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City Lit Season Preview
Exciting things upcoming for City Lit during their big anniversary season!
By Catherine Hellmann, Guest Critic
I am the most excited about a brand-new original musical based on Scaramouche. We heard a couple of songs, and it sounds very fresh and fun. This would be a world premiere, a big score (get it?) for the company.
We also heard an excerpt from a play called Changing Channels which takes place during the era of I Love Lucy in television. The actors who read from the script had hilarious, animated voices. This show sounds really wonderful.
Another really intriguing new play is an adaptation from a chapter of Dracula called Strange Cargo. The playwright has worked on this script for about twenty years, so he is justifiably excited to finally see his work on the stage. He was also one of the actors reading from the script.
Sherlock Holmes and the Christmas Clowns will be a limited-run “bonus” show. It is expected to sell out, so subscribers get first dibs at tickets.
The last show sounds extremely intense and has a cast and director who care passionately about the show, having been involved over ten years ago when it was produced in Chicago before. Set in a prison, Jesus Hopped the A Train involves surviving and redemption.
Quite a season! Cheers!
Catherine Hellmann is a teacher, theater lover, and resident of Rogers Park near City Lit.
City Lit’s 2025-26 season to include four premieres by Chicago playwrights and a 21st Century classic
45th season to include Stephen Adly Guirgis’ JESUS HOPPED THE ‘A’ TRAIN, new plays by Timothy Griffin, John Reeger, and John Weagly; and a new musical by Kingsley Day and James Glossman
City Lit Theater has announced its programming for the 2025-26 season, the company’s 45th. The season will have a strong focus on new works by Chicago area writers, including a holiday production to be presented in addition to the company’s four-production season. The season’s subject matter will include two plays exploring justice in America alongside classic fantasy thrillers and a Sherlock Holmes mystery.
The season will open in July with Stephen Adly Guirgis’s JESUS HOPPED THE ‘A’ TRAIN, an explosive contemporary drama that helped to establish Guirgis as one of the current century’s leading American dramatists. This story of a young, incarcerated Latino charged with murder will be directed by Chicago-based actor and director Esteban Andres Cruz, who won a Jeff Award in 2009 for their portrayal of the play’s leading character. Cruz has a long history with Guirgis, including originating the role of Venus Ramirez in Guirgis’s HALFWAY BITCHES GO STRAIGHT TO HEAVEN at Atlantic Theatre Company in New York City. JESUS HOPPED THE ‘A’ TRAIN will open on August 2, 2025, following previews from July 25 and playing through September 7.
Following the Guirgis drama, the City Lit season will focus entirely on new plays by Chicago writers, with three world premieres and one Chicago premiere. The company’s 45th season will continue in October with the world premiere of Timothy Griffin’s STRANGE CARGO: THE DOOM OF THE DEMETER, adapted from the seventh chapter of the Bram Stoker novel DRACULA. This gothic horror high seas adventure tells of the shocking events aboard the cargo ship transporting Count Dracula’s belongings from Transylvania to England. It will be a co-production with Black Button Eyes Productions and will be directed by that company’s Producing Artistic Director Ed Rutherford. The thrills will arrive for the Halloween season, with a press opening Saturday, October 18 following previews from October 10, and playing through November 23.
The suspense will continue in December with the world premiere production of John Weagly’s SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE CHRISTMAS CLOWNS, a mystery adapted from the short story "The Flying Stars" by G.K. Chesterton and from the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This new play will continue City Lit’s 19-year history with the legendary detective, from 2006’s & 2014’s HOLMES AND WATSON, 2015’s THE SEVEN PER-CENT SOLUTION, through 2007’s & 2019’s THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES. Executive Artistic Director Brian Pastor will direct this special holiday production, not included in season subscriptions, but available to subscribers at the reduced price of $20.00. SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE CHRISTMAS CLOWNS CLOWNS will open to the press on Sunday, December 14 following previews on December 13 and 14, and play through January 4, 2026.
The 45th season will resume in February with the Chicago premiere of the historical political drama CHANGING CHANNELS by Chicago actor and playwright John Reeger. Based on actual events, CHANGING CHANNELS is set in 1952 during the McCarthy-era “Red Scare “and follows a television comedy actress who is suspected of having ties with the Communist Party. Veteran Chicago actor and freelance director Kevin Theis will helm the production. CHANGING CHANNELS will open on March 7, following previews from February 27, and play through April 12.
Closing City Lit’s 45th season will be a world premiere musical adaptation of Rafael Sabatini’s 1921 novel SCARAMOUCHE, with music and lyrics by Kingsley Day and book by Day and James Glossman. This classic adventure follows the exploits of a sardonic provincial lawyer who is radicalized by his friend’s brutal murder on the eve of the French Revolution. He repeatedly evades disaster by taking on a series of new identities—first an insurgent orator, then a traveling comic actor, and finally a master swordsman. Day’s many musical theater works include the one-act musical “Text Me,” produced at City Lit in 2024; and with Philip LaZebnik, the musicals SUMMER STOCK MURDER and AZTEC HUMAN SACRIFICE (the latter produced at City Lit in 2023). Co-bookwriter James Glossman enjoyed a two-decade-long collaboration with author and journalist Jim Lehrer that included the plays KICK THE CAN, THE SPECIAL PRISONER, and FLYING CROWS. More recently, he has been collaborating with actor Tom Hanks, on the plays SAFE HOME and THIS WORLD OF TOMORROW (the latter currently in development). SCARAMOUCHE will be directed by Beth Wolf, two-time Jeff nominee (for OUTSIDE MULLINGAR and SILENT SKY at Citadel Theatre) and Founding Artistic Director of Midsommer Flight. SCARAMOUCHE will open to the press on Saturday, May 9 at 7:30 pm, following previews from May 1 and will play through June 14, 2026.
City Lit Season 45 subscriptions are available at $110.00, good for all performances in the regular season, or $85, good for preview performances only. SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE CHRISTMAS CLOWNS may be added to subscriptions for an additional $20 per subscriber. Subscriptions may be ordered online at www.citylit.org or purchased over the phone by calling 773-293-3682. Single tickets for individual Season 45 productions are priced at $30 for previews and $38 for regular performances and will be on sale soon. Senior prices are $5.00 off regular prices. Students and military are $15.00 for all performances.
CITY LIT THEATER'S 2025-2026 SEASON
JESUS HOPPED THE ‘A’ TRAIN
By Stephen Adly Guirgis
Directed by Esteban Andres Cruz
July 25 - September 7, 2025
Previews: July 25 - August 1
Press Opening: Saturday, August 2 at 7:30 pm
Regular Run: August 2 -September 7
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 3 pm
Monday, August 25, at 7:30 pm
Tickets $30 for previews and $38 for regular performances. Senior prices $5.00 off regular prices. Students and military are $15.00 for all performances.
Tickets available online at www.citylit.org or by phone at 773-293-3682.
All performances at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr, on the second floor (accessible via elevator) of the Edgewater Presbyterian Church.
A cage-rattling prison drama from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis (BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY) that boldly examines faith, dignity, and our system of justice. Angel Cruz is a young Puerto Rican man incarcerated for shooting cult leader Reverend Kim. When the Reverend dies during surgery, Angel suddenly finds himself facing murder charges. His only companions at Rikers Island are Lucius Jenkins, a serial killer turned born-again Christian, and Valdez, a sadistic corrections officer.
STRANGE CARGO: THE DOOM OF THE DEMETER
By Timothy Griffin
Adapted from Chapter Seven of the novel DRACULA by Bram Stoker
Directed by Ed Rutherford
A co-production with Black Button Eyes Productions
World Premiere
October 10-November 23, 2025
Previews October 10 - 17
Press Opening Saturday, October 18 at 7:30 pm
Regular run October 18 - November 23
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 3 pm
Monday, November 10 at 7:30 pm
Tickets $30 for previews and $38 for regular performances. Senior prices $5.00 off regular prices. Students and military are $15.00 for all performances.
Tickets available online at www.citylit.org or by phone at 773-293-3682.
All performances at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr, on the second floor (accessible via elevator) of the Edgewater Presbyterian Church.
Based on Chapter Seven of Bram Stoker’s DRACULA, this gothic horror high seas adventure tells the shocking events aboard the cargo ship transporting Count Dracula’s belongings from Transylvania to England. Suspicion, paranoia, and madness infect the crew as the harried sailors disappear one by one. Full of creeping mystery, vibrant language, rich characters, sinister vanishings, violent sea storms, swashbuckling action, monstrous puppetry, and, of course, a boatload of terrors, this is the Dracula tale you’ve never seen.
CHANGING CHANNELS
By John Reeger
Directed by Kevin Theis
Chicago Premiere
February 27-April 12, 2026
Previews February 27 – March 6
Press opening Saturday, March 7 at 7:30 pm
Regular run March 7 – April 12
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 3 pm
Monday, March 30 at 7:30 pm
Tickets $30 for previews and $38 for regular performances. Senior prices $5.00 off regular prices. Students and military are $15.00 for all performances.
Tickets available online at www.citylit.org or by phone at 773-293-3682.
All performances at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr, on the second floor (accessible via elevator) of the Edgewater Presbyterian Church.
Based on actual events, CHANGING CHANNELS is set backstage at the DuMont Television Network in New York City in 1952. It is the peak of the “Red Scare” and 151 actors, authors, and journalists are put on the Red Channels list, with alleged ties to communism. As Cold War hysteria sweeps the nation, actress Maggie Carlin finds herself accused just as her hit comedy show is taking off.
SCARAMOUCHE: A MUSICAL IN TWO ACTS
Music and Lyrics by Kingsley Day
Book by Kingsley Day and James Glossman
Adapted from the novel SCARAMOUCHE by Raphael Sabatini
Directed by Beth Wolf
World Premiere
May 1 – June 14, 2026
Previews May 1 – 8
Press opening Saturday, May 9 at 7:30 pm
Regular run May 9 – June 14
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 3 pm
Monday, June 1 at 7:30 pm
Tickets $30 for previews and $38 for regular performances. Senior prices $5.00 off regular prices. Students and military are $15.00 for all performances.
Tickets available online at www.citylit.org or by phone at 773-293-3682.
All performances at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr, on the second floor (accessible via elevator) of the Edgewater Presbyterian Church.
Based on the rip-roaring novel by Rafael Sabatini. Radicalized by his friend’s brutal murder on the eve of the French Revolution, a sardonic provincial lawyer repeatedly evades disaster by taking on a series of new identities—first an insurgent orator, then a traveling comic actor, and finally a master swordsman.
SPECIAL HOLIDAY PRODUCTION (Not included in season subscriptions)
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE CHRISTMAS CLOWNS
By John Weagly
Adapted from "The Flying Stars" by G.K. Chesterton and the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Directed by Artistic Director Brian Pastor
World Premiere
December 12, 2025-January 4, 2026
Press Opening Sunday, December 14 at 3 pm
Regular run December 14, 2025-January 4, 2026
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 3 pm, Monday, December 22 at 7:30 pm
Tickets: $28 for all performances, or $20 for City Lit subscribers; Seniors $23, Students and Military $15.
Tickets available online at www.citylit.org or by phone at 773-293-3682.
All performances at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr, on the second floor (accessible via elevator) of the Edgewater Presbyterian Church.
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson travel to the country to spend the holidays with an old army comrade of Watson’s. What they don’t know is that one of the other guests at this English manor is a notorious international thief. When a priceless present is stolen during a Christmas pantomime, can Sherlock discover the culprit before the curtain falls? Carols, courtship and comedy bring cheer to the cold winter in this holiday treat.
PLAYWRIGHT BIOS
Stephen Adly Guirgis (Playwright, JESUS HOPPED THE ‘A’ TRAIN) Stephen Adly Guirgis is a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, screenwriter, director, and actor. He grew up on the Upper West Side of New York City, attending school in Harlem. Guirgis studied at the University of Albany, SUNY, graduating in 1992. Some of his most famous works include JESUS HOPPED THE ‘A’ TRAIN (2000), THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT (2005), and BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY (2015) for which he won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Guirgis has had his plays be produced both off and on Broadway as well as in the UK. He is also a member and the former co-artistic director of the New York City LAByrinth Theatre Company.
Timothy Griffin (Playwright, STRANGE CARGO: THE DOOM OF THE DEMETER) is a Chicago playwright and actor, and an Honors graduate of Illinois State University. His plays, including MURDER IN MIRTHBURG, TICKLEBRAINS, RE: ALICE, and ONCE UPON A TIME… IN DENMARK! have been performed in Chicago, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Kansas City, Miami, and Chagrin Falls (Ohio). He was a four-time finalist in the Deathscribe International Festival of Horror Radio Plays, and his screenwriting work includes the short films THE CELLAR JOB and SNARE, as well as the cult creature feature TAIL STING. Favorite acting work includes the titular roles in HAMLET and RICHARD III, DIAL M FOR MURDER (Tony), BOOTH (Junius Booth), THE BOOK OF WILL (Burbage), and THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT (Satan). He is also a writer of novels and short fiction and is an accomplished musician and fight choreographer. He is of indeterminate age and is currently at large.
John Weagly (Playwright, SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE CHRISTMAS CLOWNS) has had over 100 plays receive over 200 productions by theaters on four continents. A collection of his short sci-fi/fantasy scripts, TINY FLIGHTS OF FANTASY, has been taught at Columbia College. Other short plays have been collected in THE JUGGLER WHO LOST HIS ARMS IN A RODEO FIRE AND OTHER PLAYS and VAGABOND PLAYS. His adaptation SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE CASE OF THE CHRISTMAS GOOSE has been produced around the world. Also a short story writer, LOCUS Magazine once compared his short fiction to the works of Ray Bradbury, and Nina Kiriki Hoffman and called him “a new writer worth reading and following.” His stories about former pro-wrestler Buster Bash have been nominated for the Derringer Award multiple times and have won the Norumbega Award. You can find more of his stories in the collections THE UNDERTOW OF SMALL TOWN DREAMS and DANCING IN THE KNEE-DEEP MIDNIGHT and in the novella ALLIGATOR AUTOPSY.
John Reeger (Playwright, CHANGING CHANNELS) is a Chicago playwright and actor. John and his long-time collaborator, the late composer/lyricist Julie Shannon, received the 1996 After Dark Award for “Outstanding New Work” when their musical THE CHRISTMAS SCHOONER premiered at the Bailiwick Repertory. THE CHRISTMAS SCHOONER is licensed by Music Theatre International and has received more than 200 productions in theatres throughout the country and in the UK. John and Julie previously collaborated on the musical STONES, which premiered in 1989 at the St. Louis Black Repertory. John and Julie’s third collaboration, LET THE EAGLE FLY, THE STORY OF CESAR CHAVEZ, was produced in concert version by Goodman Theatre, as part of the 2004 Latino Theatre Festival. Their most recent collaboration THE MAN WHO MURDERED SHERLOCK HOLMES (with music and lyrics co-authored by Michael Mahler) opened at Mercury Theatre Chicago in 2016 and received the Jeff Award for “New Work.”As an actor, John has appeared in more than 160 productions in Chicago venues including the Goodman, Court, Chicago Shakespeare, Steppenwolf, Writers, Northlight, Marriott and Drury Lane. He has appeared regionally in productions at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Kennedy Center, Goodspeed, Fulton Theatre and at the RSC’s Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, UK. In 2015, the Jeff committee honored John and his wife actress Paula Scrofano with a special Career Achievement Award for their contribution to Chicago theatre.
Kingsley Day (Composer/Lyricist and Co-Bookwriter, SCARAMOUCHE) is active in the Chicago area as a composer-lyricist, playwright, musical director, and actor-singer. Most recently, his musical AZTEC HUMAN SACRIFICE (music and lyrics; book with Philip LaZebnik) and his one-act musical TEXT ME (book, music, and lyrics) premiered at Chicago’s City Lit Theater. SUMMER STOCK MURDER (music and lyrics; book with LaZebnik) ran for 18 months at the old Theatre Building and won eight Jeff Awards, including one for New Work; it has since been produced at Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace and elsewhere. Day and LaZebnik have written a number of other musicals produced successfully in Chicago, including STATE STREET (City Lit), DEAR AMANDA (Pheasant Run Theater), BYRNE, BABY, BYRNE (Zanies), and THE JOY OF SOCKS (Chicago Premiere Society). Their comedy TOUR DE FARCE premiered at Wisdom Bridge Theater with Steve Carell and Hollis Resnik, transferred to the Apollo Theater, and has since been produced around the United States and numerous times in Europe. Day and LaZebnik were twice awarded grants by Sheldon Patinkin’s New Musicals Project, supported by the Paul and Gabriella Rosenbaum Foundation.Day’s new score for Gilbert and Sullivan’s lost operetta THESPIS has been heard in productions at the Theatre Building, the Chicago Gilbert & Sullivan Society, and (twice) the Savoyaires, which more recently produced his one-act SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF GILBERT & SULLIVAN. For City Lit, he has composed incidental music for PROMOTHEUS BOUND (a new translation by Nicholas Rudall), LONDON ASSURANCE, and Patinkin’s productions of THE TEMPEST and VOLPONE.
James Glossman (Co-Bookwriter, SCARAMOUCHE) has had a busy summer, fall, and winter. After Portland Stage produced a week-long workshop of his latest play co-written with Tom Hanks (then titled SEE YOU TOMORROW), In November, the new Hanks and Glossman play (now titled THIS WORLD OF TOMORROW) continued its development in a 3-day performance workshop at The Shed at Hudson Yards (NYC), with a cast including Hanks, MaYaa Boateng, Cahill, Sanders, Tracey Conyer Lee, Anna Baryshnikov, Ray Anthony Thomas, and Kristine Neilsen. His previous play co-written with Hanks, SAFE HOME, premiered at Shadowland in 2022, and his music-theatre piece SHOSTAKOVICH AND THE BLACK MONK – co-written with Philip Setzer – was performed in concert halls from Tanglewood to Ravinia to Wolf Trap to LA to Seoul, South Korea by the Grammy-winning Emerson String Quartet and a rotating cast. His two-decade-long collaboration with author & journalist Jim Lehrer produced the plays KICK THE CAN, THE SPECIAL PRISONER, and FLYING CROWS. His adaptation of Suzanne Berne’s A CRIME IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD premiered at City Lit, directed by Terry McCabe. A proud graduate of Northwestern University’s Department of Interpratation, he is equally proud to have gotten his Equity card at Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theatre. He has taught at Johns Hopkins University for over 20 yearsDIRECTOR BIOS
Esteban Andres Cruz (they/them, Director, JESUS HOPPED THE ‘A’ TRAIN). Born in Berwyn and raised in Cicero, Esteban is an ensemble member with A Red Orchid Theater, where they will be seen in SIX MEN DRESSED LIKE JOSEPH STALIN this Spring. Esteban has worked as an actor on many stages in Chicago (Steppenwolf, Writers Theater, Victory Gardens), regionally (La Jolla Playhouse, St Louis Rep, Pasadena Playhouse, Miami New Drama) and with some great directors like David Cromer, Neil Pepe, Chay Yew, Will Davis and John Ortiz. Off Broadway; HALFWAY BITCHES GO STRAIGHT TO HEAVEN by Stephen Adly Guirgis (Drama Desk Award Nomination), the musical CORNELIA STREET by Tony winner Simon Stephens and the Yale Drama Prize winner BATHHOUSE.PPTx by Jesus I Valles, all three world premieres with Esteban originating the roles. They have been collaborating with Guirgis on new plays since 2018, currently on a stage adaptation of the Warner Brothers / Al Pacino film DOG DAY AFTERNOON. This Spring, Esteban will be making their Lincoln Center debut in a musical about the Greensboro Massacre called THE POTLUCK. Select Film: SPA NIGHT (Cassavetes Award), RATTLED, VALLEY OF BONES, A VERY HAROLD & KUMAR 3D XMAS SELECT TV: SOUTH SIDE, EASY, CHICAGO FIRE, IDDIOTSITTER, THE BRIDGE, YOU’RE THE WORST, AWKWARD. Esteban is a Jeff Award winner for their portrayal of Angel Cruz in JESUS HOPPED THE ‘A’ TRAIN, the 2018 Theatre Communications Group’s prestigious Fox Fellow Award recipient and also won an After Dark Award for Choreography. Esteban founded the Queer Writers Artistic Collectivé in Chicago and is a member of the Latinx Playwrights Circle in NYC. 
Ed Rutherford (he/him, Director, STRANGE CARGO: THE DOOM OF THE DEMETER) is the Producing Artistic Director of Black Button Eyes Productions, where directing credits include GHOST QUARTET (Jeff Nomination: Director of a Musical), EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL (Jeff Nomination: Director of a Musical), SHOCKHEADED PETER, DR. HORRIBLE'S SING-ALONG BLOG, AMOUR, GOBLIN MARKET, and CORALINE, as well as his scripts NIGHTMARES & NIGHTCAPS, A SHADOW BRIGHT AND BURNING, and MARY ROSE (Jeff Nomination: New Work). Promethean Theatre Ensemble: artistic associate, where he directed THE LIAR, his adaptation of Peter S. Beagle's THE LAST UNICORN, THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE and BEYOND THERAPY. Book & Lyrics: the parody musical MURDER, REWROTE and MARY ROSE. As an actor, he's performed with City Lit, Drury Lane Oakbrook, Porchlight, Theater Wit and many others. A graduate of Northwestern's theater program, he also completed his MBA at Kellogg. ed-rutherford.com
Kevin Theis (Director, CHANGING CHANNELS) is thrilled to return to City Lit, having directed six previous shows with the company including TARTUFFE, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST and JEEVES AND THE MATING SEASON (Jeff nomination). Kevin has been a director and actor in Chicago for over thirty years, having staged shows at Lifeline Theatre, CT20 Ensemble, Seanachai Theatre, Oak Park Festival and Timber Lake Playhouse. Favorite shows include THE FAIR MAID OF THE WEST (CT20), NOISES OFF (Timber Lake) and MONSTROUS REGIMENT (Lifeline).
ABOUT CITY LIT THEATER COMPANY:
City Lit is the eighth oldest continuously-operating theatre company in Chicago, behind only Goodman, Court, Northlight, Oak Park Festival, Black Ensemble Theatre, Steppenwolf, and Pegasus theatres. It was founded in 1979 with $210 pooled by Arnold Aprill, David Dillon, and Lorell Wyatt. For its current season, its 44th , it operates with a budget slightly over $200,000. It was the first theatre in the nation devoted to stage adaptations of literary material. There were so few theatres in Chicago at the time of its founding that at City Lit’s launch event, the founders were able to read a congratulatory letter they had received from Tennessee Williams.
For four decades and counting, City Lit has explored fiction, non-fiction, poetry, memoirs, songs, essays and drama in performance. A theatre that specializes in literary work communicates a commitment to certain civilizing influences—tradition imaginatively explored, a life of the mind, trust in an audience’s intelligence—that not every cultural outlet shares.
City Lit is located in the historic Edgewater Presbyterian Church building at 1020 West Bryn Mawr Avenue. Its work is supported in part by the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council Agency, and the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events CityArts program. An Illinois not-for-profit corporation and a 501(c)(3) federal tax-exempt organization, City Lit keeps ticket prices below the actual cost of producing plays and depends on the support of those who share its belief in the beauty and power of the spoken written word.
