Reader’s Theatre Presents Reading of Bob Day’s “Notes on the Cold War”

Bob Day

Actors will bring the short stories of former Washington College professor emeritus Bob Day to life when Reader’s Theatre Productions presents “Notes on the Cold War in Kansas” at the Cultural Arts Center at Montgomery College over three weekends, Feb. 28 through March 16. There will be a post-show discussion with author Day, director Perry T. Schwartz and the cast on Sunday, March 2. The Cultural Arts Center is located at 7995 Georgia Avenue, in Silver Spring.

Day’s short stories, which have been adapted for the reading by director Schwartz, capture American yearnings, disappointments and triumphs through the lens of life in Kansas and are filled with Day’s trademarks: lively human portraits and humorous, plain-spoken writing.

Reader’s Theatre

Readers’ Theatre is a hybrid form of theater in which actors read narration from a given short story and act out the character dialogue, in a play reading setting. Each actor will portray different characters in various stories. Participating actors are David Rothman, a professor at Montgomery College, student actors Mark McIntosh and Kevin McGuinness, and guest artists aura Claire Harford, Anna Jackson and Jonathan Douglass. The production is presented by the Communications and Performing Arts Department of Montgomery College’s Takoma/Silver Spring campus as part of its Performing Arts Showcase Series.

Bob Day taught creative writing at Washington College for more than 35 years and founded the Rose O’Neill Literary House on campus. He is a published author and founder of Cottonwood, the nationally circulated literary review. Day’s novel, The Last Cattle Drive, is in its 30th anniversary printing. In 2012 he published a collection of short stories, Where I Am Now, and his latest novel, Let Us Imagine Lost Love, is available at the online magazine, Numero Cinq. Two previous Readers’ Theatre productions featured his work: Speaking French in Kansas, as well as a theatre production, Fishing, both produced and directed by Perry T. Schwartz.