On Monday, June 16 at 7:00 p.m., InterAct Theatre Company's ninth season of Writing Aloud concludes with The Whole Wide World, an evening of three wild and far-reaching stories of travel, immigration, and inter-cultural encounters.

ABOUT The Whole Wide World
Presented on Monday, June 16, The Whole Wide World features three intimate and adventurous stories of foreignness and travel, immigrants and tourists, language barriers and love. The three featured writers take a good hard look at how relationships, roads, languages, relics, buildings, animals, and sex can all reveal to us how big-and small-the world really is.

The Whole Wide World is the final program in the 2007-2008 season of InterAct Theatre Company's award-winning series Writing Aloud, featuring works by contemporary writers read aloud by Philadelphia's best actors. Tickets for the performance, held at 7:00 p.m. on the mainstage at The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom Street, are $15.00 for general admission or $10.00 for InterAct subscribers. Seating is limited, so advance reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 215-568-8079. Discount subscriptions and group rates are also available. A reception with refreshments will follow the performance.

The June 16 season finale of Writing Aloud opens with "Songbird," written by Rayne Debski (of Boiling Springs, PA) and read by Catharine Slusar. "Songbird" follows an illegal Russian immigrant who works as a caretaker for an elderly American invalid as she undertakes the harrowing task of finding someone to substitute for her at work so that she can go to her relative's wedding.

Next, "Brancacci Chapel," written by David Sanders (of Philadelphia, PA) and read by Christie Parker introduces us to Lydia, a cruise-ship magician's assistant, who accepts on a whim her lover's invitation to move to Italy, but soon finds she's on board for more than she bargained for.

Finally, "Cross-Cultural Studies," written by Rosemary Zurlo-Cuva (of Madison, WI) and read by Erin Reilly charts the brief love affair between Tracie, a Midwestern college freshman, and Sunil, a Hindu graduate student.

ABOUT THE WRITING ALOUD PROGRAM
Founded by David Sanders, Writing Aloud was established in 1999 to present diverse voices in contemporary fiction by the region's best writers, read on stage by professional actors. Quickly establishing itself as the region's premiere reading series, Writing Aloud has attracted sold-out audiences, has been featured in special broadcasts on WHYY-FM public radio, and is a recipient of Philadelphia Magazine's 2001 "Best of Philly" award. This season, Rebecca Wright takes over the directorship with hopes to spend the coming season building upon the program's strengths and taking a fresh look at how it can be even better.

ABOUT INTERACT THEATRE COMPANY
InterAct Theatre Company, lead by Producing Artistic Director Seth Rozin, is one of the nation's leading centers for new writing in theatre, introducing important contemporary writers to audiences through its world premiere stage productions, developmental residencies, and Showcase of New Plays. The Writing Aloud program extends InterAct's mission of cultivating and presenting diverse artistic voices into the realm of short fiction.

UPCOMING WRITING ALOUD EVENTS
The Whole Wide World is the finale in InterAct Theatre Company's 2007/2008 season of Writing Aloud. A new season of Writing Aloud will be announced in July.