[Seattle, Wash., May 11, 2021]— Written by one of Tibet’s most prolific activists and authors, Jamyang Norbu (he/him), this Holmesian pastiche marks artistic director Gus Menary‘s (he/him) Audio Book-It directorial debut. “It is a thrilling and gripping story, told with precision and deep love, by one of the smartest and cleverest authors I have ever had the privilege to meet,” Menary says of the project. “Together, with adapter Bilal Dardai [he/him] and a cadre of incredible actors, designers and consultants, we have forged a Grand Adventure for audiences and taken one, ourselves.”

In 1893, the British public was horrified to learn that Sherlock Holmes had perished at Reichenbach Falls in a deadly struggle with his nemesis, Professor Moriarty. It wouldn’t be for another decade that Sherlock returned to England to reveal that his death had been staged. This sweeping trek through the majestic vistas of India and Tibet gives us a look at what may have been those missing years of the great detective’s life, with more than enough danger and mystery to keep any Baker Street Irregular happily on edge.

Managing director Kayti Barnett-O’Brien (she/her) bonded with her new artistic partner, Menary, over this story: “One of the first books Gus and I ever talked about was The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes, and we quickly realized our shared love for this wonderful and surprising addition to the Sherlock canon. I love a great adventure story as well as a thrilling mystery and this novel dishes up a hearty helping of both. It is a delight to have this title close out this extraordinary season and to have Gus helm it. He’s a true aficionado of the genre, and I know that between his artistry and the incredible cast and crew bringing the story to life, it is in excellent hands.

The cast includes Agastya Kohli (he/him), Nathaniel Tenenbaum (he/him), Mike Dooly (he/him), Nik Doner (he/him), Abhijeet Rane (he/him), Samir Shah (he/him), Khenrab Palden (he/him), Kevin Lin (he/him), Khanh Doan (she/her) and Jamyang Norbu. The production team includes flautist Satyajit Limaye (he/him), violinist Andrew Pang, sound designer/recording engineer Benjamin Radin (he/him), dialect coach Marianna de Fazio (she/her), rehearsal stage manager Michelle Chesley (she/her), associate audio engineer Kyle Thompson (he/him), and the 2020-2021 season Audio Book-It Season theme was composed and performed by flautist Leanna Keith (she/they).

Episode 1 of The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes will be released to stream or download on May 15, 2021. This audio play will be presented in 5 separate episodes, with a new episode released each week for 5 weeks. After an episode is released, it will be available until June 30 (along with all the other plays in this season). Single tickets to this show are available now and cost $25.

SUBSCRIPTIONS AND SINGLE TICKETS
Subscriptions for the 2020-2021 season are available from September 1, 2020-June 1, 2021 by phone and online. There is one subscription package at $100, which gives you access to all titles in the season. Single tickets will go on sale two weeks before each show’s start date. Prices are $15 for a full-length title (Childfinder, The Canterville Ghost, The Effluent Engine) and $25 for a serialized title (Mañanaland and The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes). Two of the titles will also be available at Pay What You Can pricing. Teachers may buy any title for their class of up to 30 students for $30. Purchase at book-it.org or by calling the box office at 206.216.0833.

ABOUT THE SEASON
The Audio Book-It season includes Childfinder, the story of a woman’s mission to protect children the system discards, by seminal science fiction author Octavia E. Butler; The Canterville Ghost, a comic ghost story with all the charm and wit you expect from Oscar Wilde; Mañanaland, an inspiring all-ages adventure by Newbery Honor recipient Pam Muñoz Ryan; N.K. Jemisin’s The Effluent Engine treats us to a speculative fiction spy-thriller and The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes, by Jamyang Norbu, is an exciting Holmesian pastiche.

ABOUT BOOK-IT REPERTORY THEATRE
Book-It Repertory Theatre, a leader in the narrative theatre movement, was founded in 1990. Book-It is a non-profit organization with a dedication to great literature and quality theatre experiences employing simple, sensitive and imaginative production techniques, and inspiring its audiences to read.

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Press Contact:
Torrie McDonald (she/her), Marketing & Communications Director
torriem@book-it.org