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“Words On Stage” Comes to Manlius Library Words On Stage Comes to Manlius Library

Actors and Writers Gather For a New Program at the Library

By Paige Hayes

Participants of Words On Stage gathering at Manlius Library
© 2022 Paige Hayes

NAT SOUND: “Keeping time, time, time, in a sort of runic rhyme.”

PAIGE HAYES: Manlius Library is usually meant for silent reading, but for Tim Fox, he comes here to read out loud.

TIM FOX: Be brave. You know, you’ve probably been writing for years and never bothered to show anybody or think anybody would pay attention.

HAYES: Manlius Library hosts a new program in the story time room called words on stage. This program has been running since last month and is free of charge for ages 18 and up. It’s a chance for writers to see what other people think of their work. Those that wish to perform must submit their work to the programming librarian for adults, Laura Major, by the first of the month.

LAURA MAJOR: The only criteria is length so we don’t want it to be too long. If it’s, you know, a full length play we’ll just do a segment of it instead of the whole thing so we have time for multiple people.

HAYES: Major says that the program will take a break in December but will resume in January and with hopes of growing numbers, Fox says it’s a great opportunity to get feedback now.

FOX: This uh hopefully encourages people to bring their work out, let people hear it, see what it sounds like, and then work on it and try it again next month.

NAT SOUND: Well first of all it’s free… but it is also free of judgment. So anybody who brings anything in, doesn’t get edited.

HAYES: The next Words On Stage will be on November eighth from six to seven in the Story Time room of Manlius Library. Paige Hayes… N-C-C news.

MANLIUS, N.Y. (NCC News)– A new program for actors and writers in Onondaga County has been added to the Manlius Library.

Peter Spartano created the program called “Words On Stage” for people to experience performing their original work for the public and support one another. The first meeting was held in September and the group meets once a month on Tuesday nights.

This program is free of charge and is for ages 18 and over in the Onondaga community. Meetings are always held from 6-7 p.m. in the Story Time room located in the Children’s Center of Manlius Library.

“Our goal is to do something a little different…it’s first of all free, but it’s also free of judgment so anybody who brings anything in, doesn’t get edited,” Spartano said.

Anyone is allowed to attend however, actors and writers are required to submit their scripts and original work to Laura Major, the programming librarian for adults, by the first of each month by email. Her email is lmajor@manliuslibrary.org.

“Peter came to me over the summer with his awesome idea for it. And I loved it right away,” said Major. “So we decided to collaborate and make it a library program and make it open to the public.”

Anyone who submits their work to Major is able to perform in the program and the only criteria that they look for are the length so that there is time for multiple people to participate.

“It’s for everybody who writes or acts and wants to get their craft or their creativity out there and meet other people who are doing the same thing and do it in a very noncompetitive way,” Major said.

Though the program has only had two meetings, Tim Fox, a participant in the event, said the library has been great at publicizing it through posters, Eventbrite, and social media.

“We’ve already got a bigger crowd than we did last time,” Fox said.

The hour-long program is an opportunity for people to hear how their work sounds out loud and get feedback according to Fox.

“It’s designed to be fairly short, he (Spartano) doesn’t want to test anybody’s endurance,” Fox said. “But it’s about an hour of encouragement for people who have either written something or like to perform.”

The program is expected to take a break in December but will resume its meetings in January.

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