Sidewalks On The Corner

Word for Word Performing Arts Company has a mission -- to tell great stories with elegant theatricality. It stages performances of fiction, both classical and contemporary.

Follow up:

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.

Some readers probably discovered Word for Word when they saw "Sonny's Blues," a short story by James Baldwin, brought to the stage in collaboration with the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre in San Francisco.

Z Space is the parent company. Founded in 1993 by David Dower, Z Space Studio has become a leading laboratory for developing new voices, new works and new directions in American theater. Word for Word is one of its three programs.

Z Space employs hundreds of artists each year in the process of developing new performance pieces –– creating works in solo performance, ensemble theater, puppetry, acrobatics, dance and multimedia production.
It takes a lot of work, funding and love to make all this happen. The love was evident at Z Space's second annual benefit gala held earlier this year in San Francisco. Word for Word performed three short pieces for a receptive crowd. Turnout was huge and their silent auction was a good one -- vacations in France and New York City, gourmet chocolates, spa treatments and California wine by the case were offered -- raising much needed funds.

Beyond the conviviality at the Z Space fundraiser -- which we know can be induced by delicious appetizers and a hosted bar -- was something deeper. People genuinely enjoyed being there and they talked to each other as though conversation were not a lost art. A hopeful sign. Perhaps conversation can be slipped into smaller rooms in apportioned doses with enough potency to disable laptops and miniature music players, until people actually face each other and listen to each other's voices again. The possibility leaves one breathless.

But I digress. Just back from theatrical triumphs in France, Word for Word is gearing up for its fall 2009 season, including a tour of New England. With luck and a little planning on your part, Word for Word may be performing wherever you happen to be.

Word for Word is performing three short stories at Theatre Rhinoceros in San Francisco, May 13 - June 7, 2009.

Pay a visit to http://www.zspace.org, buy your tickets, and sit back to enjoy the performance

_________________________________________________________________

Jeanne Powell is a poet and short story writer, who teaches in a summer program for teens. Her most recent books are "My Own Silence" and "Word Dancing," available online and through booksellers. She also hosts spoken word events in San Francisco, and covers cultural happenings for online media.