Harry Potter Read-a-thon Launches to Support Bungay's Fisher Theatre

More than 70 volunteers have begun a Harry Potter read-a-thon to raise £10,000 for The Fisher Theatre in Bungay, Suffolk, reports the BBC. The Great Harry Potter Marathon involves reading every book in J.K. Rowling’s famed series—over one million words across 3,407 pages—spanning 120 hours.

Participants will collectively read for five hours a day, six days a week, over four weeks. Organizer Terry Reeve, the Reeve of Bungay, selected the Harry Potter series for the fundraiser because some of the early editions were printed in the town.

"All theatres of this size struggle to remain viable financially, so I thought, 'How can we raise money?'" Reeve said. "I thought about reading the complete works of Shakespeare or the Bible from cover to cover, but then I thought, 'Let's read all the Harry Potter novels out loud.'"

Emphasizing the theatre's significance, he added, "It's a really lovely theatre, and it's a huge asset to Bungay—we get good audiences here, but theatres need the money for overheads and everything else. [The money raised] will be really vital to keep heads above water."

Harry Potter fan Joe Edwards kicked off the read-a-thon by reading the opening passages of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone." Reflecting on the series' impact, he said, "It's an honour. The first book was released the same year I started high school, so I embarked on my high school journey at the same time as Harry."

"It was one of the things that got me into reading in general, and for a lot of people my age, it was a gateway to the world of literature and escapism," Edwards continued. "Anything that can get young people reading is absolutely fantastic. I remember dreaming about being at Hogwarts and riding dragons."

Highlighting the importance of the fundraiser, he added, "It would be such a loss to the town if this theatre couldn't carry on, so it's great to help raise vitally needed money just to keep the doors open."