(NEW YORK, NY) -- This month, Literature to Life (LTL) will host two free events in New York City entitled "What is the American Dream?" The goal is to bring communities together and explore the unique perspectives of immigrants and refugees in New York City through theatrical performances and interactive discussions.

The first event will take place on Monday, September 16 at The Flea in downtown Manhattan. The following night, Tuesday, September 17, the same event will be produced uptown at the United Palace.  Both events take place at 7:00pm.

Each evening will feature selections from three of LTL’s adaptations: The Latehomecomer, a memoir of the Hmong experience told through the eyes of author Kao Kalia Yang; The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that highlights the Dominican American experience; and The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s beloved classic story of the American dream set against the Jazz age. After a brief introduction and the performances, the evening will culminate with a 30-minute community discussion. Led by an LTL Teaching Artist, artists and activists will engage directly with the audience to have an in-depth conversation around the ways in which each title offers insight into the immigrant experience and how that is reflected in America today.

Tickets are free but pre-registration is required. For more details and to register for tickets, please visit https://literaturetolife.org/americandream. This project is made possible in part with funds administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC). 

“We are so grateful to LMCC for their support of our work,” said LTL Executive Director Lisa Beth Vettoso. “Literature is a lens through which we can learn about and from each other’s unique experiences. We hope these evenings can inspire meaningful conversations and amplify the voices of the people of New York City in order to better serve their needs.”

“An LTL Signature Performance consists of one actor, one story, a deep dive into one narrative that allows us to dissect the different themes of the story through one lens” says Kelvin Grullon, actor for The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and adaptor-director of The Great Gatsby. “However, with this upcoming event we get to flip that structure upside down: we will look at one theme from the perspective of different stories, through many lenses. And even though the end result might be the same–a deeper understanding of the human experience–I find it very exciting because I'm curious about what this approach will yield. What kinds of new text-to-world connections will we discover? How will the different book titles be in metaphysical dialogue with each other? What will we learn, relearn, or realize about the American Dream?”

Literature to Life (LTL) is a performance-based literacy organization that presents professionally staged verbatim adaptations of American literary classics. Initially conceived as the educational program of the renowned American Place Theatre, LTL is now an independent organization with a mission to perform great books that inspire young people to read and become authors of their own lives.With a roster of books by authors such as Richard Wright, Lois Lowry, James Baldwin, Junot Díaz, Kao Kalia Yang, and more, LTL performs nationally in performing arts centers, schools, libraries, and correctional facilities.

This project is made possible in part with funds from Creative Engagement and UMEZ Arts Engagement, a regrant program(s) supported by the funding agencies The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) in partnership with the City Council and Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation (UMEZ), and administered by LMCC.