Mary Shelley’s ‘Transformation’ dramatic reading set Oct. 30

Kicking off the Halloween weekend, veteran actor Dr. James Keegan will perform a dramatic reading of Mary Shelley’s short story, “Transformation,” at 7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 30, at the Lewes Public Library.

First published in 1831, "Transformation,” is a masterpiece of Gothic writing - a macabre sinister, and supernatural tale of a young man’s perilous bargain with a mysterious being. Guido, the narrator, tells the story of his encounter with a strange, misshapen creature when he was living in Genoa, Italy, at the turn of the 15th century. He makes a deal with the creature to exchange bodies, but the creature does not reappear at the appointed time to take his own body back.

Keegan is an Actor’s Equity Association member and veteran of more than 60 professional productions on the Blackfriars Playhouse Stage at the American Shakespeare Center. He is a professor of English at the University of Delaware.

The performance is presented by the Lewes Public Library Spoken Word Society and Shakespeare Festival, supported by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. Seating is limited for this in-person event, and registration is required. To register, go to lewes.lib.de.us or call 302-645-2733.

The Lewes Public Library’s Spoken Word Society seeks to foster communal experiences which celebrate the spoken word. A program of the Lewes library, the society supports lectures, performances, discussions, demonstrations and other publicly-shared experiences that celebrate and deepen our understanding of the human condition as expressed through the spoken word.