Thanks to some wonderful community theater actors here in Vermont (we have a history of knowing how to entertain ourselves), I am now part of the Terrace Players.
Who are we?
We're a group of friends and neighbors who support local authors by giving reader's theater presentations of scenes from our novels.
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| The Terrace Players read at the Flat Iron Coffee House in Bellows Falls, Vermont |
It started out of necessity. My friend and fellow author Bill had a bout with throat cancer that left his voice damaged, and so he was not able to do public readings of his novels. His friends in the local theater community came to the rescue and volunteered to read for him. When I learned of this generous group of actors, I asked to join and participate, and the Terrace Players (named after the street where both Bill and I live) was born.
We have grown since and now include a beloved local librarian and former radio announcer.
Where do we perform? At Vermont's treasured collection of independent bookstores, at libraries, on local radio and TV stations. It's great fun, and our audiences like hearing interpretations of our stories, and they learn about what inspired our writing. We help local businesses sell their books, donuts, cake and coffee! Out local TV station now has offered to help us turn our books into audio books using their community sound facilities and library of sound effects. The circle of generosity continues.
Authors...I'd suggest you'd give this a try. It is not a great time commitment to actors-- we have one or two read-through sessions before each event. We now have luncheons and tea parties after rehearsals and performances, so we are becoming social friends. And nobody has to memorize a thing. It's a service you local communities and businesses and helps us sell our books-- a win/win for all!
