FEBRUARY’S ICA LIVE! WILL FEATURE A THEATRICAL PERFORMANCE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE EXHIBITION IT’S A LONG STORY.
Word For Word is a performing arts ensemble whose mission is to tell great stories with elegant theatricality, staging performances of classic and contemporary fiction. No word is cut from script, the actors include every description and inner monologue from the original text in their performance. Word For Word will enact chapters 36-40 from Moby-Dick in conjunction with the exhibition It’s A Long Story. Their interpretation will explore language, gender, and identity in Herman Melville’s classic tale, while performing the novel word for word.
About Word for Word
In its vibrant history, Word for Word has performed over 70 stories by some of the world’s best writers. Many of these stories have been performed in front of the authors themselves. They perform regularly at Z Space since 1996 have toured annually throughout California and France.
In 1997, Word for Word received a special Bay Area Critics Circle Award for its unique concept and in 1998, 2002, 2003, and 2005, the Bay Area Critics Circle awarded the company numerous honors for productions including “The Halfway Diner,” “Winesburg, Ohio,” Stories by Tobias Wolff,” and “Immortal Heart.” In 2008, Word for Word received the Best Ensemble Award for “Sonny’s Blues,” with composer Marcus Shelby receiving the best Original Score for the production.
