TALES AND AUTHORS
Mary Wilkins Freeman Anita Loos Langston Hughes Sinclair Lewis
TALES AT THE DORMER HOUSE 2026
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The Chariot Race from Ben Hur (1880) by Civil War General Lew Wallace and the differences between the book and the 1959 movie, presented by Gayle Stahlhuth who thinks the film should have received the Oscar for Best Adaptation, which would have made it a clean sweep of 12 wins, instead of 11. (But, then, Gayle hasn’t read the British novel Room at the Top, whose movie adaptation did win.)
New York in the 1920's: John Dos Pasos’ Manhattan Transfer (1925) read by Frank Smith and Langston Hughes’ writings
during The Harlem Renaissance read by Stephanie Garret. The award-winning vocal group founded in 1969,
Manhattan Transfer was named after the novel.
A Bird in the Hand presented by Michele LaRue: Sara Orne Jewett's "Miss Esther's Guest" (1893) about a single woman who
offers a room to rent, only to find a gentleman, not a lady, takes the offer, and Mary E. Wilkins Freeman's "The Parrot" (1900)
about a single lady whose parrot lashes out when she cannot.
Stories from the Old West presented by Carolyn Nelson: "On Cowboys" from The Mountains by Stewart Edward White (1905),
"Letter IX, Estes Park, Colorado" from A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella L. Bird (1879), and "Em'ly" by Owen Wister, originally published in Harper's Magazine (1893), later included in his novel, The Virginian (1904).
Horse Racing in Europe: Earnest Hemingway’s “My Old Man” (1923) read by Phil Pizzi. Joe tells the story of growing up with his
father who was a jockey in the complex world of winners and losers in horse racing in Italy and France after WWI.
A Russian Immigrant in America: The first chapter of Vladimir Nabokov’s Pnin (1957) read by James Rana. With help from
strangers, a Russian professor teaching at an American university, arrives in time to give a lecture. It took CAT’s artistic director
Gayle Stahlhuth two years to obtain the rights for the reading.
An Image in a Silent Film: Susan Glaspell’s “His Smile" (1918), read by Patricia Durante, in which a woman goes to great
lengths to see her husband. In 1915, Glaspell and her husband, George Cram Cook, founded The Provincetown Players, which
became the first modern American Theater Company.
Preserving a Diary: Calamity Jane's Diary is brought to life by writer and performer Gayle Stahlhuth, who studied the
diary and the events surrounding it. When Martha Jane Canary’s diary surfaced in 1941, it was proudly displayed at
The Western Trails Museum in Billings, Montana.
A Costume Party: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Camel’s Back” (1919) read by Frank Smith. Can a wealthy young
bachelor propose marriage in a camel costume if the back legs don’t behave?
Small Towns in Maine: “A White Heron” (1886) about a girl who is asked by a handsome stranger to divulge the location
of a beautiful heron and selections from The Country of the Pointed Firs (1896) about a young woman seeking a quiet
place to write, both by Sarah Orne Jewett, read by Gayle Stahlhuth.
What Makes Two Women Happy: Michele LaRue presents Kate Chopin's "A Pair of Silk Stockings" (1897) and
Gayle Stahlhuth presents Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” (1894). Like Guy de Maupassant and O. Henry,
Chopin loved putting that “twist” at the end of her stories.
European Travel: Gayle Stahlhuth reads selections from Mark Twain's The Innocents Abroad (1868) including
"Taking It Out on the Tour Guides." Twain was hired by a newspaper to travel through Europe and send back articles
about his experiences, which he soon turned into this insightful and humorous book.
Road Trip Romcom: Chip Rome reads the beginning of Sinclair Lewis's book Free Air (1919). As a young woman from Brooklyn
drives her own car to Washington state, with her wealthy businessman father as passenger, they encounter mud and men.
(In 2027, CAT is looking to do a readers theater production of an adaptation by Tom Sims of this book.)
Fire! Personal Experiences During the Chicago Fire (1871) by Frank J. Loesch, read by Phil Pizzi. A harrowing
account of one of the worst disasters in this country. No, the cow did not start the fire.
Black in the 1930’s: Stephanie Garrett presents Chester Himes' "Headwaiter"(1937). The headwaiter who is Black, is as
kind and polite as can be to the wealthy white restaurant patrons, but do they return the favor? Himes is known for
detective novels and his Cotton Comes to Harlem was turned into a film.
Blonde vs Brunette: Eileen Kirk reads selections from Anita Loos's Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1925) which Loos adapted
for the 1949 Broadway musical that made Carol Channing a star. The 1953 film starred Marilyn Monroe.
Queen for a Day: Damon Runyon's "Madame La Gimp" (1929) about how a woman who sells fruit on Manhattan sidewalks,
becomes a socialite for one day, is read by Frank Smith. Frank Capra turned this tale into two films: Lady for a Day (1933)
and Pocketful of Miracles (1961) with Bette Davis.
Sci-Fi: Gayle Stahlhuth presents Mildred Clingerman's "Minister Without Portfolio" (1952), a science fiction story
about the power of empathy in an everyday conversation with strangers. There were few female sci-fi writers during
this time, and many used a male pseudonym when published. Clingerman did not.
Final Tale at the Dormer House for 2026: Frank Smith, Stephanie Garrett, and Gayle Stahlhuth, as usual, each
present one of their favorites, since it's the final Tales for 2026. This year, Liberty Ero shares a story, too.
Click Here to upload the pdf file of this page
The Chariot Race from Ben Hur (1880) by Civil War General Lew Wallace and the differences between the book and the 1959 movie, presented by Gayle Stahlhuth who thinks the film should have received the Oscar for Best Adaptation, which would have made it a clean sweep of 12 wins, instead of 11. (But, then, Gayle hasn’t read the British novel Room at the Top, whose movie adaptation did win.)
New York in the 1920's: John Dos Pasos’ Manhattan Transfer (1925) read by Frank Smith and Langston Hughes’ writings
during The Harlem Renaissance read by Stephanie Garret. The award-winning vocal group founded in 1969,
Manhattan Transfer was named after the novel.
A Bird in the Hand presented by Michele LaRue: Sara Orne Jewett's "Miss Esther's Guest" (1893) about a single woman who
offers a room to rent, only to find a gentleman, not a lady, takes the offer, and Mary E. Wilkins Freeman's "The Parrot" (1900)
about a single lady whose parrot lashes out when she cannot.
Stories from the Old West presented by Carolyn Nelson: "On Cowboys" from The Mountains by Stewart Edward White (1905),
"Letter IX, Estes Park, Colorado" from A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella L. Bird (1879), and "Em'ly" by Owen Wister, originally published in Harper's Magazine (1893), later included in his novel, The Virginian (1904).
Horse Racing in Europe: Earnest Hemingway’s “My Old Man” (1923) read by Phil Pizzi. Joe tells the story of growing up with his
father who was a jockey in the complex world of winners and losers in horse racing in Italy and France after WWI.
A Russian Immigrant in America: The first chapter of Vladimir Nabokov’s Pnin (1957) read by James Rana. With help from
strangers, a Russian professor teaching at an American university, arrives in time to give a lecture. It took CAT’s artistic director
Gayle Stahlhuth two years to obtain the rights for the reading.
An Image in a Silent Film: Susan Glaspell’s “His Smile" (1918), read by Patricia Durante, in which a woman goes to great
lengths to see her husband. In 1915, Glaspell and her husband, George Cram Cook, founded The Provincetown Players, which
became the first modern American Theater Company.
Preserving a Diary: Calamity Jane's Diary is brought to life by writer and performer Gayle Stahlhuth, who studied the
diary and the events surrounding it. When Martha Jane Canary’s diary surfaced in 1941, it was proudly displayed at
The Western Trails Museum in Billings, Montana.
A Costume Party: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Camel’s Back” (1919) read by Frank Smith. Can a wealthy young
bachelor propose marriage in a camel costume if the back legs don’t behave?
Small Towns in Maine: “A White Heron” (1886) about a girl who is asked by a handsome stranger to divulge the location
of a beautiful heron and selections from The Country of the Pointed Firs (1896) about a young woman seeking a quiet
place to write, both by Sarah Orne Jewett, read by Gayle Stahlhuth.
What Makes Two Women Happy: Michele LaRue presents Kate Chopin's "A Pair of Silk Stockings" (1897) and
Gayle Stahlhuth presents Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” (1894). Like Guy de Maupassant and O. Henry,
Chopin loved putting that “twist” at the end of her stories.
European Travel: Gayle Stahlhuth reads selections from Mark Twain's The Innocents Abroad (1868) including
"Taking It Out on the Tour Guides." Twain was hired by a newspaper to travel through Europe and send back articles
about his experiences, which he soon turned into this insightful and humorous book.
Road Trip Romcom: Chip Rome reads the beginning of Sinclair Lewis's book Free Air (1919). As a young woman from Brooklyn
drives her own car to Washington state, with her wealthy businessman father as passenger, they encounter mud and men.
(In 2027, CAT is looking to do a readers theater production of an adaptation by Tom Sims of this book.)
Fire! Personal Experiences During the Chicago Fire (1871) by Frank J. Loesch, read by Phil Pizzi. A harrowing
account of one of the worst disasters in this country. No, the cow did not start the fire.
Black in the 1930’s: Stephanie Garrett presents Chester Himes' "Headwaiter"(1937). The headwaiter who is Black, is as
kind and polite as can be to the wealthy white restaurant patrons, but do they return the favor? Himes is known for
detective novels and his Cotton Comes to Harlem was turned into a film.
Blonde vs Brunette: Eileen Kirk reads selections from Anita Loos's Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1925) which Loos adapted
for the 1949 Broadway musical that made Carol Channing a star. The 1953 film starred Marilyn Monroe.
Queen for a Day: Damon Runyon's "Madame La Gimp" (1929) about how a woman who sells fruit on Manhattan sidewalks,
becomes a socialite for one day, is read by Frank Smith. Frank Capra turned this tale into two films: Lady for a Day (1933)
and Pocketful of Miracles (1961) with Bette Davis.
Sci-Fi: Gayle Stahlhuth presents Mildred Clingerman's "Minister Without Portfolio" (1952), a science fiction story
about the power of empathy in an everyday conversation with strangers. There were few female sci-fi writers during
this time, and many used a male pseudonym when published. Clingerman did not.
Final Tale at the Dormer House for 2026: Frank Smith, Stephanie Garrett, and Gayle Stahlhuth, as usual, each
present one of their favorites, since it's the final Tales for 2026. This year, Liberty Ero shares a story, too.
