About Us

Illuminating the power of language and storytelling through live performances and story recordings in your classrooms

Before books, cultures relied upon oral storytellers to teach values to future generations. WORDTheatre emulates this tradition by giving voice to great writing, taking literature from the page to your classrooms, auditoriums or students’ electronic devices.

Requiring language arts in the school curriculum affirms our shared conviction that understanding the power of the written word is essential for our young people. On a practical level, language arts teach the skills needed to communicate effectively. However, stories also teach something more profound. They teach perspective and compassion. They invite us into other people’s lives, breaking down prejudice and ignorance, helping us to redefine “other” as a different form of “us.” Stories offer us heroes to look up to, often ordinary people like your students, who perform unsung acts of courage.

Bringing great literature to high school and college students is central to our mission. Our objective is to partner with interested schools to make available the WORDTheatre resources that best serve a school’s curriculum. WORDTheatre Campus programs are tailored to support the needs of both public and independent high schools, as well as community colleges, four year colleges and universities.

WORDTheatre Campus School Ambassadors

Aimee Garcia

Aimee Garcia is a renowned actress with roles on the acclaimed series “The George Lopez Show,” “Dexter,” “Trauma,” and Lucifer,” as well as for her supporting role in the 2014 remake of ROBOCOP.

Alfred Molina

Alfred Molina is a BAFTA, Emmy, and Golden Globe nominated actor best known for his work in the films RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, SPIDER-MAN 2, FRIDA, BOOGIE NIGHTS, and MAGNOLIA.

WORDTheatre UK School Ambassadors

Olivia Williams

Olivia Williams is an English actress who has appeared in critically acclaimed films such as THE SIXTH SENSE, RUSHMORE, and THE FATHER. She has also appeared in various television dramas including “The Crown” and “Manhattan.”

Rhashan Stone

Rhashan Stone is a versatile British actor, writer, and director best known for his compelling performances in productions like EPISODES, STRIKE BACK, and FINDING NEVERLAND. Beyond acting, Stone has ventured into writing and directing.

WORDTheatre Campus Advisory Council

Douglas Davis

Douglas Davis is a writer, father, husband, business consultant and WORDTheatre Board member. He has a passion for good literature, as well as Eastern and Western religions and, in particular, how they are intertwined. He resides in Los Angeles with his family and two poodles.

Suzy Stevens

Suzy Stevens earned her BA in English and Studio Art from Mt. Holyoke College and MA in English from Middlebury College. She began her career as a textbook editor for Random House in New York City, then pursued a 29-nine-year career teaching high school English at Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut, then at Campbell Hall in Los Angeles. She has served on the boards of the Helen Day Art Center, WORDTheatre, and the Stowe Land Trust in the tiny town of Stowe, Vermont, and lives in Santa Monica.

WORDTheatre Authors

Since 2003, WORDTheatre has championed stories written by the most compelling contemporary authors with live performances by esteemed actors. They have all been recorded and we offer this rich library as a wonderful resource for you and your teachers.

When students experience stories transformed from the page by WORDTheatre actors — many whom they recognize from TV shows or movies — they encounter storytelling in its most dynamic and most accessible form. During a performance, students can forget the reader’s tasks of decoding meaning or interpreting tone. Instead, they are swept into the stories, responding intuitively to them, awakening to the ways that literature can speak to them and address the issues they face.

John Edgar Wideman

Author

“I want to let you know how fortunate I feel to be part of the incredible enterprise you call WORDTheatre — to my knowledge, your effort to extend the audience of fiction by dramatizing the written word is unique — may you continue to work your magic with texts and performers -may you attract more and more support for your projects so more people can partake of the gift WORDTheatre offers.”

Wendy Sarnoff

Teacher, Venice High School

“It has been inspiring to see WORDTheatre’s authors, actors, and in-classroom performances impact the lives of students at Venice High School. The topics are always timely, touching, and heart-wrenching, such that students, in their reflections, are left changed as they leave the room.”

Rebecca Trenow

Teacher at The Oaklands School, Bethnal Green, London, U.K.

“Your continued support of Oaklands School means an enormous amount to us and the students are highly engaged by the performances and discussions, during and after your session. We feel very lucky to have this ongoing relationship with WORDTheatre.”