FLORENCE, Ala. – Pillar of Fire will commemorate the 90th birthday of American literary legend Ray Bradbury with a year-long celebration highlighted by three stage productions of the author’s imaginative and influential work.

The trio of theatrical performances will include the stirring science-fiction collection THE MACHINERIES OF JOY (Aug. 12-15), the eerie Halloween omnibus THE OCTOBER COUNTRY (Oct. 7-10) and the side-splitting Irish comedy FALLING UPWARD (March 10-13, 2011). All three productions will be presented at the Zodiac Theatre in Florence, Alabama.

“Together, these three collections span the spectrum of Ray’s kaleidoscopic work – from the fantastic and futuristic to the witty, the whimsical and the macabre,” says Pillar of Fire director Terry Pace, who co-founded the theatre and film company with Bradbury in 2003 – three years after the author made a memorable visit to the Shoals and the University of North Alabama.

“Ray attended our production of his one-act play collection THE WORLD OF RAY BRADBURY and loved the experience – he fell in love with the area, the people and the local theatre community,” Pace recalled. “He also spoke to a packed house at UNA and donated several signed books and scripts to the university archives. This year marks the tenth anniversary of that exciting and unforgettable visit, which inspired the formation of Pillar of Fire and so many future Bradbury collaborations.”

Master fantasist Bradbury – the creator of FAHRENHEIT 451, SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES, THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES, THE ILLUSTRATED MAN and other cherished literary classics – was born in Waukegan, Illinois, on August 22, 1920. A winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the Presidential Medal for the Arts and the National Book Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the author, poet, essayist, screenwriter and playwright lives in Los Angeles, where he still writes every day.

“Live theatre is my first and best love,” Bradbury insists. “They say novelists write the books they wish they could find in libraries. I set out to write the plays I did not see on the American stage.”

Pillar of Fire’s upcoming stage productions – along with film screenings, lectures, readings, radio dramas, school programs, exhibits and other special events related to Bradbury and his work – will be presented under the umbrella title BRADBURY 90: JOURNEY TO FAR METAPHOR.

“The fundamental mission of Pillar of Fire – a name inspired by the title of a classic Bradbury short story – is to preserve, perform and present Ray’s written work, and to celebrate his vast and enduring influence,” explained Pace, who teaches English at the University of North Alabama and frequently incorporates Bradbury’s stories and essays into his writing and literature classes.

“The cycle of creative inspiration that surrounds Ray and his work is unprecedented in American culture,” Pace continued. “With that in mind, we’re also saluting the works of Edgar Allan Poe and Norman Corwin, two American authors – one from the 19th century and one from the 20th – who played a profound role in the development of Ray’s vivid imagination and unique writing style.”

After his 2000 production of THE WORLD OF RAY BRADBURY, Pace went on to direct a second production of the author’s one-acts, THE BRADBURY CHRONICLES (2002), as well as two full-length plays, SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES and LEVIATHAN 99 (both 2005). He has also adapted two of Bradbury’s short stories, “The Jar” and “The Man Upstairs,” into authorized one-act stage scripts.

“Ray is an American treasure, and he’s still going strong,” Pace observed. “He will be intimately involved in every aspect of the Pillar of Fire celebration, from the planning and selection process through the actual production and promotion of the plays. Even though his health prevents him from traveling outside of L.A. and joining us in person, he’ll definitely be with us in spirit. Even though he’s close to turning 90, his creative energy and enthusiasm are ageless and undiminished.”

A complete schedule of Bradbury 90 events – including details on the participation of Bradbury and other special guests – will be announced in April. Tickets for all three stage productions will go on sale in May. Discount tickets will be available for groups as well as those who wish to purchase a combination ticket for all three shows. Admission to individual performances will be $10 for adults and $5 for students, seniors and the military. Opening-night admission for each show will be Pay What You Like, where a donation of any amount will be accepted at the door.

“In addition to being part of the nationwide celebration of Ray’s 90th birthday, Pillar of Fire will be partnering with a number of different arts organizations across the region as well as area schools, public libraries, bookstores, community groups and the University of North Alabama,” Pace concluded. “Best of all, proceeds from ticket sales for all three productions will benefit the John S. Cassimus Endowed Scholarship at UNA. That means the money we raise will have a positive and lasting effect on the education of a new generation of Bradbury readers.”

Teachers on the junior high or high school level who are interested in booking BRADBURY 90 programs or readings for their classes – or who are interested in bringing their students to special school matinee performances of any of the three upcoming Bradbury stage productions – can contact Pace at (256) 366-4512 or pillarofire@bellsouth.net.

Terry Pace
pillaroffire@bellsouth.net

“Go, children. Run and read. Read and run. Show and tell. Spin another pyramid on its nose. Turn another world upside down. Laugh and think. Dream and learn and build.” – Ray Bradbury

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More celebrations of Mr B's 90th. Hoorah! Well done, Terry, and I hope others will follow suit in staging something.

I hope to make it to at least one or two of these, economics and braving the Interstate, permitting.