Like most young boys, the characters on this program struggle with their parents, living up to expectations, and the subtleties of right and wrong on this edition of Stories on Stage.

In the first story, James Baldwin’s “The Rockpile,” we hear about Roy and his older brother John as they contemplate the goings-on taking place just below their fire escape on the streets of New York. Tab Hunter reads.

A young boy Nicky is the character in the second story, “The Knowing,” by Tananarive Due. Nicky grapples with the ways in which his mother’s unusual insight dramatically affects the lives of everyone around them. Reginald Jackson reads.

Both stories on this program were part of our 2004 live season performance of The Suite Voices of Youth, a program celebrating the art of growing up, directed by Michael E. Myers at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art.

Theme music:  “Nomad” by Strunz & Farah

The 2007 live season is now on stage at Steppenwolf Theatre.