Catawba County News

Educated...Performance Readings

Published: February 05, 2020

This month, the library continues its participation in CVCC’s community-wide read of Educated, author Tara Westover’s memoir about breaking with her family’s beliefs in order to pursue a formal education.

Raised as an End-of-Days survivalist in Idaho, Westover lived in an environment where doctors, public schools, and the federal government were strongly distrusted. She had an isolated upbringing centered around her immediate family and her father’s salvage yard business until she left home as a teenager to attend college and ultimately earn her PhD.

To add another level of engagement to Westover’s memoir, CVCC’s play production class will be offering reader’s theater-style performances of select passages from the book. The students will dramatize several stories that Westover shares, offering oral interpretations of a text not originally intended to be read aloud.

Through on-stage dialogue, audiences will be able to see the tensions at play in the family’s relationships and have a greater understanding of Westover’s struggles to remain in an environment that didn’t support her educational goals.

Two performance readings will take place:

• Wednesday, February 12 at noon at CVCC’s East Wing Auditorium (2550 US Hwy 70 SE, Hickory)
• Wednesday, February 19 at 10 am at The Green Room Community Theatre (10 S Main Ave, Newton)