Guthrie Theater

Guthrie to Participate in World Record Breaking Reading Campaign
Jumpstart's Read for the Record - October 2

Children Across the Country Read the Same Book on the Same Day

(Minneapolis/St. Paul) The Guthrie Theater invites Twin Cities children, their parents and educators to break records as part of Jumpstart's Read for the Record in the Guthrie's Level 4 Lobby on Thursday, October 2 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

Designed to bring national attention to the importance of preparing our children to read at an early age by organizing the world's largest shared reading experience, Jumpstart's Read for the Record campaign brings hundreds of thousands of people across the country to read one book, on one day for children everywhere. The campaign will create the world's largest "shared reading experience" as children and adults read this year's official campaign book, the beloved children's classic Corduroy by Don Freeman. Jumpstart's Read for the Record will be kicked off with an early morning reading event on NBC's TODAY Show with host Matt Lauer and celebrity guest stars including Jumpstart spokesperson, LL Cool J and award-winning actress Mary-Louise Parker.

At the Guthrie, actors William Sturdivant and Simone Perrin will serve as VIP readers for the event. Sturdivant, trained at the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA program, was recently featured in the Guthrie's smash hit production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Perrin is a Minnesota based theater artist, composer, vocalist, and accordionista. She was recently featured in a collaboration with Kevin Kling in Seattle Repertory Theatre's production of How, How, Why, Why Why, a play by playwright, actor, and storyteller Kevin Kling.

In addition to readings of Corduroy¸ the Guthrie will donate 500 copies of a special collector's edition of Laura Ingalls Wilder's classic book Little House on the Prairie to be given to children who participate.

About the Guthrie Learning Center
The Guthrie Learning Center seeks to support the Guthrie's mission by offering a wide range of exceptional programming focused on personal enrichment through a broad application of theatrical offerings. For more information about class offerings visit www.guthrietheater.org/learn.

About the Guthrie
The Guthrie Theater, founded in 1963, is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training. The Guthrie is dedicated to producing the great works of dramatic literature, developing the work of contemporary playwrights and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. Led by Director Joe Dowling since 1995, the Guthrie opened their new three-theater home on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis in June 2006. The Guthrie is located at 818 South 2nd Street (at Chicago Avenue), in downtown Minneapolis. To purchase tickets or season subscriptions call the Guthrie Box Office between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily at 612.377.2224 or toll-free 877.44.STAGE. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit http://www.guthrietheater.org/.   

About Jumpstart
Jumpstart is a national early education organization that works toward the day every child in America enters school prepared to succeed. Through extraordinary attention in yearlong one-to-one relationships, Jumpstart inspires children to learn, adults to teach, families to get involved, and communities to progress together. Headquartered in Boston, Jumpstart pairs 4,000 trained adults one-to-one with preschool children in need of assistance.  During the 2008-2009 program year, Jumpstart is serving 15,000 children across 20 states, in partnership with 300 early learning centers and nearly 74 universities and colleges throughout the country. For more information, visit the Jumpstart Web site at http://www.jstart.org/. 

About Jumpstart's Read for the Record Sponsor and Founding Partner - Pearson Foundation
The Pearson Foundation helps non-profit organizations around the world deliver books and literacy support to communities in need. We're sharing books we love; raising funds for literacy programs around the world; and helping the next generation of pre-school teachers give every child in America an equal chance to read, learn, and succeed. More information on the Pearson Foundation can be found at http://www.pearsonfoundation.org/.

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