Literature to Life Program Honors Junot Diaz, 5/23

The Literature to Life® program of The American Place Theatre will honor Junot  Diaz, author of "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," and Piri Thomas, author of "Down These Mean Streets," with 2011 Literature to Life Awards and live performances of excerpts of their books at a gala May 23rd at The Times Center, 242 West 41st Street. The event will benefit the American Place Theatre's arts and literacy outreach in schools across America. Diaz will attend the gala and see his NY Times bestseller performed and Thomas will accept his award via video.

A verbatim theatrical adaptation of the "Down These Mean Streets," performed by Jamil Mena, has been directed by Wynn Handman for Literature to Life® and a verbatim theatrical adaptation of "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," performed by Elvis Nolasco, has been directed by Elise Thoron. They will debut at the Gala. These one man theater presentations are specifically designed for use in schools to expose students to Thomas' and Diaz' stories, provide an inspiring first-person presence and develop understanding of the authors' works in discussions before and after the performance.

Literature to Life® is a performance-based literacy program that presents professionally staged verbatim adaptations of significant American literary works including "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury, "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini, "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd, "Black Boy" by Richard Wright, "Teacher Man" by Frank McCourt and "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison. In NYC and across the country, the program gives students a new form of access to literature by bringing to life the world of the book with performances that create an atmosphere of discovery and spark the imagination. The arts/literacy program is delivered to over 30,000 underserved students annually.

The Literature to Life® Award recognizes authors for their books' deep impact on the education of young people. Past recipients have included Sue Monk Kidd, Khaled Hosseini, Tim O'Brien, Jeanette Walls, Jonathan Safran Froer, Lois Lowry, Frank McCourt and Ray Bradbury.

Benefit tickets begin at $125. For more info call (212) 594-4482 x 18 or visit www.americanplacetheatre.org.

 

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