Way back at the end of October, we went to see Around the World in Eighty Days at Theatrical Outfit. A highlight for me was going to see their theatre for the first time, a high-tech LEED-certified building downtown. The theatre staff was highly professional and brought us on a special tour of the theatre and their offices.

I enjoyed dinner with Toby and my colleagues, fellow teachers and alumni from the Agnes Scott MAT program.

Going to see this play, I was pleased to be reminded of the Jules Verne novel which I remember enjoying in seventh or eighth grade. I still have the hardcover copy my mom gave me as a Christmas present; the illustration of brightly colored hot-air balloons on the front cover is particularly memorable. As for the novel itself, I best remember best the manic energy of the characters and the story's whimsicality. I think the way I thought of the novel when I read it and ever since is an adventure novel for non-adventure novel readers, like myself.

As for the performance itself, I thought the actors were engaging and well-cast. I was puzzled by the appeal of the show, however, perhaps because this project is encouraging me to think about how to use theatre in the classroom and how to engage teenagers in different types of dramatic literature. While the novel appealed to me in middle school, I didn't see the performance as being lively enough to engage that age group, and certainly not "dramatic" enough to engage the high school students I teach. I wondered what kind of audiences the show might attract besides a standard upper-income, mostly white, middle-aged and over audience.