Selected Shorts at Long Wharf

Sonia Manzano and David Rakoff will join host Isaiah Sheffer for Selected Shorts, a celebration of the short story, performed live on Long Wharf Theatre’s Mainstage March 14.

Each week on local public radio stations, great actors from stage, screen and television bring short stories to life. Selected Shorts is an award-winning, one-hour program featuring readings of classic and new short fiction. One of the most popular series on the airwaves, this unique show is hosted by Sheffer and produced for radio by Symphony Space and WNYC Radio.

Manzano is known to millions of children and parents through her role as Maria on “Sesame Street,” a character she has played since 1971. Her theatre credits include The Vagina Monologues, The Exonerated and the original production of Godspell. She has won 15 Emmy Awards as a writer for “Sesame Street,” received the 2003 Hispanic Heritage Award, and in 2005 was awarded an honorary doctorate in fine arts from Notre Dame University. Closer to home, she is proud to have been inducted into the Bronx Hall of Fame. She has written for the Peabody Award-winning Nickelodeon series “Little Bill,” is the author of the picture books "No Dogs Allowed," which has been turned into a musical,and "A Box Full of Kittens." She is working on two new books.

Rakoff is the author of the books "Half Empty," "Don't Get Too Comfortable" and "Fraud," and is a regular contributor to Public Radio International's “This American Life.” His writing has also appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Outside, GQ and Salon, among others. As an actor and director, he has worked with Amy and David Sedaris on the plays Stiches, One Woman Shoe, The Little Frieda Mysteries, and The Book of Liz, and can be seen in the films Capote (fleetingly), Strangers with Candy, and, most recently, the short film "The New Tenants," winner of a 2010 Academy Award.


Tickets are $25. For more information, visit www.longwharf.org or call 203-787-4282. For more information about R.J. Julia Booksellers, a co-sponsor of the series.
visit www.rjjulia.com.