Review: Hartford Stage, Hartford Symphony Collaborate on Dreamy Midsummer Night

The cast of A Midsummer Night's Dream with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. Photo: Alan Grant

A Midsummer Night's Dream
By William Shakespeare
with Incidental Music to a Midsummer Night's Dream, Op. 21 and 61 by Felix Medelssohn
Presented by the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and Hartford Stage
Conductor: Carolyn Kuan
Stage Director: Darko Tresnjak
with the Chorus Angelicus and Gaudeamus, Gabriel Lofvall, artistic director
Amanda Hall, Jamilyn Manning-White, sopranos

Jan. 10-12, Belding Theater, The Bushnell, Hartford

What's it All About?
The Hartford Symphony Orchestra (70) and Hartford Stage (50) are celebrating their birthdays with a collaboration of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Hartford Stage Artistic Director directs a lively stage version of the bard's tale of faeries and love with a top-notch cast which takes place on stage in front of a full Hartford Symphony Orchestra with Music Director Carolyn Kuan conducting Felix Mendelssohn's incidental music for the piece (Op. 21 and 61). The evening is part concert, part dramatic presentation, a perfect marriage (complete with Mendelssohn's bridal march) for Tresnjak, whose expertise extends to Shakespeare and opera. The play is trimmed down to fit with the musical pieces to clock in at a two-hour-15 minute run time with intermission.

What are the Highlights?
An insightful, humorous interpretation of the play with playful interaction at times between actors and the orchestra. Grant Goodman (Theseus/Oberon), Celeste Ciulla (Hippolyta/Titania), Michael Preston (Egeus/Peter Quince), Kaliswa Brewster (Hermia), Timothy Longo (Lysander), Jacob Gannon (Demetrius), Curtis Billings (Bottom), Andrew Patrick Mazer (Puck) and the rest of the ensemble shine, but really standing out, once again, is Kate MacCluggage, making us laugh with her Helena. Can we just give her a resident contract at Hartford Stage? She has been delightful in everything she has done here, from Bell, Book and Candle, to Twelfth Night to Macbeth. Excellent lighting (by Hartford Symphony Orchestra Technical Director Kenneth Trestman, uncredited in the program) provides subtle changes with scenes, spotlights for the soloists up in the boxes in the house and shadowy trees on the backdrop. (OK, full disclosure, Ken is a friend, but I had noted the excellent lighting before discovering he was responsible for it).

What are the Lowlights?
It takes a while to get into the concept. The program begins with a lengthy musical piece played by the orchestra. It all seems like a regular concert. Suddenly, actors appear and begin Midsummer to the rustle of programs being shuffled as people check to see whether they are in the right auditorium (many said they did not realize they would be seeing a play). Once the music and play start to merge, particularly in the second act, and where music underscores text, or where it comes in on cue, we begin to see what a dream production this really is. Lines like "Go, bid the huntsmen wake them with their horns" delightfully are met with response by the orchestra's horn section, which is in particularly good form throughout the concert.

The seesaw. There's a large metal seesaw on which the actors walk, sit and totter. It's awkward and blocks the view of the orchestra, though, as well as the musician's view of the action in front of them, as some crouch below it to get a better view. A better solution would have been a bridge up above the orchestra to provide additional stage space and dimension.

More information:

Friday, Jan. 10  at 8 pm

Saturday, Jan.11 at 8 pm

Sunday, Jan. 12 at 3 pm

There will be a pre-concert chat led by Kuan one hour prior to each performance.

Tickets range in price from $35.50-$67.50. Student tickets are $10. On Saturday, Jan.11, $25 tickets are available for patrons age 40 and under. 860-244-2999; www.hartfordsymphony.org.

-- Lauren Yarger

No Boundaries Returns to Yale Rep with The Files

The seventh season of NO BOUNDARIES: A SERIES OF GLOBAL PERFORMANCES, presented by Yale Repertory Theatre will feature THE FILES by Theatre of the Eighth Day (Teatr Ósmego Dnia) for three performances only, Feb. 20–22 at 8 pm at the Iseman Theater, 1156 Chapel St., New Haven.

NO BOUNDARIES celebrates the diversity of voices and experiences in today’s world. NO BOUNDARIES explores—and explodes—the frontiers of theatrical invention through cutting-edge, thought-provoking performance. Right here in New Haven, right here at Yale.

ABOUT THE FILES

Legendary Polish theatre company Theatre of the Eighth Day (Wormwood, 2009) returns with The Files, a riveting docudrama created from actual surveillance records the secret police kept on the group between 1975 and 1983. Through these files, a remarkable human drama unfolds—not just of life under a communist regime but of the courageous artistry that thrived in spite of that oppression.

Running time: approximately 80 minutes. The Files is performed in English. Talk Back Q&A session with members of the company will follow each performance.

The Files is part of the Poland-U.S. Campus Arts Project, a program organized by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute in Warsaw, Poland. This presentation is also generously supported by The Root Boy Slim Fund and Connecticut Humanities.

ABOUT THEATRE OF THE EIGHTH DAY

Founded in 1964, Theatre of the Eighth Day quickly became the most famous and internationally recognized Polish underground theatre. Inspired and influenced by the work of revolutionary theater artist Jerzy Grotowski, the company developed its own acting method, creating performances through improvisation. For the first twenty-five years of its existence, and despite constant police surveillance and government censorship, Theatre of the Eighth Day managed to create some of the most important works for the Polish stage: In One Breath (1971); Discounts for All (1977); Oh, How Nobly We Lived (1979); Auto Da Fe (1985), and Wormwood (1985; presented at Yale Rep, 2009). Since the collapse of the Communist regime in Poland, the company, currently based in Poznań, continues to be recognized as a leader among Polish alternative theatres.

Taking its name from a line by Polish poet Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński, “On the seventh day, the Lord God rested, and on the eighth, He created theatre,” Theatre of the Eighth Day was originally founded as a student group that performed poetry and drama. After studying Grotowski’s techniques and witnessing the civil unrest and student protests of 1968, their performance style became more physical and less verbal, and the company resolved to remain in dialogue with both the artistic and political movements in society. However, they always rejected the label “political theatre.” Former artistic director Lech Raczak said, “In a monopolized system such as Poland everything becomes political.  If you make any gesture different from what the authorities want, that gesture immediately carries political weight. So the term 'political' results from the distortion and unnaturalness of social life here.”

Theatre of the Eighth Day was subjected to years of censorship and government oppression as it continued to produce theatre behind the Iron Curtain. The Polish government eventually withdrew all subsidies and issued an official announcement that the group had disbanded. However, Theatre of the Eighth Day continued to produce work underground and was invited to the Edinburgh Festival to perform their piece Wormwood in 1985. Only half of the company was granted visas by Polish authorities, and a new piece, Auto Da Fe, was devised and performed in its place. Auto Da Fe won the “Fringe First” prize, an achievement denounced by the Polish government because, according to them, the group “did not exist.”

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for THE FILES are $30 ($10 for students and $25 for Yale Faculty and Staff) and can be purchased online at www.yalerep.org/noboundaries, by phone (203) 432-1234, and in person at the Yale Rep Box Office (1120 Chapel Street).

Connecticut Arts Connections

GOODSPEED
Michael Price, who has led the organization for 45 years, has decided to retire from the position of Executive Director at the end of 2014 but will remain active with Goodspeed in advisory and fundraising roles through 2016. The Board of Trustees will conduct a national search for a new Executive Director who is expected to assume leadership of Goodspeed in late 2014. “I have had the honor and the privilege of leading Goodspeed Musicals for more than 45 years but believe with my whole heart, that the time has come to pass the reins onto someone new who will lead the institution into its next phase. The greatest joy is working with the most incredible theatrical team ever assembled, a team that together will take Goodspeed to even greater heights. I look forward to working with our Board of Trustees and staff during the transition period,” Price said.

THE PALACE

The Palace Theater in Waterbury is recruiting new volunteers to assist with a variety of Front of House responsibilities during the theater’s busy performance season. Individuals interested in joining the volunteer program are encouraged to sign-up online at www.palacetheaterct.org/volunteering, after which they will be contacted by the volunteer office with information regarding the program’s upcoming orientation and information sessions. Sessions are currently being scheduled during the final two weeks in January. Palace Theater volunteers are charged with providing unmatched customer service to patrons in a variety of areas, including, but not limited to, collating and stuffing program books, collecting tickets, and acting as an usher, greeter or coat room attendant. Volunteers must be able to stand for several hours and climb stairs without difficulty, as assigned positions rotate throughout the season.

Volunteers must be at least 15 years of age and have excellent verbal and interpersonal skills. The hours of volunteer work vary depending on the performance, but each shift requires a minimum four-hour time commitment on average. Every volunteer is required to work a minimum of ten shows per calendar year. For more information, visit www.palacetheaterct.org/volunteering or call the volunteer hotline at 203-346-2017.

HARTFORD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
HSO MASTERWORKS SERIES: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
Featuring the Hartford Symphony Orchestra; Carolyn Kuan, conductor and HSO music director; Darko Tresnjak, stage director and Hartford Stage artistic director; Chorus Angelicus & Gaudeamus, chorus - Gabriel Löfvall, artistic director; Amanda Hall, soprano; Jamilyn Manning-White, mezzo-soprano
Thursday, January 9, 2014 - 7:30 p.m.
Friday, January 10, 2014 - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 11, 2014 - 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, January 12, 2014 - 3:00 p.m.
There will be a pre-concert chat led by Music Director Carolyn Kuan one hour prior to each performance. 
Belding Theater - The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
Program: Felix Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Ticket Information: Tickets to this concert range in price from $35.50-$67.50. Student tickets are $10.  On Saturday, January 11, $25 tickets are available for patrons age 40 and under.  To purchase tickets for more information, please contact HSO ticket services at (860) 244-2999 or visit www.hartfordsymphony.org.  

WESLEYAN
Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts is one of the 2014 Arts Catalyze Placemaking "Arts Leadership" grantees, and will receive $10,000 to support placemaking around two performances taking place on Friday, February 14, 2014— the New England premiere of the dance work "Times Bones" by San Francisco's Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, and the Connecticut debut concert by Vadym Kholodenko, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Gold Medalist —as well as the 15th annual DanceMasters Weekend, taking place on Saturday, March 8 & Sunday, March 9, 2014.
THE BUSHNELL

Canadian guiitar sensation Jesse Cook has announced a 25-date US tour in April/May which includes a stop in Hartford at The Bushnell’s Belding Theater on April 17. Tickets are on sale now and available online at www.bushnell.org, by phone at 860-987-5900, or at The Bushnell box office, 166 Capitol Ave., Hartford.

Civil War Musical Has a Message for Kids at The Palace

The importance of courage and personal integrity is presented against the backdrop of the American Civil War in the Palace Theater’s Education Series presentation of Four Score and Seven Years Ago, on Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 9:30 and 11:30 am. 

Tickets for the ArtsPower musical are $10 for individuals, $8 for groups of 15 or more, and can be purchased by phone at 203-346-2000, online at www.palacetheaterct.org or at the Box Office, 100 East Main Street in Waterbury.

Four Score and Seven Years Ago follows Lemuel, a young man who has escaped slavery in Georgia and believes life in Gettysburg is everything he had dreamed it would be. His ideas about the North and the South, as well as what it means to be a free man, are challenged however, when he unexpectedly befriends Jacob, a young Confederate soldier. 

The two men may be of different races and on different sides of the Civil War, but they have much to teach each other about bravery and loyalty in ArtsPower’s exciting and suspenseful musical.

Endorsed by the Connecticut Association of Schools, all Palace Theater Education Series  shows are carefully selected to address specific curriculum for students grades K-12, including history, language arts, humanities and bully prevention. Before the show, teachers are equipped with a package of study guides, workshop ideas and homework assignments that reinforce State Curriculum Standards in Education while enhancing students’ everyday academic work.

Recommended for grades three through eight, Four Score and Seven Years Ago highlights curricular integrations in the subjects of American history, language arts, communications, social studies and music.

To book a class field trip, contact Deirdre Patterson at 203-346-2011.

Goodspeed Presents 9th Annual Festival of New Musicals

The Ninth Annual Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals, produced by Goodspeed Musicals’ Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre, kicks off its three-day festival of brand new works on Friday, Jan. 17 at the Goodspeed Opera House with a staged reading of the timely musical Adam Lives. 

On Saturday, Jan.18, the musical fantasy A Proper Place  debuts.  On the final day of the festival, the unconventional Theory of Relativity by the team who wrote the Goodspeed and Broadway tuner The Story of My Life will be presented. 

Several special events will round out the weekend.  Tickets: Box Office; 860-873-8668; www.goodspeed.org.  Tickets are $15 each for one show, $10 each for students. 

This year, Goodspeed’s Festival GOLD Package offers a weekend full of special events. The $89 package includes admission to all three staged readings; the New Musical Preview, a short preview of a new musical headed to The Norma Terris Theatre in 2014; the Symposium panel discussion with musical theatre luminaries; three festival seminar sessions; a Saturday evening pre-show dinner at either the Gelston House OR La Vita Gustosa and a Meet the Writers Reception which will complete the weekend’s festivities. 

Also included in the special Festival Package is a tour of Goodspeed’s mid-campus facilities including the McMillian Rehearsal Studio, Scherer Library, Costume Shop and Music Department and admittance to either the Friday Night or Saturday Night Cabarets, informal gatherings showcasing new songs by new and established artists. A special SILVER Package with schedule highlighting the staged readings, symposium and new musical preview is also available for only $49.

Productions from the three composing teams included in the Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals and the schedule of Special Events for Festival Package ticket holders include:

Friday, January 17

Adam Lives

7:30 p.m., Goodspeed Opera House

Book, Music & Lyrics by Rob Baumgartner, Jr. Adam is an unsuccessful songwriter who doesn’t know how to settle into his long-term relationship with Claudia. When he has an opportunity to write for an emerging pop superstar, Adam is forced to decide which he values more: an enduring partnership or a love that is worthy of song. Adam Lives is about finding      and keeping the important things in life, but at what cost?

Festival Cabaret

10:00 p.m., Gelston House

Showcasing new songs by our festival writers.

Saturday, January 18

Seminars

10:00  - 12:45 p.m., Gelston House

They’re the Tops!  - What makes a Broadway hit? Mark Acito, Helen Hayes Award-winning playwright, novelist, and theatre historian, will discuss the common threads among the 100 top-selling Broadway shows of all time.

Uncovering Goodspeed Treasures - Tucked away on a top shelf or buried in a dusty box, many one-of-a-kind treasures have been uncovered and preserved for generations to come in Goodspeed’s Scherer Library of Musical Theatre. Noted author and theatre historian Ken Bloom will guide a discussion about some of the most fascinating objects in this rare collection.

An Actor’s Life  - Get to know your favorite stars from Goodspeed’s Hello, Dolly!. The beloved Klea Blackhurst (Dolly) and the Tony-nominated Tony Sheldon(Horace) will share stories of their lives as actors – including the triumphs, heartaches, and struggles.

Casting 101 –Back by popular demand! Learn the ins and outs of the casting process as Goodspeed’s Casting Director Paul Hardt and Resident Music DirectorMichael O’Flaherty uncover the tricks-of-the-trade.

           

          ADDITIONAL SEMINARS TBA

New Musical Preview

2:30 – 3:30 p.m., Goodspeed Opera House

A preview of a new musical headed to Goodspeed’s Norma Terris Theatre in 2014

Symposium *

4:00 p.m., Goodspeed Opera House

On the Road to Holiday Inn: Creating a World Premiere Ever wonder what it takes to move a musical from conception to full-blown stage production? Now at the halfway mark of the process, a panel of theatre experts and members of the creative team will explore the work that’s been done and what’s still to come for Goodspeed’s world premiere of Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn.

   *This event is free and open to the public.

Festival Dinner

5:30 p.m., Gelston House  - OR - La Vita Gustosa

Enjoy a three course meal with fellow festival goers.

A Proper Place

7:30 p.m., Goodspeed Opera House

Book by Leslie Becker and Curtis Rhodes

Music by Curtis RhodesLyrics by Leslie BeckerAdditional Lyrics by Curtis Rhodes
It is 1902. Mayfair, England. When an upper class British family is shipwrecked on an island with only their butler to help them survive, traditional class systems are questioned and unexpected love blossoms. Based         on J. M. Barrie’s play The Admirable Crichton, this musical fantasy with a sumptuous score, dubbed a “cross between Downton Abbey and Gilligan’s Island,” is a classic tale of equality, survival and forbidden love.

Festival Cabaret

10:00 p.m., Gelston House

Sunday, January 19

Theory of Relativity

1:00 p.m., Goodspeed Opera House

Music & Lyrics by Neil Bartram Book by Brian HillThis unconventional new musical from the writers of The Story of My Life is a joyous and moving look at our surprisingly interconnected lives. Through a collection of songs, scenes and monologues, The Theory of Relativity introduces a compelling array of characters experiencing the joys and heartbreaks, the liaisons and losses, the inevitability and the wonder of human connection.

 Meet the Writers Reception

3:30 p.m., Gelston House

Gain insight into the inspirations and processes of the writers. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres and cash bar.

Lodging and dining information for Festival attendees as well as up-to-date information on the weekend’s events may be found at goodspeed.org.

Something Fishy is Going on at Downtown Cabaret's Children's Theater

Something fishy is going on in Bridgeport.

Downtown Cabaret's Children's Theater presents The Littlest Mermaid Saturday, Jan. 11 through Sunday, Feb. 16. The Mermaid Sisters are about to hook a record contract but someone’s “wicked” jealous. With the help of Cindy Lobsta and friends Fish and Chips, the littlest of the mermaids believes all her dreams will come true – but what’s the catch? 

The Cast  meets and greets audience members after each performance. Tickets are $19 –for children and $23 for adults: 203-576-1636; Box Office located 263 Golden Hill Street, Bridgeport; downtowncabaret.org.

Upcoming Children’s Theatre productions include Robin Hood (March 1-30) and Aladdin (April 12 -May 18).

Big Book Getaway Features Dr. Ruth, Debbie Macomber, PJ O'Rourke

Enjoy a literary escape to with other book lovers and meet celebrated authors at the Big Book Getaway at Mohegan Sun Resort Feb. 21-22, presented by The Mark Twain House and Museum.  Hear presentations by Debbie Macomber, Sarah Addison Allen, P.J. O'Rourke, Pete Hamill, Eloisa James, Charlotte Rogan and Dr. Ruth Westheimer.  Enjoy panel discussions on genres including romance, biography, military, fiction, theater, travel, cooking, memoir, spiritualism, history and many other topics. Come and enjoy fun experiences including gaming, virtual travel, spa services, nightlife, shopping, and dining. The Big Book Getaway has something for everyone.     Dr. Ruth Westheimer Admission for the Friday night, Feb. 21, program only is $45. There are only 200 seats available for Opening Night and it is expected to sell out. Admission for the Saturday, Feb. 22, program only is $65. General Admission for the full two day event is $100 for the entire program. Go to the Big Book Club Getaway website,www.thebigbookclub.org  to register, and to get expanded information on the program, the authors, the panels, accommodations and activities. The Big Book Getaway is sponsored by The New London Day, Hallmark Channel, History Press, Essex Books, Reading Group Choices, LymeLine.com, ValleyNewsNow.com and RJ Julia Booksellers.   Some of the panels include: Steamy Stories - Bestselling Romance and Erotica featuring Eloisa James, Shannon Stacey, Cathy Maxwell and Lisa Gabriele A Hero's Tale - Military Memoirs and Biographies featuring Artis Henderson, Jason "Jay" Redman, Jim DeFelice and Captain Glenn Sulmasy P. J. O'Rourke Novel Ideas - Male Authors in Journalism and Fiction featuringNorb Vonnegut, Pete Hamill, and David Handler Magical Fiction - Spirits, Mystery & Wonderment featuring Sarah Addison Allen and Suzanne Palmieri (Hayes) The Way We Were - Historical Fiction featuring Charlotte Rogan, Stephanie Lehman, and Heather Webb Reflections in the Light - Christian Writing featuring Tessa Afshar, Carol Barnier, allia Zobel Noland and Lucinda Secrest McDowell  Kiss and Tell - Harlequin Romance Authors featuring Kristan Higgins, Shannon Stacey, Natalie Charles and Kristine Rolofson Telling My Truth - Memoir and the Self  featuring Brando Skyhorse, Karen Dietrich, Mellini Kantayya and Diane Smith Delicious Writing - Books with Food featuring Giulia Melucci, Jessica Soffer and Suzan Colón On Water and Relationships - River Journeys featuring David "Bugsy" Morine, Joseph Monninger and Dr. Cindy Lovell For more information, visit the Big Book Getaway website at www.thebigbookclub.org.

Break the Code to See Author Dan Brown at The Bushnell

Dan Brown

Dan Brown, author of "The DaVinci Code," "Inferno" and numerous bestsellers, will stop by Hartford June 7 in a fundraising appearance for the Mark Twain House and Museum.

It's a rare on-stage appearance for Brown, who will engage in conversation with WNPR radio personality John Dankosky at The Bushnell. Tickets will go on sale to the public at 10 am Friday, Jan. 10, but Mark Twain House and Museum members can get a jump on the sales Tuesday, Jan. 7, also at 10 am.

Members will be issued a special code for these early purchases by e-mail -- a word so secret, with such arcane properties, that it will grant them this unusual power. To achieve this status, non-members can join by going to www.marktwainhouse.org and clicking "Memberships," or by clicking here, or by calling (860) 280-3112. 

Tickets range in price from $25 to $75. There will be a limited number of $250 VIP tickets available that include a pre-event reception with a chance to meet and chat with Brown; premium VIP orchestra seating locations at The Bushnell event; and a pre-signed copy of "Inferno."

Connecticut Arts Connections

HARTFORD STAGE:
Hartford Stage announces their participation as a regional competition host for Young Playwrights for Change: The Anti-Bullying Project. The project invites middle school students to write and submit 10-minute plays that explore the topic of bullying by Jan. 17.

The mission of this project is to harness the creativity of young playwrights and bring focus to real world issues. Young Playwrights for Change seeks to spark meaningful conversations about bullying in classrooms, schools, and communities that will ripple across our nation to provoke change.

As a regional host, Hartford Stage will select the top three plays to receive Honorable Mentions at the Write On Annual Young Playwrights’ Competition Staged Readings, and each play will receive staged readings at a Hartford Stage Youth Studio Showcase.

The second place play will receive a special one-on-one session with professional playwright and Aetna New Voices Fellow Janine Nabers.

The first place play will also receive a special one-on-one session with Janine Nabers, will be published in an anthology of works by young authors, and the play will be submitted to the national competition hosted by Theatre for Young Audiences USA and American Alliance for Theater and Education.

The national grand-champion at the national competition will win a trip with two family members to Washington, D.C. to hear his or her play read by professional actors at the Kennedy Center New Visions/New Voices pre-conference.

For more information, please visit www.hartfordstage.org/young-playwrights-change. To submit a 10-minute play, email play and entry form to Aurelia Clunie,aclunie@hartfordstage.org by Jan. 17.

WESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE
Westport Country Playhouse will continue its 2013-14 Family Festivities Series with “Dino-Light,” a heart-rending original tale about Darwin, a friendly dinosaur, on Sunday, Jan. 19, at 1 and 4 pm, recommended for age 5 and up. Tickets are $20. Everyone in the audience requires a ticket: 203-227-4177; 888-927-7529; www.westportplayhouse.org.

THE O'NEILL THEATER CENTER
The O’Neill will receive $55,000 to support the continued development of new work during its 2014 National Playwrights and National Music Theater Conferences.

WESLEYAN CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Title of Event: The Assembly - “HOME/SICK”

Location: CFA Theater, 271 Washington Terrace. Middletown

Date: Thursday, January 30 and Friday January 31, 2014 at 8pm

Fee: $23 general public; $19 senior citizens, Wesleyan faculty/staff/alumni, non-Wesleyan students; $6 Wesleyan students

Phone: 860-685-3355

Website: www.wesleyan.edu/cfa

Twelve Years a Slave Discussion Set At Stowe Center

"Twelve Years a Slave" is one of 2013's top critically acclaimed feature films -- but it was a true story first, and then a book, published shortly after Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin."

The full title is "Twelve Years a Slave: Narrative of Solomon Northup, Citizen of New-York, Kidnapped in Washington City in 1841, Rescued in 1853, from a Cotton Plantation Near the Red River in Louisiana."

In a special edition of the Nook Farm Book Talks  Wednesday, Jan. 22, attendees will get a chance to dicuss this gripping and disturbing of human inhumanity -- and human courage.

Nook Farm Book Talk is an informal book discussion, a collaboration between the Stowe Center and The Mark Twain House & Museum. The discussion of "Twelve Years a Slave" takes place at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, 77 Forest St., Hartford beginning at 5 pm. The book is available in the Stowe Center bookshop.

Northrup was an African American born free in New York State, kidnapped in Washington, DC, sold into slavery, and kept in bondage for 12 years before the American Civil War. He provided details of slave markets in DC and New Orleans, and described at length cotton and sugar cultivation on major plantations in Louisiana.

Published in 1853, Northup's book was a bestseller. His facts supported Stowe's fictional narrative in detail, as the area where Northup was enslaved was close to the fictional setting of Simon Legree's plantation on the Red River, where much of Stowe's narrative takes place.

The event is free, but registration is encouraged at 860-522-9258, Ext. 317.