New Jersey Stage published its 25,000th story in December 2021. As the site approached the milestone, we posed the question on social media as how we should celebrate.  One response was to highlight our favorite stories from over the years.  We liked this idea, but could not narrow things down to just 25 favorites so we will present a favorite each day from different genres.  Every Tuesday we feature one of our favorite stories in theatre. This week's choice is a feature on "Matilda" and the Power of Reading.

The feature was published on March 4, 2020 and is available here. British writer Roald Dahl’s “Matilda” was published in 1988.  It was turned into a musical by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2010, featuring a book by Dennis Kelly and original music by Tim Minchin. The musical has gone on to win more than 40 international awards including five Tony Awards.  The piece was about a production at Axelrod Performing Arts Center.

In the feature, we talk with Luis Salgado who directed and choreographed the production at Axelrod. “As a director, I embrace the authors’ intention of celebrating the importance of literacy in our society—the power of reading and knowledge,” said Salgado. “We live in a world that continues to move deeper and deeper into technology, a world that doesn’t value the power of imagination and discovering new worlds within our own minds. ‘Matilda’ is a fantastic story about community, self-empowerment, and what a young person can aspire to be when inspired by a book.”