DAILY BREEZE, LIFE/ARTS
JANUARY 1998 story by Lisa Cooke
L.A. STORIES - West Coast writers' short fiction brought to life in staged readings.

     Make the words come to life. That is the shared goals of writers, filmmakers and actors. They just use different methods to achieve it. Or do they?  Los Angeles spoken-word performer Sally Shore has found a way to combine her skills as an actress with her love of short fiction.
     "I think of myself as Gumby," Shore says with a laugh. "You know how Gumby used to kind of walk or melt into the storybook? Well that's the experience I want to give the audience. I want to take them right into the story.
     Shore is the founder and director of The New Short Fiction Series. Along with a rotating cast of performers, she presents once-a-month short story readings at the Beverly Hills Public Library. A sort of live literary magazine, the works are recited more or less verbatim and not staged in any conventional way.
     Still, Shore says there is an undeniable performance quality to the reading.
     "I refer to it as the Frankenstein monster, a blend of adult storytelling, performance art and a literary reading," Shore explains. "As actors, we are called upon to find ways to express the writer's words through gestures and vocal intonations. To that extent the readings are somewhat theatrical."
     An avid reader, Shore has chosen to highlight the work of new, West Coast-based authors. This season, that roster includes Ruben Mendoza, Lisa Rosenthal and California State University, Long Beach professor Gerald Locklin.
     El Segundo writer Eileen Bell had her short stories performed last season by Shore.  outlet. She asked a playwright friend if she had any new works under way. Instead, this writer gave her a short story.
     "It's a wonderful experience for a writer to have an audience like this," Bell says. "Writing is my passion but its a very solitary activity. I'm thrilled with the whole idea of reading aloud. It gives us the experience of using our imagination while we're listening and watching the performer."
     An optometrist by trade, Bell says she started writing fiction nine years ago to balance the scientific and creative sides of her brain. Since then, her work has been published in literary magazines and will be included in a short fiction anthology.  Bell characterizes the experience of attending the reading of her short stories as both exciting and nerve racking.
     "It's wonderful to hear the interpretations the actors make with the work," Bells says. "It somehow brings the process alive for me. It can also be a little embarrassing to sit in the audience and listen as others respond to your work."
    Now entering its fourth season, Shore says the goal of The New Short Fiction Series is to expose audiences to the diverse writing styles and backgrounds of West Coast writers.
    "Because the writing is so good, it offers people the best elements of theater without its problems," Shore says. "It's much more entertaining to attend an evening of new work than to attend another bad revival."
     Fran Montano, an actor and the artistic director of Actors Workout Studio in West Hollywood, is a support of Shore's program. It was at his theater that Shore debuted the series four years ago.
     Montano participates in the readings when he can because they present an actor with unique challenges.
     "Reading short stories is unlike any other kind of performing," Montano says. "It is a cross between telling a story and being a character in the story. It's very rewarding for an actor to jump through an entirely new set of hoops."
     Even the process of rehearsing for the readings is different than rehearsing a theatrical work, he says. "It's just one actor reading one story at a time, so the director plays a big role in the rehearsal process."
     Montano and Shore, who direct each other's readings, agree that the best way to prepare for a reading is for the actor to immerse himself in the book.
     "I tend to read and reread the stories over and over again," says Shore.
     A week prior to the reading, the featured author is invited to attend the final rehearsal with the performer. "This is a critical meeting for the actor because it's a chance to ask

questions and get the writer's input," says Shore.
     In coaching other actors from her cast of guest readers, Shore says her role is similar to that of a film director.
     "It's all about making choices based on the material," Shore says. "It's about defining the role of reader vocally and physically so that the words are distinct to the audience."
     The audience is as diverse as the material presented. Those attending a recent reading ranged in age from their early 20's to late 60's. There were an equal number of men and women.
     "The common denominator is that this audience appreciates literature," says Shore. "This isn't about staging and special effects. This is about new writing.
     Shore, a petit brunet, whose acting credits include "Suddenly Susan" and "General Hospital" says she came upon the idea for the New Short Fiction Series when she found herself between roles.
     "I was bored," Shore says. "I asked a playwright friend if she had anything for me to read and she gave me a short story she'd written."
     Shore says she's had a lot of help picking authors to present. Nina Wiener, a book editor and reviewer with the now- defunct Buzz magazine, has suggested books including the recently featured Loteria by Mendoza. Kerry Slattery, manager of Skylight Books in Los Angeles, also has put Shore in touch with new authors.
     In the end, Shore says she relies on her own gut reaction to a story when selecting authors.
     "I respond to writing that is striking to me in some way," Shore says. "I have to experience some sort of visceral reaction - maybe because I used to be a dancer - but then I know for sure that (a short story) will work.
     "Usually," says Shore "good writing makes good theater."