We are bringing from the page to the Tabor Stage our next installment of the Southern Literary Salon Series: The Bible of Barbara Kingsolver on Sunday, May 19 at 3:00 pm.
The Kentucky-raised Kingsolver, who won last year’s Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, has authored nine novels, three nonfiction books, two collections of essays, two books of poetry, a collection of short stories, and a children’s book.
Generously sponsored by Dorothy O. Kirsch, The Bible of Barbara Kingsolver, which will run for approximately one hour without intermission, is curated and directed by Stephanie Shine. Our Southern Literacy Salons are unique, fun social hours of curated readings, scenes, and discussions that explore Southern authors and their works, with a signature cocktail or two.
The cast includes TSC company actors Shine, Dan McCleary, Lauren Gunn, Nicolas Dureaux Picou, and TSC newcomer Sarah Hankins. The actors will read and play Kingsolver’s work, bringing to life moments from Prodigal Summer, Demon Copperhead, and The Poisonwood Bible, as well as selections from her poetry, nonfiction works, and interviews.
“I have had a personal relationship with Barbara Kingsolver’s works for over 30 years,” says Shine. “We’ve grown up together. I find that her expansiveness, fueled by her intelligence and curiosity, makes her writing of vital importance. She always opens her readers’ eyes to social subjects that humanity needs to explore in a way that is palatable, although sometimes painful, in its honesty.”
Barbara Kingsolver is a celebrated American novelist known for her insightful exploration of social and environmental issues. She was raised in rural Kentucky and currently lives in Appalachia, the influences of which can be felt throughout her work. Kingsolver’s profound understanding of the natural world infuses her work with vivid imagery and ecological consciousness. She has gained wide acclaim with her bestselling novels that explore the complexities of family, community, and the intersection between the personal and the political. Her novel Demon Copperhead, which is a modern retelling of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield set in Appalachia, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2023.
“My job, as I understand it,” Kingsolver has said, “is to invent lives that are far more enlightening than my own, invested with special meaning. That’s the whole advantage of fiction over life: you get to control the outcome.”
Box Office
Tickets in Seating Section One are $29.00 (Students $22.00/Seniors $26.00). Tickets in Seating Sections Two and Three are $22.00 (Students $17.00).
Tickets may be purchased online here or by calling our Box Office at (901) 759-0604, which is open Monday-Friday from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm, and one hour prior to curtain.
TSC is located near the northeast corner of Shelby Farms Park at 7950 Trinity Road, Memphis, TN 38018-6297.
No refunds/exchanges. The house opens 30 minutes prior to curtain. Credit Card charges require a $1 per-ticket fee. Free Tabor Stage parking and covered drop-off at the front door are available at TSC. The cast and schedule are subject to change with notice. Ms. Kingsolver is not expected to be present at the Salon.
Season 16 Sponsors and Partners
TSC’s generous sponsors of its season, productions, and Education and Outreach Program include FedEx, International Paper, Arts Midwest, ARTSmemphis, Tennessee Arts Commission, Independent Bank, Evans Petree PC, First Horizon Foundation through an ArtsFirst grant, AutoZone, Nancy R. Copp, Kathryn and Jim Gilliland, Anne and Mike Keeney, Pat and Ernest Kelly, Dorothy O. Kirsch, J. Walker Sims and the Sims Family Charitable Trust, the Barbara B. Apperson Angel Fund, the family of Owen and Margaret Wellford Tabor, the Dunbar Abston Fund for Sustainable Excellence, and the Jack Jones Children’s Literacy Fund.
TSC’s season is funded under a Grant Contract with the State of Tennessee; and is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number SLFRP5534, awarded to the State of Tennessee by the U.S. Department of Treasury.
TSC’s programming and outreach partners include Bartlett Performing Arts Center, Benjamin Hooks Public Library Friends, Cities of Bartlett and Collierville and Memphis, Davies Manor, Dixon Gallery & Gardens, Memphis Juvenile Justice System, Memphis V.A. Medical Center, Overton Park Shell, Overton Square, Shelby County Election Commission, Shelby County Schools, St. George’s Episcopal Church, University of Memphis’ Department of Theatre & Dance, Wiseacre Brewery, WKNO Radio (91.1 FM Memphis), and Woodlawn.
