When you hear that your favorite book or movie has been "optioned" for a film or television mini-series, you may feel both elation and dread. Anytime a book is being adapted for stage, screen, or some other performing arts medium, change is inevitable. And it is this change that fans of particular titles abhor and resent from Hollywood. When occurrences or characters absent from the original story appear, (Minority Report, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Legends of Earthsea) or a successful book fails as a film (Timeline, Queen of the Damned), the go-to excuse is "Books rarely translate well."; but if this were the case, why do Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and The X-Men films continue to succeed at the box office?

These questions are answered with interest in From Page to Stage, a workshop in adapting literature for the performing arts, presented by Lani Tupu and Tee Morris.

Lani Tupu (Commander Crais and the voice of Pilot from Farscape) and Tee Morris (author of MOREVI and Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword) bring their collected experiences as actors and writers together in From Page to Stage (FP2S), a look into one of the toughest aspects of entertainment: adapting published works for stage, film, or radio. This interactive three-hour seminar will take its participants through the process of written work being adapted for stage. Ending with a candid and honest discussion on when things work or when writers get lost in translation, From Page to Stage gives you an idea of what to expect on the road between published work and blockbuster movie.

For additional information, see http://www.teemorris.com/frompage2stage/

The workshop is $75.00 for 3 hours. Enrollment in advance is preferred but participants may sign up at the convention if space is still available. Participants must bring paper and pencil (preferably a full pad of 8x10).

Enroll for the workshop by sending a check or money order for $75 payable to Peachtree Services to Jean Orrico, c/o Peachtree Services, P.O. Box 69133, Seattle, WA 98168 or via PayPal payment of $78 to Emeraldcity12000@yahoo.com (specify in PayPal comments it is for the From Page to Stage Workshop). Whether mailing your workshop registration, or submitting it via PayPal, please include an email address if you have one, as there will be "homework" prior to the workshop, and you will be emailed information to be printed and brought to the workshop.

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Last update: Mon, 5 Mar 2007 by Rich Zellich