Word for Wordcast Production of Anna Maria Ortese's A PAIR OF EYEGLASSES Begins September 16

Word for Word, a program of Z space, Word For Wordcast 2021 season continues with Anna Maria Ortese's "A Pair of Eyeglasses" translated from the Italian by Ann Goldstein and Jenny McPhee posting on September 16, available at zspace.org/pod online for 1 year.

In Anna Maria Ortese's story "A Pair of Eyeglasses" young Eugenia, born with severe myopia, is promised an expensive pair of eyeglasses. She imagines the shimmering beauty she will see, but with her newfound eyesight becomes aware of class distinction in her poor neighborhood in Naples.

Filled with a rich Neapolitan street life and vibrant community "A Pair of Eyeglasses" is considered a classic of 20th century Italian literature.

"A Pair of Eyeglasses" is directed by Rotimi Agbabiaka, sound design by Elton Bradman with a cast that features actors Sheila Balter*, Catherine Castellanos*, Paul Finocchiaro, Jeunée Simon*, Amy Kossow*, Brian Rivera* and Patricia Silver*. (*AEA)

In the fall Word For Wordcast features "Home" by George Saunders on October 14, concluding the cycle with the November 4 posting of Toni Cade Bambara's "Raymond's Run" and "Blues Ain't No Mockin Bird".

The tremendous success of the first season of the WORD for WORDcast with over 5,000 downloads has led Word for Word, not yet back in their theater, to return with Season 2 posting through November.

All of the theatricality performed podcasts post at 5 pm on launch dates and are available at zspace.org/pod online for 1 year in most cases. The series features a sound design for the stories that creates a dynamic auditory experience highlighting their powerful psychological imagery.

"When the pandemic forced Word for Word to shut the theater doors, we were invited by KALW (91.7 FM) radio to broadcast a reading of a short story, live on KALW's "Open Air" weekly performing arts program launching their Corona Radio series.This inspired the creation of WORD for WORDcast - our series of theatrically performed short stories in Word for Word's unique multi-voiced style..." remarks company co-founder Susan Harloe.

On Word for Word Over the last 28 years, Word for Word has performed short stories of over 100 writers, ranging from Alice Munro to Amy Tan, Tobias Wolff, and James Baldwin. Word for Word as a program of Zspace believes in the power of the short story to provide solace, compassion, and insight into our daily lives. A program of Z Space, Word for Word brings works of literature to the stage and now in an audio drama podcast, all performed verbatim by the multiple characters of the story. Word for Word's mission is to tell great stories with active theatricality, staging performances of classic and contemporary fiction. Instead of adapting a script, we use every word of a text in a dynamic, evocative style that preserves the original beauty of the prose.

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