Stories on Stage Davis began in the fall of 2013 as the passion project of our founder, Jeri Howitt, who wanted to establish a new and unique home for literature in the city of Davis. Following the example of National Public Radio’s Selected Shorts and our own sister series Stories on Stage Sacramento, Howitt launched a monthly series with performances of the best authors and writing she could find.
And actors. Our event pairs each story with an actor, who brings new life to the experience of hearing literature aloud. (Our shows are like nights at the theater!) We invite our authors to introduce their work, before they hand the mic over to their actor, who performs the story. Howitt served our event, and the Davis community, as our director for three years, before handing the reins to a series of local authors including authors Naomi Williams, Elise Winn, and Maya Sinha, who continue our event’s tradition of monthly performances of excellent writing.
We’re proud to say that since our event began, we’ve had shows that were hilarious, others that were poignant (and many that were both), and that each and every one has been captivating.
As a testament to the popularity of our event, we started upstairs in downtown Davis’ Pence Gallery, then moved downstairs to the main auditorium, for a total of ten wonderful years at the Pence. In our eleventh year, we made the hard decision to move to a venue that can seat many more: the event space at Sudwerk Brewing Co., its walls lined with local art and a full bar for our guests to enjoy at intermission. This lively community space marks an exciting change and opportunity for growth.
We’re thrilled to be able to present our community with National Book Award finalists, New York Times bestsellers, and emerging authors, who often go on to great things.
Our commitment to literature, live performances, and the vibrant culture of our city is the driving force of our efforts. Behind the scenes is a collective of talented and diverse community members, each of whom believes that there is nothing better than hearing authors and actors live. We hope you’ll join us for “Second Sundays at Sudwerk.”
Make sure you sign up for our newsletter to hear the latest show schedules and announcements. We hope to see you in our audience!