Sarasota, Florida (March 23, 2007) – Asolo Repertory Theatre is pleased to announce that the Verizon Foundation is collaborating on Beyond the Book. This is the Verizon Foundation’s first partnership with Asolo Rep as Verizon strives to fulfill their goal of “building literate communities through online resources, community-based initiatives and programs advancing literacy across the lifespan”. Beyond the Book provides the Verizon Foundation the perfect opportunity to join a local program that has been developed to promote literacy and encourage reading through events and promotion.

The Verizon Foundation further stresses the importance of assuring “that people gain the complex literacy skills needed across the lifespan, from early childhood through adulthood, to participate and compete in the 21^st Century.”

Asolo Rep and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation welcome the Verizon Foundation to Beyond the Book and anticipate a long-standing partnership as Beyond the Book becomes an annual community-wide event.

Pride and Prejudice is running in conjunction with the community wide literary project Beyond the Book, which asks “What would happen if everyone in the community read the same book?” In October of 2006, Asolo Rep, in cooperation with several local organizations, agencies, libraries and bookstores launched this unique project that inspires reading, literacy and community connection on Florida’s GulfCoast. The 2007 selection is Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. After reading the book, the community is invited to delve further into its stimulating ideas and themes by participating in events happening all across our counties. Events include seeing the stage production, joining a book discussion group, viewing various film adaptations, and many others.

Beyond the Book is sponsored by the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice, the Verizon Foundation and Asolo Repertory Theatre. Corporate media sponsors are Comcast and The Sarasota Herald-Tribune in addition to various foundations, corporations and individuals who have committed their support to this community-wide literacy project. 

Pride and Prejudice runs from March 23 to May 6, 2007, written by Jane Austen, adapted by Catherine Sheehy, directed by Mark Rucker and features guest actors Kate Hampton, John Pasha, Bryant Richards, and Olivia D’Ambrosia, along with resident actors David Breitbarth, James Clarke, Douglas Jones, Carolyn Michel and Sharon Spelman, as well as other Asolo Rep company members.

More information and a complete calendar of Beyond the Book events are available on the program’s website, www.BeyondtheBookFL.org.

Tickets to Pride and Prejudice are on sale at Asolo Rep’s box office at 941-351-8000 and online at www.asolo.org.