Theatre Aspen Partners With Aspen Writer's Foundation

The Aspen Writers' Foundation (AWF) is pleased to launch the second Big Read Roaring Fork Valley. An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), The Big Read is designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. This community-based reading campaign aims to get as many people as possible in a given area - including lapsed and/or reluctant readers - reading and talking about the same book at the same time. Over the next two months the AWF is inviting the entire Roaring Fork Valley to join in reading and celebrating To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

On Monday, September 28th at 7:30pm, the AWF, in partnership with Theatre Aspen and The Wheeler Opera House, presents the theatrical adaptation of this great American novel by the Montana Repertory Theatre at the Wheeler Opera House. Refreshments, free copies of the book, readers' guides, and Big Read community calendars will be available following the performance.

Tickets are $25-$30 and may be purchased through Aspen Show Tickets at the Wheeler Opera House by calling 970.920.5770 or by visiting aspenshowtickets.com. Heavily discounted group sales are available by calling the AWF at 970.925.3122.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird became an Academy Award-winning film in 1962 starring Gregory Peck and was later adapted for the stage by Christopher Sergel over 35 years ago. The Montana Repertory Theatre was established in 1968 and has been touring nationally since 1996 with the first production of To Kill A Mockingbird. Montana Repertory assembles principle actors, directors, and designers with prestigious credits, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, national tours of Broadway shows, and major regional theatre credits.

The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest. Support for The Big Read is provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The Big Read Roaring Fork Valley is also supported, in part, by grants from Diane Goldberg Hunckler, and Dennis Vaughn and his wife Linda in memory of Linda Vaughn Bennion.

The Aspen Writers' Foundation, Colorado's oldest nonprofit literary organization and a program of the Aspen Institute, has been bringing readers and writers together since 1976. The organization's mission is to provide programs that encourage writers in their craft and readers in their appreciation of literature. Through its repertoire of ten year-round programs and projects, the Aspen Writers' Foundation annually serves 20,000+ literary enthusiasts of all ages.

The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts-both new and established-bringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the nation's largest annual funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases. For more information, please visit www.arts.gov.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. For more information, please visit www.imls.gov.

Arts Midwest connects people throughout the Midwest and the world to meaningful arts opportunities, sharing creativity, knowledge, and understanding across boundaries. Arts Midwest connects the arts to audiences throughout the nine-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. One of six non-profit regional arts organizations in the United States, Arts Midwest's history spans more than 25 years. For more information, please visit www.artsmidwest.org.

 

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