Short Stories Live: 19th-Century Visions of the U.S. & Europe

After a short hiatus, Town Hall’s popular literary series returns to warm up the winter with an afternoon of dramatic readings of great short literature; the theme is U.S. vs. Europe, as portrayed by major 19th-century American writers. On the program, directed and curated by ACT Artistic Director Kurt Beattie: Louisa May Alcott’s Perilous Play, about young people experimenting with drugs (namely hashish!), read by local actors Mary Kae Irvin, Christine Marie Brown, and Tim Gouran; Henry James’ quietly comical Europe, about prim New England daughters of a prim New England spinster, and their desire to go to Europe, read by John Alyward, Irvin, Brown, and Beattie; and an excerpt from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, from Beattie, Alyward, and Gouran. Adopted from National Public Radio’s “Selected Shorts” literary show, Short Stories Live is presented on a simple stage, with the actors behind a lectern, in a bare spotlight, with nothing more than a script and a microphone—and some amazing material. Presented by Town Hall.
Advance tickets are $13/$10 Town Hall members, seniors & students, at www.townhallseattle.org; $15/$13 at the door. Town Hall members receive priority seating. Downstairs at Town Hall; enter on Seneca Street.