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 North Carolina Stage Company, Asheville’s
professional theatre, will hold a 48-hour Shakespeare marathon
September 5 - 7, 2008. The Bard-a-thon is a fundraiser, in which
volunteer readers will ask their family, friends and co-workers to
sponsor them, then read Shakespeare from Friday night to Sunday
night. Admission to the readings is free, and readings will also
stream live on the internet at www.ncstage.org.
The Bard-a-thon is modeled after a walk-a-thon or crop walk. Participants are actors, community members and board members who agree to read Shakespeare for a certain number of hours, and collect donations from family and friends. As of this date, 38 people have signed up to read for the Bard-a-thon, and five people have pledged to go the full 48 hours, including NC Stage Artistic Director Charlie Flynn-McIver. North Carolina Stage Company is a professional, non-profit theatre now in its seventh season. The theatre has a $450,000 annual operating budget, and about 40% of its budget is supported by individual contributions. The theatre hopes to raise $5,000 through the Bard-a-thon to support its professional theatre and arts education programs. All donations through the Bard-a-thon are fully tax-deductible. The event kicks off Friday September 5th at 7:00pm with the 2nd Annual Alley Awards, in which NC Stage celebrates favorite plays, actors and Catalyst partners from its previous season. Online voting is open through Wednesday September 3rd at www.ncstage.org. The Alley Awards (and their affectionate nickname “The Dumpsters”) are a tongue-in-cheek reference to NC Stage’s location on an alley in between the Earthguild building and the Rankin Avenue parking deck. Immediately after the Alley Awards, the Bard-a-thon readings begin with The Comedy of Errors at 8:00pm, and continue every four hours on the hour until 8:00pm Sunday night. Each 4-hour slot includes time for snacks (sponsored by Greenlife Grocery), bathroom breaks and stretching, but probably not a nap. All readings are at the NC Stage theatre at 15 Stage Lane in downtown Asheville, and admission is free. For those who do not want to get out of bed at 4:00 in the morning to see Shakespeare, the readings will also be streamed live on the internet through the generosity of Charlotte Street Computers. The Bard-a-thon sponsors include Greenlife Grocery and Charlotte Street Computers. Visit www.ncstage.org for more information. (Images provided by the NC Stage Company)
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