcourt Brace, translation 1993)

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

April 21, 2005

Steve Almond and his Stories @ MBar

Chris Gorham ("Medical Investigation"; "Jake 2.0" ) read A Happy Dream
Wendy Makkena ("Listen Up";"Sindeman" on Broadway) read Wired for Life
Enrico Colantoni ("Veronica Mars";"Just Shoot Me") read Summer, As in Love
Robert David Hall "(C.S.I.:Crime Scene Investigation") read The Pass

The first three stories are in Evil B.B. Chow (Algonquin, 2005). The Pass won the 2003 Pushcart Prize.

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

May 8, 2005

Mother's Day @ MBar

WordTheatre’s Second Annual Brunch followed by Short Story Readings about - you guessed it - Mothers!

Writers Ron Carlson, Ellen Slezak and Janet Grillo in attendance.
Michael O'Keefe reads Richard Mc Cann's Crepe de Chine, Mother of Sorrows (Pantheon 2005)
Eliza Pryor Nagel reads Ellen Slezak's The Russian Children Aren't Happy (The Sun, April 2003)
Lolita Davidovich reads Ron Carlson's On the U.S.S. Fortitude, A Kind of Flying (W.W.Norton and Co. 2003)
Dana Delany reads Janet Grillo's Sea World
Philip Baker Hall reads Kevin Brockmeier's Small Degrees, Things that Fall from the Sky (Vintage 2002)

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

May 21, 2005

Swink Magazine @ MBar

Story readings from Issues 1 and 2. All of the writers (except Etgar Keret who lives in Israel) in attendance and available to sign copies of their stories.

Julie Warner ("Nip/Tuck, "Mr. Saturday Night") read Breakage by Dylan Landis
Howard Hesseman ("About Schmidt", "Head of the Class") read Pride and Joy by Etgar Keret
Amanda Seyfried ("Big Love", "Mean Girls") read Fatso by Leelila Strogov
Jeremy Renner ("S.W.A.T.", "Dahmer") read Waltraud by Ben Ehrenreich
Wilson Cruz ("My So Called Life", "Party Monster") read The Comeuppance of Lupe Rivera by Manuel Muñoz

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

June 25, 2005

Bill Henderson @ Guild Hall's John Drew Theatre

An Evening of Unusual Love Stories Benefiting The Pushcart Prize Fellowships

Bob Balaban (Ghost World, Gosford Park) read Tomorrow’s Bird by Ian Frazier, Pushcart 2002
Samantha Mathis (American Psycho, Pump Up the Volume) read Three Girls by Joyce Carol Oates, Pushcart 2004
Peter Boyle (Everybody Loves Raymond, Monster’s Ball) read Young Man On Sixth Avenue by Mark Halliday, Pushcart 1997
Andrew McCarthy (ABC's Kingdom Hospital, Neil La Bute’s FAT PIG) read What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver, Pushcart 1981-1982
David Strathairn (Dolores Claiborne, Passion Fish) read The Moor by Russell Banks, Pushcart 2002
Marcia Gay Harden (Mystic River, Pollock) read Reading In His Wake by Pamela Painter, Pushcart 2005
Pushcart Founder and Editor Bill Henderson was on hand to sign The 2005 Pushcart Prize Best of The Small Presses

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

November 13, 2005

Dinner with T. Coraghessan Boyle @ MBar

Xander Berkeley read Rastrow’s Island (first published in Harper’s)
Martin Jarvis read Swept Away (first published in The New Yorker)
Elizabeth Perkins read Hands On (a hot-off-the-press story)
TC Boyle read CHICXULUB (first published in The New Yorker)

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

December 4, 2005

Brunch with James Salter and his Stories @ The Cutting Room

Jamey Sheridan read Arlington
Arliss Howard read Cinema from Dusk and Other Stories
Debra Winger read Last Night
James Salter read Comet

Produced and directed by Darrell Larson and Cedering Fox

2004 Events

January 11, 2004

Love Hurts Brunch with the Writers @ Canal Club

Elisabeth Moss read Julie Orringer's Note to Sixth Grade Self from How to Breath Underwater, Knopf 2003.
Jesse Bradford read Ryan Harty's story September, from Bring Me Your Saddest Arizona, University of Iowa Press 2003.
Anson Mount read Mark Richard's Her Favorite Story from Charity: Stories, Doubleday 1998.
David Prete, read Not Because I'm Thirsty from his debut collection Say That to My Face, W.W. Norton 2003

Produced by Cedering Fox
Production Associate: John Jenkins

February 14, 2004

Hearts Aflame: An Evening of Love and Hate Letters @ MBar

From 18th Century Missives to 21st Century E-Mails

Performed by:
Amy Aquino, Xander Berkeley, Bill Brochtrup, Sarah Clarke, Jason George, Kevin Kilner, Shawnee Smith

"Hearts Aflame" was created from the following anthologies:
Hell Hath No Fury
Edited by Anna Holmes
Carroll & Graf Publishers ©2002

The Fifty Greatest Love Letters Of All Time
Edited by David Lowenherz
Crown Publishers ©2002

A Love No Less
Edited by Pamela Newkirk
Doubleday ©2003.

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox & Dani Klein
Production Associate/Dramaturge: John Jenkins

March 30, 2004

Peace, Love and Intercourse! @ The Rex in London

A literary salon to benefit Cure Autism Now

Ian Hart read a monologue written for Cure Autism Now by Nick Hornby.
Gina Mc Kee read Mrs. Thing by Donald Hall.
Kate Miles read Jinx, a Pushcart Prize winning story by Aimee Bender.
Bill Nighy read The Gold Lunch by Ron Carlson.
James Thorne read Blue by Rachel Seiffert.

Produced by Cedering Fox and Kirsty Peart.
Directed by Christian Banfield.

April 15, 2004

"Life After Birth... …musings on parenthood" @ MBar

Presented in Association with Dani Klein

A Program of Original Stories Performed by their Authors

Stephen Tobolowsky read The Call
Caroline Aaron read Weighing In
Stephen Collins read Ace's Big Entrance
Carol Schlanger read Redemption Song
Dani Klein Modisett read Baby Aneurysm
Joanna Gleason read They
Caroline Goodall read Frequent Fliers
Peter Horton read A Neighborly Day for a Beauty.

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox and Dani Klein

May 9, 2004

"A Mother's Work..." @ Lunaria

Billy Campbell read Firelight by Tobias Wolff.
Judy Geeson read Nobody Say a Word by Mark Van Doren.
Julianna Margulies read Admissions by Mona Simpson.
Taylor Negron read an original story, My Mother.

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

May 25 - June 30, 2004

The Great Writer’s Series Rides Again at The MET Theatre

Produced and directed by Darrell Larson & Cedering Fox

May 25 - The Precursors:
Cain Devore read Frank James on the Trail
James Gammon read Holding Up a Train by O. Henry
Harris Yulin read At the Rainbows End by Jack London Amy Madigan read Deadwood Dick by Edward Wheeler
Jan Munroe read The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid by Pat F. Garrett

May 26 - The Originator:
Bill Pullman read The Virginian by Owen Wister
Michael O’Neill read Timberline by Owen Wister
Dermot Mulroney read The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky by Stephen Crane

June 1 - The Lost Classic:
Robert Forster read The Young Rush In by Alan LeMay
Richard Cox read Useless Cowboy by Alan LeMay
Tom Bower read The Searchers by Alan LeMay
Chris Mulkey read The Sergeant Hour by Jack Schaefer

June 2 - The Storyteller:
Xander Berkeley read Let the Cards Decide by Louis L’Amour
Gregg Henry read To Make a Stand by Louis L’Amour
Scott Paulin read One Night Stand by Louis L’Amour
W. Earl Brown read Top Hand by Luke Short

June 8 - The Popularizer and the Preacher:
Ed Harris read Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey
Bobby Knott read The Last of the Plainsmen by Zane Grey
Rex Linn The Ox-Bow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark

June 9 - The Professionals:
Miquel Sandoval read The Vengeance of Padre Arroyo by Gertrude Atherton
Gary Dourdan Naked Gun by John Jakes
Kane Richotte read I Never Saw a Buffalo by Frank Roderus
Will Scott, Paul Koslo, Allison Gammon, Kamala Lopez, Deborah Puette. Miquel Sandoval, Martin Kove, Cedering Fox and Christian Davis read The Death(s) of Billy the Kid by Arthur Winfield Knight

June 15 - The Master:
Lou Diamond Phillips read The Tonto Woman by Elmore Leonard
William Schallert read The Kid by Elmore Leonard
Jason George read Hurrah for Captain Early by Elmore Leonard
Troy Garity read Saint with a Six-Gun by Elmore Leonard

June 16 - The Womenfolk:
Lee Purcell read Sweet Cactus Wine by Marcia Muller
Sheila Kelley read Journey to the Fort by Dorothy M. Johnson
Scott Terra read A Time of Greatness by Dorothy M. Johnson
Kathy Baker read Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
Brooke Adams read Cabin Fever by Dorothy Scarborough
June 22 - The Round-up:
Tess Harper read Charity by Sandy Whiting
Mike Blakely read Laureano’s Wall by Mike Blakely
Wendie Malick read River Watch by Lori Van Pelt
DB Sweeney read The Burial of Letty Strayhorn by Elmer Kelton

June 23 – The Round-up:
Richard Schiff read A Piano at Dead Man’s Crossing by Johnny D. Boggs
Bruce Boxleiter read The Attack on the Mountain by Glendon Swarthout
Samantha Mathis read Reunion by Lenore Carroll
James Cromwell read Indian Fighter by Brian Garfield

June 29 - The Modern Classics:
Rob Morrow read Welcome to Hard Times by E. L. Doctorow
John Heard read Blood Meridian by Cormac MacCarthy
Chris Sarandon read Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Lucinda Jenny read True Grit by Charles Portis

June 30 - Way Out West:
Chris Gilbert read Collected Works of Billy the Kid by Michael Ondaatje
Jesse Shepard read Thirty Head of Killers by Jesse Shepard
Percival Everett read God’s Country by Percival Everett
David Clennon read Ghost Town by Robert Coover
Darrell Larson read The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford by Ron Hansen

September 18, 2004

"Life After Birth... …musings on parenthood" @ MBar

Presented in Association with Dani Klein

A Program of Original Stories Performed by their Authors
Stephen Collins read Ace's Big Entrance
Steven Cragg read The Burden
Gary Dourdan read Rockstar
Michael Kearns read Blood
Dani Klein read Le Cinema Avec Mon Amour
Margaret Smith read Mr. Right, an excerpt from her novel
Stephen Tobolowsky read The Call
Steve White read Untitled

Produced and directed by Dani Klein and Cedering Fox

October 1, 2004

Cure Autism Now Benefit @ The Coronet Theatre

Acts of Love: Hearts Aflame: An Evening of Love and Hate Letters: 18th Century Missives to 21st Century E-Mails

Performed by the cast members, past and present, of "THE WEST WING":
Lily Tomlin, Brad Whitford, Janel Moloney, Nicole Robinson, John Spencer, Gary Cole, Nina Siemasko, John Amos, Marlee Matlin, Rocky Carroll, Jesse Bradford, John P. Connolly, Bill O'Brien.

"Hearts Aflame" was created from the following anthologies:
Hell Hath No Fury
Edited by Anna Holmes
Carroll & Graf Publishers ©2002

The Fifty Greatest Love Letters Of All Time
Edited by David Lowenherz
Crown Publishers ©2002

A Love No Less
Edited by Pamela Newkirk
Doubleday ©2003.

A WordTheatre Production
Created, produced and directed by Cedering Fox and Dani Klein

October 10, 2004

Brunch with Ha Jin @ Lunaria

Ming Na read The Flame.
Tzi Ma read The Bridegroom.
Sung Kang read The Report.
Michael Paul Chan read A Contract.
Ha Jin read from his new novel, War Trash (Pantheon, October 2004).

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

November 14, 2004

Brunch with Ha Jin @ Lunaria

Brunch with T. Coraghessan Boyle @ Lunaria

Short story readings performed by the author and actors:
Bill Pullman, John Heard, Rae Allen, Nina Siemaszko.

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

December 4, 2004

"Life After Birth" @ MBar

...Musings on Parenthood

Enrico Colantoni, Gary Dourdan, Patricia Heaton, David Hunt, Lucinda Jenney, Dani Klein, Craig Shoemaker, Margaret Smith

Created, produced and directed by Dani Klein and Cedering Fox

2003 Events

February 9, 2003

Brunch With Donald Hall @ Canal Club

Nancy Travis read Mrs. Thing from The Ideal Bakery (North Point Press 1987).
Tony Shaloub read The Accident from Willow Temple: New and Selected Stories (Houghton Mifflin 2003; story originally printed in The Ohio Review).
Richard Schiff read The Ideal Bakery from Willow Temple: New and Selected Stories (Houghton Mifflin 2003; story first appeared in The Ohio Review; story reprinted in The Ideal Bakery, North Point Press 1987).
Donald Hall read his narrative poem The Night of the Day from The Old Life (Houghton Mifflin 1996).

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

March 9, 2003

Pushcart Prize Winning Stories @ Canal Club

Elizabeth Peña read an excerpt from Borrowed Finery: A Memoir by Paula Fox (Henry Holt 2001; winner of the 2002 Pushcart Prize, edited by Bill Henderson; originally printed in The Threepenny Review).
Gil Bellows read Oblivion, Nebraska by Peter Moore Smith (winner of the 2002 Pushcart Prize, edited by Bill Henderson; originally printed in The Massachussetts Review).
Stephen Collins read the The Moor by Russell Banks (winner of the 2002 Pushcart Prize, edited by Bill Henderson; originally printed in Conjunctions).

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

April 13, 2003

Brunch and Book Signings with Writers Joseph Olshan & Luis Rodriguez @ Canal Club

Kellie Waymire read Passenger by Marian Thurm from What's Come Over You (Delphinium/Harper Collins 2001).
Lorraine Toussaint read the opening chapter from In Clara's Hands by Joseph Olshan (Bloomsbury 2003).
Miguel Sandoval read Finger Dance from Luis J. Rodriguez's new collection The Republic of East LA (Rayo/Harper Collins 2002).
In tribute to Lynne Thigpen, Roma Maffia read Bruce Holland Rogers' short story, The Dead Boy at Your Window (2000 Pushcart Prize collection, edited by Bill Henderson; originally printed in The North American Review).

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

May 4, 2003

Brunch and Book Signings with Writers ZZ Packer & Mary Yukari Waters @ Canal Club

Ming-Na read The Way Love Works by Mary Yukari Waters from Mary's debut collection The Laws of Evening (Scribner, May 2003).
Jeff Goldblum read Bulldog by Arthur Miller, previously published in The New Yorker and reprinted in The Best American Short Stories of 2002 (Houghton Mifflin).
Alfre Woodard read ZZ Packer's Brownies from ZZ's debut collection Drinking Coffee Elsewhere (Riverhead/Penguin Putnam 2003).

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

June 1, 2003

Brunch with Writers Aimee Bender, Aram Saroyan & Thomas Steinbeck @ Canal Club

Sarah Clarke read Jinx by Aimee Bender, winner of the 2003 Pushcart Prize, edited by Bill Henderson.
Joanna Gleason read Cordials by David Kranes, winner of the 1976 Pushcart Prize and published in The Pushcart Prize of Short Stories: The Best From a Quarter Century of Winning Stories (Pushcart Press 2002).
Howard Hesseman read Bicoastal by Aram Saroyan from his collection Artists in Trouble: New Stories (Black Sparrow Press 2001).
Noah Watts read Pretend Dinners by W.P. Kinsella, winner of the 1980 Pushcart Prize and published in The Pushcart Prize of Short Stories: The Best From a Quarter Century of Winning Stories (Pushcart Press 2002).
Xander Berkeley read The Night Guide by Thomas Steinbeck from his collection of stories Down to a Soundless Sea (Ballantine 2002).

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

September 14, 2003

Brunch With Charles Baxter @ Canal Club

Presented in association with Jan Eliasberg

Caroline Goodall read Silent Movie from A Relative Stranger (W.W. Norton 1990).
William Schallert read The Cliff from Harmony of the World (Vintage 1997).
Adam Arkin read Gryphon from Through the Safety Net (Penguin Viking 1985).
Catherine Dent read Chapter 18 from Feast of Love (Pantheon 2000).
Charles Baxter read an excerpt from his new book Saul and Patsy (Pantheon 2003).

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

September 28, 2003

Life After Birth @ Café Des Artistes in Hollywood

Musings on Parenthood, a Program of Original Stories Read by their Writers

Stephen Tobolowsky read The Call.
Caroline Aaron read Weighing In.
Stephen Collins read Ace’s Big Entrance.
Carol Schlanger read Redemption Song.
Dani Klein Modisett read Baby Aneurysm.
Joanna Gleason read They.
Caroline Goodall read Frequent Fliers.
Peter Horton read A Neighborly Day for a Beauty.

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox and Dani Klein

October 12, 2003

Brunch with Ron Carlson @ Canal Club

Glenne Headly read On the U.S.S. Fortitude, first published in The New Yorker, and featured in A Kind of Flying (W.W.Norton 2003).
Mimi Rogers read Kieth, recently reprinted in A Kind of Flying (W.W. Norton 2003).
Saul Rubinek read the 2001 Pushcart Prize winning story The Ordinary Son, from Ron's collection At the Jim Bridger (Picador 2003).
Ron Carlson read Disclaimer from At the Jim Bridger (Picador 2003).

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

November 9, 2003

Brunch With Russell Banks @ Canal Club

Actors read stories from Russell Banks' most recent collection, The Angel on the Roof:

Lolita Davidovich read The Child Screams and Looks Back at You.
Todd Field read The Mistake.
Robert Forster read The Visit.
Russell Banks read X-mas.

Produced and directed by Cedering Fox

December 11, 2003

A Christmas Show @ The Rex in London

Brian Cox read an excerpt from his published memoir: Salem to Moscow: An Actor's Odyssey.
Richard Hawley read Nipple Jesus by Nick Hornby.
Fenella Woolgar read The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde.
Elizabeth McGovern read Keith by Ron Carlson.
Alan Cox read The Birds for Christmas by Mark Richard

Produced by Kirsty Peart and Cedering Fox
Directed by Christian Banfield

2002 Events

All events produced in association with Arye Gross.

January 27, 2002