Word for Word takes Home to France in May!
ANGERS
May 10, 7:30 pm; May 11, 3pm and 7:30pm
at Université Catholique de l'Ouest, Angers
Sponsored by the English-Language Library of Angers.
For Reservations, Tel 02.41.24.97.07 or info@ellia.org
PARIS
May 16, 7:30 pm
Théatre du Ranelagh, 5, rue des Vignes, Paris 16ème.
Sponsored by the Ecole Jeannine Manuel and The American Library in Paris.
Reservations: www.americanlibraryinparis.org/wfw
About Word for Word
WORD FOR WORD Performing Arts Company performs short works of fiction in their entirety, preserving the author’s voice and honoring her/his intent with exciting visuals and inventive staging.
Word for Word Performing Arts Company is an ensemble whose mission is to tell great stories with elegant theatricality, staging performances of classic and contemporary fiction. Founded in 1993 by Susan Harloe and JoAnne Winter, Word for Word believes in the power of the short story to provide solace, compassion, and insight into our daily lives. We bring stories from diverse cultures to our diverse communities, and develop future audiences’ love for the printed and spoken word.
I wish that Word for Word would do all my stories. Their brilliant inventiveness in performance, choreography, and staging has created a new art form, and a deeply affecting experience.”
—Tobias Wolff
Co-Artistic Directors JoAnne Winter and Susan Harloe founded Word for Word Performing Arts Company in 1993 as part of the Artists in Residence program at The Z Space Studio (Z Space's original name).
In its vibrant history, Word for Word has performed over 70 stories by some of the world’s best writers. Many of these stories have been performed in front of the authors themselves. They perform regularly at Z Space since 1996 have toured annually throughout California and France. See Awards Page for listing of recognition.
It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that our dear friend and Word for Word Charter Member, Jeri Lynn Cohen has passed away after a long illness. Please visit our memorial page to her.
During the pandemic Word for Word was unable to perform to live audiences, so they explored new and different ways of bringing content to you. In addition to radio appearances, we developed the WORD for WORDcast, a podcast using Word for Word’s unique theatrical style augmented by emotive sound design, recalling early radio dramas.
Our First Show
Word for Word’s very first performance was to a packed audience in a rehearsal space on Howard Street in 1993. The work was Dorothy Parker’s “The Standard of Living,” it was directed by Amy Freed and featured John Balma, Susan Harloe, and JoAnne Winter. Shown above, left to right, are Susan Harloe and JoAnne Winter in this production. Photo by Benjamin Winter.
Past Shows
Top Left: Velina Brown, Edris Cooper, Margo Hall, Khary Moye in "All Aunt Hagar's Children" | Rosie Hallett, Rudy Guerrero in "Night Vision" by Emma Donoghue | Velina Brown, Jia Taylor in "All Aunt Hagar's Children"
Bottom Left: Stephanie Hunt, Rudy Guerrero in"Silence" by Colm Tóibín | Jeri Lynn Cohen, Howard Swain in "The Office" by Alice Munro | Jackson Davis, Søren Oliver, Rotimi Agbabiaka in "Dancing Dan's Christmas" by Damon Runyon: Holiday High Jinx
Best Literary Remix: "Word for Word is all about the story".
-Best of 2017 San Francisco Magazine
After early performances in public libraries and schools, Word for Word soon began performing short stories on stage, quickly becoming a local theatre favorite. In 1994, Word for Word became a program of Z Space and has maintained popularity ever since. In 1998, they established an arts education program known as YOUTH ARTS employing the Word for Word style of in-depth, literature-from-the-inside-out workshops in Bay Area schools.
Core CompanY
The Word for Word Core Company is the core acting ensemble and directing pool for the company. More information about the Core Company >
authors council
The following writers have had their work performed by Word for Word, and lend their names in support of the work of our company.
Greg Sarris | Honorary President
Daniel Handler
Edward P. Jones
Barbara Kingsolver
Armistead Maupin
George Saunders
Octavio Solis
Amy Tan
Tobias Wolff
Julia Alvarez
T.C. Boyle
Sandra Cisneros
Siobhan Fallon
Paul Fleischman
Richard Ford
Ellen Gilchrist
Joanne Greenberg
Andrew Sean Greer
