Susan Harloe, Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Word for Word Performing Arts Company has announced she will step down from her role in October 2021.
“There would be no Word for Word without Susan Harloe,” says Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director JoAnne Winter. “And she is the reason that Word for Word has survived and thrived for over 28 years. Her ‘never say no’ attitude, love for the written word and theatre, and her commitment to making artists' dreams come true, have created a dedicated community of audience and artists.”
Word for Word is a program of Z Space, located in the Mission District of San Francisco. Upon Harloe’s departure, Winter will continue to lead Word for Word along with temporary Associate Producers, Vanessa Flores and Gendell Hing-Hernandez, and the support of the Word for Word Core Company and the Z Space Staff and Board. A search for a new leadership position will be conducted by Z Space and Word for Word in 2022. Harloe will take some time to travel, volunteer, and explore other passions. Says Harloe, “I believe in the power of the short story and the written word as a compassionate bridge from one stranger to another. I want to continue to serve the forces of literacy and storytelling however I can.”
Word for Word’s very first performance, Dorothy Parker’s “The Standard of Living,” played to a packed house in a rehearsal space on Howard Street. It was directed by Amy Freed and featured John Balma, Susan Harloe, and JoAnne Winter. After early performances in public libraries and schools, Word for Word soon began performing fully-staged productions of short stories, quickly becoming a local theatre favorite. In 1994, Word for Word became a program of Z Space and has maintained popularity ever since. In partnership with Winter, the original Charter Group, and now the Core Company, Harloe created and implemented a wide variety of workshops and residencies with students and teachers, in addition to presenting large-scale theatrical productions of over 125 stories.
Says Board President Laura Bergman, “Through natural talent and sheer determination, Susan Harloe, along with JoAnne Winter and the Word for Word Company, have given us the multi-faceted cultural mainstay that the company is today. We are grateful for Sue’s dedication to the form, enthusiasm for taking on new challenges, and mentorship of the next generation of artists. She will be missed by her fans and the many authors whose work she has celebrated on stage.”
Harloe believes her most significant contribution to the company has been the annual Word for Word tour of France, which began in 1994 as a grassroots endeavor to bring American stories to the American Library in Paris and grew into a multi-city tour of French libraries, schools, theatrical venues, and the occasional jazz club. The tour has been an unparalleled opportunity for scores of Bay Area artists who first performed in a full production in San Francisco and then traveled by train throughout France, perfecting not only their roles but also the art of collectively disembarking all of the set, costumes, and props during a three-minute train stop! An equally special honor for writers, Andrew Sean Greer traveled with the company in 2011 to see the Word for Word production of his story “The Islanders” on the international stage.
Word for Word Company Member Sheila Balter says, “A true visionary, Sue melded Word for Word with her love of Paris by discovering a foundation that funded our tours to France. Through Sue’s dreaming, she has created countless opportunities for actors, directors, and other theater workers; many of whom went to France with the company. Sue takes ‘can do’ to another level. She is a force that makes things happen.”
Harloe is an avid reader and worked as a public librarian from 1975-2000. She helped Word for Word create partnerships with SFPL, Litquake, the American Libraries in France, and the Ecole Jeannine Manuel in Paris. She will continue to work with Word for Word on special projects and partnerships that she can’t resist.
“Sue brings warmth and wit to everything she does, and I’m really grateful to know her,” says Board Member Alex Randall. “As we’ve had important conversations this year about antiracism, Sue’s been consistently present and committed to the growth and evolution of Word for Word.”
Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe, Word for Word Company Member and longtime actor and director puts it succinctly, "Sue Harloe is my top 5, ride or die chick!"
