“The Outsiders” has announced a partnership with No Book Bans, a coalition of theater artists fighting book censorship. The 2024 Best Musical Tony Award winner will host a book drive beginning on Sept. 22 and ending on Sept. 28, when a talkback will follow the 8 p.m. performance at Broadway’s Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. The events coincide with Banned Books Week, which acknowledges the value of not just reading but having access to books, as well as the exchange of information.
“The Outsiders” will also encourage its audience members to contact their Congressional representatives regarding the Books Save Lives Act. Introduced in 2023 by Massachusetts Congressperson Ayanna Pressley, the Books Save Lives Act’s goal is to battle book bans nationwide by ensuring public libraries and public schools are required to offer a diverse selection of books, and making discriminatory books bans a federal civil rights law violation.
Pressley will be one of the speakers at the Sept. 28 talkback, alongside chief librarian at Brooklyn Public Library Nick Higgins and vice president and associate general counsel at Penguin Random House Dan Novack. Danya Taymor, who won a Tony for directing “The Outsiders,” will moderate the discussion.
Published in 1967, the Susie Hinton novel upon which the musical is based, has appeared frequently on the American Library Association’s Top 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books list.
New and gently used books will be accepted at the Jacobs Theatre and the Drama Book Shop. The book drive is open to the public; individuals do not need to hold tickets to an “Outsiders” performance in order to donate.
“The Outsiders” is produced by the Araca Group, American Zoetrope, Olympus Theatricals, Sue Gilad & Larry Rogowsky and Angelina Jolie.
