‘Twilight Saga’ and ‘Glee’ actors to be featured as WordTheatre returns to Chapman

Acclaimed actors Vanessa Lengies (Glee) and Jackson Rathbone (Twilight Saga) will bring to life the award-winning stories of author Brian Doyle when WordTheatre returns to Chapman University on Monday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. in Chapman’s Fish Interfaith Center.

The Supa Lowery Bros band will also appear, playing an original jazz score composed by Jonathan Sacks that will be interwoven into the readings. The performance is free and open to the public.

A hybrid of theatre and storytelling, WordTheatre brings to life the finest contemporary short fiction by putting it into the hands of professional actors from television and the motion picture industry for public readings.

WordTheatre is curated and directed by Cedering Fox, nationally recognized voiceover artist, known as the “voice of the Oscars.”  WordTheatre events are regularly held for sold-out audiences in New York City, Los Angeles and London.

Each performance at Chapman also features one theatre student joining the cast of professional actors. The student reader for September is San Jose, Calif., native James Neal ’17.

Actor/author pairings in the three previous WordTheatre seasons at Chapman University have included Lesley Nichol and Cassidy Freeman reading works by Jill McCorkle; Xander Berkeley and Sarah Clarke performing works by David Means; Danielle Panabaker and Robert Wisdom performing short stories by Percival Everett and Danzy Senna; Bruce Vilanch  and Stephen Tobolowsky performing works by Allan Gurganus; and Joely Fisher and Finn Wittrock performing works by Ann Beattie, among others.

As details about more fall season WordTheatre events at Chapman become available, they will be posted at the WordTheatre at Chapman website and here in Happenings.