Celebrate National Read Across America Day with the Opera House!

First of all, Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

Every year, in honor of his birthday, the country celebrates National Read Across America Day. Do you want to take part in these festivities AND pump yourself up for this summer in Stonington? Spend your evening reading one of the 2016 season plays!

To help you choose, here are descriptions of the pieces, along with a corresponding Dr. Seuss book. Just for fun.

Did you wake up today feeling just a bit out of sorts? Virginia Woolf's ORLANDO, adapted by Sarah Ruhl, might be just the ticket.

What do you do when you've changed, but the world around you hasn't yet caught up?
We've all woken up feeling a bit off, maybe a little unlike our normal selves, but none so much as Virginia Woolf's Orlando. He went to bed your typical Elizabethan Man: a favorite of the Queen, madly in love with a Russian Princess, fleeing an Archduchess, but on this fine day in Constantinople he's risen to find he has become, of all things, a woman… 

Adapted for the stage by MacArthur "genius" playwright Sarah Ruhl, Orlando takes audiences on a time-traveling erotic journey.

And as a good follow up to this story, give this one a whirl:

A reminder that every new day is the
start of a new adventure.

Do you feel like you have to keep warning people about the same things over and over again and They. Just. Won't. Listen? Grab Lisa Peterson's and Denis O'Hare's AN ILIAD and have a good commiseration with the Poet.

"Every time I sing this song, I hope it's the last time."
So says The Poet as she digs deep to tell and retell Homer's epic story of war, honor, violence and the Greek siege of the city of Troy. Maybe if she tells the story one more time, the violence will end. Laced with dark humor, biting pathos and epic storytelling, An Iliad is a stunning and moving examination of the cost of war and the true meaning of honor.

When you've put that story to bed, grab this one:

Public Service Announcement to Kings:
Sometimes it pays to listen to the little guy.

Have you had a strange feeling lately, like perhaps people are out to get you? Or maybe you're struggling with a friend's leadership decisions. Take JULIUS CAESAR by William Shakespeare for a spin.

Idealism, envy, and power politics collide as the Roman Republic reaches a crisis. 

Returning general Julius Caesar is a hero, and his political genius and military prowess make him the most powerful leader the Republic has ever known. Some say too powerful. His popularity breeds suspicion and concern among both the jealous and the honorable. Will his power corrode the freedom of the State? And to protect that freedom, must he then die--for what he might do, what he might become? Questioning leads to conspiracy, and the fate of the Republic hangs in the balance.

If you're wondering what type of leader the Senate was worried Caesar would turn into, look no father than Yertle, King of the Pond.

It only takes one wobbly turtle to bring down
an empire. And if that isn't already a saying,
it should be.

Maybe you're in an end-of-the-world sort of mood and, understandably, need a good laugh. MR. BURNS, A POST-ELECTRIC PLAY, by Anne Washburn, should be right up your alley.

What is left after the end of the world?

In the deep darkness after the collapse of society’s electrical grids, a mismatched group of survivors huddle close around a campfire fighting off fear with the heroic story of youth and innocence triumphing over evil -- the story, of course, of Bart Simpson’s epic battle against Sideshow Bob.  From this meeting, memories of America’s favorite prime-time family achieves Homeric proportions and become the basis for shaping a new society - one where the pop culture of today becomes the mythology of tomorrow as the play travels decades into the future.

The story of how one underachieving fourth-grader convinced humanity not to have a cow and inspired resilience through the ages. 

As you ponder this maybe-not-so crazy future, also keep in mind this classic...

If the fate of the the world was left in your hands,
would you build a trash can fire
or a three ring production?

Are you feeling particularly ambitious? Keep this reading going through the rest of the week and tackle the whole season! Then make your way on over to our new Membership page and ensure that you can see each of these shows as many times as you'd like for the best price.

For you, dear friends, your Dr. Seuss counterpart is clear:

And, oh, the people you'll meet...leaders...
betrayers...warriors...poets...survivors...
spiky headed little boys...

Happy reading everyone! We can't wait to see you this summer.