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Feeding the Dragon
Summary
Sharon Washington’s autobiographical one-woman play, Feeding the Dragon, delighted audiences off-Broadway and is now available exclusively on Audible. The one-act play invites listeners into Sharon’s unorthodox childhood, growing up in an apartment on the top floor of the St. Agnes Branch of the New York Public Library, where her father served as the building’s custodian. A love of literature and boundless imagination helped the playwright as a young woman persevere over dragons of all forms.
Directed by Maria Mileaf, Feeding the Dragon premiered at City Theatre in Pittsburgh and was subsequently produced by Hartford Stage and Primary Stages.
Critic reviews
“The play does what every good story should - it captures the mind, inspires imagination, and transports the audience to a place that seems too magical to be real (yet it was!).” (Broadway World)
“At its most affecting, it’s a memoir of Ms. Washington’s parents’ perseverance and muted pain in a culture warped by racism.” (The New York Times)
“Acting, mimicking, presenting, or narrating, Washington is always a figure to watch...with a fine actor’s capacity for transformation and a born storyteller’s knack for casting a magical haze over even the most everyday events.” (The Village Voice)
More from the same
Narrator
What members say
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Imara Walker
- 07-09-18
Excellent story!
I recommend this story to anyone who has the desire to be captivated over a relatively short period of time.
40 of 41 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Marily
- 07-09-18
Love to love in that library!
What an enjoyable story delivered with such an expressive voice! Certainly made that dragon come alive!
37 of 40 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jean
- 10-09-18
Delightful
This is a memoir. The book is very short. I obtained it for free from Audible as part of their new Audible Originals’ program. Washington grew up in an apartment inside one of the New York Library branches. This was written as a one woman play and performed by Washington. Washington grew up in the library and her excitement and love of books feeds the story. Her father was the library custodian and every day he shoveled coal into the furnace. As a child Washington pretended this was a dragon. I enjoyed this memoir. If you are looking for a short book, try this one.
The book is one hour and 17 minutes. Washington does an excellent job narrating the book/ acting the play. Washington is an actress, voice over artist, audiobook narrator and an author.
14 of 15 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- deb
- 26-06-18
Outstanding!
Sharon Washington's story is captured in not only the words but the tones so well that it really would be appropriate to have a way to offer a superlative to the 5-star rating. Do not skip this audio production--truly outstanding! Share with the young people.
14 of 15 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- ddlankford
- 07-09-18
Incredibly good!
This was not what I expected but the story was both rich and compelling. I don’t want to ruin the experience for the next listener but it amazed me that so much of a life could be told in such a relatively short time and evoke so many emotions.
13 of 14 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Steve
- 08-09-18
Sound Problems
This story is great. It has one problem that is really hard for me. I listen to audio books while driving my car. The sound in this audio book was not consistent. It would get really loud and then really soft at different points. I missed parts of the book and to go back to hear what was said then it would get to loud and shake my car. My advice is that if your listening to this great story listen in an environment where there is little background noise so that you can handle the ups and downs within the audio-book.
12 of 14 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Unique4ever
- 19-07-18
Imaginative and Creative
What a fascinating story (memoir) of a typical, black family living in a library after hours. Enjoyable performance with the characters played out to the fullest. A girl by the name of Sharon Washington, who, has a great imagination and very creative. The phrase, "don't call to much attention to yourself" is true today in many African American homes!
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Caitlyn Storm Lewis
- 29-11-18
Story doesn’t really go anywhere
If I could sum up the concluding chapter it would be: I wanted a story of my childhood to exist so I wrote one.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of autobiographies and this is well written and well performed (her onomatopoeic narrations! Just wow). However, I feel like it would only really be of great interest to fans of the actress who lived these experiences.
That being said, it does offer some limited but authentic insight into the too-often under-represented African American experience of this era. So might be worth it for that too.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lonnie-The GreatNorthernTroll-Moore
- 08-09-18
What a pure delight!
What a delightful memoir of a little girl who lived in a library... I always enjoyed books about books, and one of my favorite fictional short stories is called; In the House of the Seven Librarians. It's the story of a little girl who grows up in a library ... Imagine my surprise and delight when I found this true story! Sharon Washington shares her joys and experiences in this almost-fairy-tale chapter of her life. Not only was this story very well written, but the narration was also very well done!
6 of 8 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kathleen
- 28-06-18
Absolutely delightful
Thank you for telling your story. It is lovely. I highly recommend Feeding the Dragon.
6 of 8 people found this review helpful