The Lewis Center for the Arts presents this special event in conjunction with Princeton University Library’s exhibition "In the Company of Good Books: Shakespeare to Morrison," in Firestone Library’s Milberg Gallery and in relationship to Program in Theater Lecturer Chesney Snow’s course “The Oral Interpretation of Toni and William.” Curated and hosted by Chesney Snow, When Pages Breathe: Bringing Good Books to Life will feature four actors —Tony and Obie Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Tony-nominated writer and performer Sharon Washington, veteran Shakespearean actor Maren Maclean, and award-winning film, television and stage actor Antoinette LaVecchia—who will read selected works from the exhibition.

The exhibition, which honors the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s First Folio of 1623, draws from the Library’s diverse collection of English language literature and many of the writers and readers who brought life to English literature around the world, such as a 1598 first edition of Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost and Toni Morrison’s handwritten manuscript drafts of Desdemona. Selections to be read by the actors include Toni Morrison’s Beloved, John Milton, Mary Shelley, Jane Austen, Emily Dickinson, Phillis Wheatley, Gwendolyn Brooks, Maya Angelou, and Walt Whitman.

The event is currently fully booked. Please join the waiting list using the registration below. You'll be notified if a place opens up.