Why should people come and see this show?

First and foremost, the meaning of this story is powerful. Ray Bradbury is asking us to question how much we value our ability to think for ourselves. I think this is a timeless question. Also, my cast and crew are doing an amazing job of bringing this story to life. 

Tell us a bit about your role.

I’m lucky to be the director of this production. That means that I’m in charge of the set design and artist execution of the show. I’m also in charge of casting, blocking scenes and coaching actors on their performance. On the technical end, it is my job to assemble and oversee the technical crew. My crew and I are in charge of all special effects, lighting, and sound. 

What’s your favorite book and why?

My favorite book is “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Wells, with John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” as an honorable mention. I tend to love stories of struggle and perseverance.

Why should people come and see this show? 

This story remains relevant to our current society, and this show will hopefully raise questions for the audience to ask themselves and each other.

Tell us a bit about your role. 

I’m happy to be helping bring this show to a wide audience by providing support to the director in bringing her vision to life.

What’s your favorite book and why?

My favorite book is “White Oleander” by Janet Fitch.  It’s about relationships and how they follow us and influence our lives and choices, regardless of how far apart we are.

Why should people come and see this show?

Because the actors have invested a lot of time to make this written word come to life.

Tell us a bit about your role. 

As production manager, I assist executing the director’s vision.

What’s your favorite book and why?

Currently it’s “Sunrise on the Reaping” by Suzanne Collins.  I enjoyed the character development and backstory of a favorite character from “The Hunger Games” series. 

Why should people come and see this show?

It offers a visceral, immersive warning about censorship, technology addiction, and the loss of independent thought. It is a warning to us about constant digital distraction, shrinking attention spans and surging book censorship. We can witness a lot of these things happening now on social media, where people limit where they receive their information to sources that basically conform and confirm to what they already think.; have visceral reactions online to things they don’t’ like, but refuse to learn about and understand, and people are proud of how little they experience outside of their minimized bubble of comfort.

Tell us a bit about your role.

Guy Montag is a third-generation fireman; a job that starts fires to burn banned books rather than putting them out. Montag has worked as a fireman for ten years; however, he has become increasingly unsure about what he is doing and living life as a compliant yes-man. He’s inquisitive, intelligent, and free-thinking, which is a bad thing in a world where books are outlawed and independent thought  is suppressed and conformity is encouraged.

What’s your favorite book and why?

It’s impossible to choose just one! I am currently reading “The Camulod Chronicles” by Jack Whyte. I have long enjoyed the King Arthur mythos. He brings a grounded “what if it really happened?” take on this legend. Starting from when Rome began to fall to what would become Britannia.

Why should people come to see this show?

People should come and see this show because it ‘s awesome fun, but also because it is timely— it has an important message. We have more access to books than at any other time in history, yet many people choose not to read. It’s an embarrassing and disappointing trend.

Tell us a bit about your character/characters.

Captain Beatty was once the most devoted reader in the play. For him, choosing to abandon books was a matter of disappointment with life as a whole. Deep inside, though, he is impressed by anyone who fights to be more than society offers.

What’s your favorite book and why?

I have so many favorite books! I love classics like “The Brothers Karamazov” and “The Lord of the Rings,” but I also love fun things like “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.”

Why should people come and see this show?

Its an enjoyable show and holds a deep and good meaning that I think most people should know about.

Tell us a bit about your character/characters.

My characters are Holden and Rostand. Holden is a slightly sadistic firefighter who’s not too bright. Rostand, however is more intelligent and loves books.

What’s your favorite book and why? 

My favorite books is “Bungo Stray Dogs Beast” volume 1-4. I love the characters, storyline and meaning behind the story.

Why should people come and see this show?

People should come and see this show because of the passion the actors have put into their characters, especially Beatty and Montag. The other part is because it shows the importance of reading, education and teachers, which I think is very relevant to remember today.

Tell us a bit about your character/characters.

My character Alice is a bit childish and tries to placate the people around her. She’s never experienced deep emotion so when she’s confronted with it she doesn’t know how to show them or how to move on afterward.

What’s your favorite book and why?

My favorite book right now is “Project Hail Mary” by Andy Weir. I really enjoy it because it’s not only fun but also gets readers thinking about right and wrong. Especially when it’s between saving one or billions. I also just really love  Rocky and his relationship with Ryland Grace.

Why should people come and see this show?

What was considered a dystopian improbability when the novel first emerged is now uncomfortably close to our current reality. The technology that Bradbury talked about is here, the censorship, the sales, the overload of information, overstimulation, overconsumption, the treatment of a sick society with erasure and not repair no infrastructural change. In the words of the chronically online, maybe we need to touch grass. This is a reminder of the beauty of the world that we lose when people who prioritize complacency and compliance get what they want.

Tell us a bit about your character/characters:

I have the honor of playing Mrs. Hudson, Helen and Plato. They are all impacted by the society that forced misery and they all respond in vastly different ways. I think of the ways we respond to the society we face and the best explanation to these responses is a collective grief.  These characters are each in different stages of it.  Mrs. Hudson lost everything and there was nothing she felt could keep her there if her oldest friends were gone.  Plato found new hope in this.  Helen lived in anger and denial. For her, “How could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads?”

What’s your favorite book and why?

Much like Mrs. Hudson, I can’t choose just one.  Right now it’s Neil Hilborn’s “The Future.”  Mostly for the line in the same named poem that says “I saw the future, I did, and in it I was alive.”  It helps me remember that I’m here, we’re all here, and we’re better when we find the humanity in others, but especially in ourselves.

Why should people come and see this show?

Although the book is old, the story is crazy relevant.  You never would think it could touch modern minds so easily.

Tell us a bit about your character/characters.

Clarisse is a very down to earth girl. She enjoys the simple things when everyone else overlooks them. She misses the world no one knows.

What’s your favorite book and why? 

“Keeping You a Secret” by Julie Ann Peters.  It shows the dangers of hiding yourself and the importance of accepting others.

Why should people come and see this show?

Because I’m in it 😊

Tell us a bit about your character/characters.

This is my very first time acting. I’m very nervous about being the paramedic on stage in front of everybody but glad I’m dying at the end.

What’s your favorite book and why? 

I have never read a full book in my life, so I’m not sure. 

Why should people come and see this show?

I hope this is a story that will resonate with everyone.

Tell us a bit about your character/characters. 

Mildred is a product of too much screentime. I’d like to think sometime in her past she had motivation and happiness but now she is listless, bored, and has no imagination or sense of wonder.

What’s your favorite book and why?

I should say “Fahrenheit 451” but really it’s “Persuasion” by Jane Austen, although “Pride and Prejudice” is also a favorite.

Why should people come and see this show?

To see a man resigned to the mundanity of his life find a way out of it, discover new hope, and struggle past the obstacles that pop up.

Tell us a bit about your character/characters.

Jameson L. Black is just an average guy who does what he’s told and mocks what he sees as unnecessary.  Aristotle has embraced philosophy like his namesake and has long known he may never see the day he longs for.  He will never give up, though, because he has resolved to lives as a book until he dies whether the promised day comes before that time or not.

What’s your favorite book and why? 

“The Martian” by Andy Weir because it’s a classic portrayal of the indomitable human spirit and a good example of what can happen when people cooperate regardless of origin.

Why should people come and see this show?

Because it’s a classic and definitely worth a watch.

Tell us a bit about your character/characters.

I’m the book “The Little Prince.”  I recite six lines, two of which echo Dostoevski so my character is easy to learn.

What’s your favorite book and why?  

“This Present Darkness” by Frank E. Perretti.  It’s a thriller with moral lessons throughout the book. It was a page turner I couldn’t put down.

Why should people come and see this show?

This show is entertaining and makes you think.

What’s your favorite book and why? 

“In Watermelon Sugar” by Richard Brautigan.  It’s stories of real life in an imaginary town and has fun and unique word choice

Why should people come and see this show?

It’s incredibly relevant to what’s going on in the world right now.

Tell us a bit about your character/characters.

I play Professor Faber, a character who deeply regrets not being brave enough to speak out against the burning of books.  Her regret leads her to help Guy Montag.  I also play a “book person” – someone who has memorized a book to pass it down until it’s safe to write it all down again.

What’s your favorite book and why?

I read a lot, so it’s difficult to pick just one!  If I have to pick one, I’d have to say “The Haunting of Hill House” by Shirley Jackson.  I love Gothic horror and I love the way Jackson gets you into the depths of Eleanor’s troubled mind.

Why should people come and see this show?

I would because every person in this show is going to do a great job in his or her own way.

Tell us a bit about your character/characters. 

2^nd Paramedic is direct and polite.  Henley is ready to work, a little excited, and a follower.  Tolkien is smart, nice, and helpful.

What’s your favorite book and why? 

“I Am David” by Anne Holm. It was very good and moving.