Writers Theatre was founded on a dedication to the word and the artist. We value text as the fundamental source of inspiration. At every production, we invite you to lean forward and engage with the stories, and to think about and discuss what you see. Our Education Department supports and promotes literacy by working with students to explore novels, adapt them into plays, and interact with these texts to further understand their characters and themes.
It is for this reason that Writers Theatre is excited to recognize the 32nd annual Banned Books Week sponsored by 
the American Library Association and other partnering organizations. This week celebrates the freedom to access and read the written word. As the Chicago-headquartered American Library Association puts it, Banned Books Week “reminds Americans about the importance of preventing censorship and ensuring everyone’s freedom to read any book they choose.”
Our current 2014/15 Season includes a production of The Diary of Anne Frank – a play by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, newly adapted by Wendy Kesselman, and, of course, based on the primary text found in Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. Believe it or not, the original diary is on this year’s list of most frequently challenged, restricted, or banned books in 2013/14. Our commitment to telling stories we feel are important to our society, relevant to our world, and which encourage conversation is one of many reasons we look forward to bringing our production to you this spring.
WT stands with the ALA and encourages everyone to read and to engage with ideas (even fearful ones), to learn more about them, have a conversation about them, and even see a play about them. This week and every week, our freedom to explore, to learn, and to grow with each other should be celebrated.
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