Beginning in September of 2022, the Babcock Performing Readers will perform monthly in the auditorium of the WhItmore Library.  For 40 years this organization has offered a full season of readings. The mission of the Babcock Performing Readers is to bring the printed page to life through expressive, vivid oral interpretation.

In 1980 the Maud May Babcock Literary Arts Society was established by former students of long-time University of Utah speech and elocution teacher, Miss Babcock.  The group was moved to act when the university discontinued oral interpretation classes in favor of acting classes.  This society dedicated to the preservation of the unique art of oral interpretation evolved into the Babcock Performing Readers. Over the years readers have given voice to a wide range of literary styles and genre including poetry, short stories, plays, essays, and speeches.  Past seasons have included staged radio productions, tributes to poets such as Edgar Allen Poe and Robert Service and readings from Charles Dickens to Erma Bombeck and Dr. Suess.

The up-coming season will include a retrospect of the organization’s past forty years, a holiday-themed evening for the family in December, and some literary classics inspired by America’s national pastime before baseball’s spring opening.  Watch for announcements of performances presented on the third Thursday of each month, September through May.