![\"\"](\"http:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Long-Way-Down.jpg\")
\n <\/p>\n\n
When Will\u2019s older brother is shot and killed, he has a decision to make: does he follow the rules of his community \u2014 don\u2019t cry, don\u2019t snitch, get revenge \u2014 or does he forge his own path? Long Way Down<\/em>, a bestselling novel by Jason Reynolds, tells this story in compelling, fast-paced verse. And, on October 27, this story made its theatrical debut with a stage adaptation at the Kennedy Center.<\/p>\n Reynolds, who is a member of Planet Word\u2019s Advisory Board, took some time to speak with us about seeing his work on stage, the role of empathy, and the importance of telling stories like Long Way Down<\/em>.<\/p>\n A: So much of the story is about imagination, about putting together bits of the puzzle. The verse form leaves enough white space there for you to use your own logic and reasoning skills to piece together what\u2019s in-between those spaces, and I think that the play will stick pretty close to that.<\/p>\n A: It\u2019s going to be a one-man show. The guy who\u2019s playing everybody, he\u2019s just using his voice and bouncing his voice around. I was so shocked! It actually works really, really well.<\/p>\n A: It changes, right? Reading a novel is sort of subjective in that your ability to empathize has a lot to do with your literacy level. In order for the empathy to do its job, the words have to be given life by the reader. So depending upon who you are reading that book, depending upon your ability, depending upon your comfort level, even just your comfort level with reading verse, it can change the way that you connect with the characters. I\u2019d like to believe that it all works, but I understand that sometimes you have to read the book more than once. I also know that\u2019s why the audiobook is being used so often, to help with that.<\/p>\n I think when we see something like Long Way Down<\/em> on stage, we have to then reckon with the fact that we are experiencing it with our whole bodies. We\u2019re in the space with a human being, and we\u2019re basically becoming witnesses to a person dealing with this kind of anger and pain. It\u2019s really hard to turn away because the human part of us always connects to the human part of others.<\/p>\nQ: Long Way Down<\/em> is written quite purposefully in verse. What\u2019s it like to see that adapted to the stage?<\/h4>\n
Q: Most of the actual events of the text take place in a very confined space: an elevator. How will the stage adaptation deal with that physical constraint?<\/h4>\n
Q: You\u2019ve said in previous interviews that you want Long Way Down<\/em> to foster empathy. How does that experience of empathy work in a novel versus a theater production?<\/h4>\n