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Charles Dickens' 1854 novel opens with the philosophy of education espoused by the eminently practical Mr. Gradgrind, who prizes "facts and calculations." He raises his children, most prominently Louisa and...
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Charles Dickens' 1854 novel opens with the philosophy of education espoused by the eminently practical Mr. Gradgrind, who prizes "facts and calculations." He raises his children, most prominently Louisa and Tom, to eschew imagination and emotion and embrace order and reason. The results are disastrous: Louisa marries out of duty to the supposed self-made man Mr. Bounderby, while Tom grows up dissolute, ultimately commits theft and blames it on an unfortunate laborer, Stephen Blackpool. Set in the fictional Coketown, a mill town in the north of England, Dickens' novel satirizes capitalism, social mobility, class stratification, and Utilitarianism. This dramatic reading of the novel features a full cast of LibriVox volunteers, who lend their voices to Dickens' vibrant comic characters. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)CastNarrator: Bob NeufeldMr. Gradgrind: Marty KrisSissy Jupe: J L RaimundoBitzer: mbGentleman: Tom CrawfordLouisa Gradgrind: Arielle LipshawMr. Bounderby: Andy MinterMrs. Gradgrind: Beth ThomasTom Gradgrind: Max KorlingeMr. E. W. B. Childers: David LawrenceMaster Kidderminster: Elizabeth KlettMr. Sleary: Ron AltmanMrs. Sparsit: Elizabeth KlettStephen Blackpool: Nigel BoydellRachael: Karen SavageMrs. Blackpool: Bev J. StevensMrs. Pegler: Sally McConnellJames Harthouse: Algy PugSlackbridge: John SteigerwaldVoice 1: syllyVoice 2: J L RaimundoJane Gradgrind: GoldfishWaiter: Nigel BoydellMan: Algy PugClown: Bev J. StevensText prepared by Arielle Lipshaw and Elizabeth KlettAudio edited by Elizabeth Klett
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Hard Times (version 2 dramatic reading)
Hard Times (version 2 dramatic reading)
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24 AUG 2026 · Charles Dickens' 1854 novel opens with the philosophy of education espoused by the eminently practical Mr. Gradgrind, who prizes "facts and calculations." He raises his children, most prominently Louisa and Tom, to eschew imagination and emotion and embrace order and reason. The results are disastrous: Louisa marries out of duty to the supposed self-made man Mr. Bounderby, while Tom grows up dissolute, ultimately commits theft and blames it on an unfortunate laborer, Stephen Blackpool. Set in the fictional Coketown, a mill town in the north of England, Dickens' novel satirizes capitalism, social mobility, class stratification, and Utilitarianism. This dramatic reading of the novel features a full cast of LibriVox volunteers, who lend their voices to Dickens' vibrant comic characters. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)CastNarrator: Bob NeufeldMr. Gradgrind: Marty KrisSissy Jupe: J L RaimundoBitzer: mbGentleman: Tom CrawfordLouisa Gradgrind: Arielle LipshawMr. Bounderby: Andy MinterMrs. Gradgrind: Beth ThomasTom Gradgrind: Max KorlingeMr. E. W. B. Childers: David LawrenceMaster Kidderminster: Elizabeth KlettMr. Sleary: Ron AltmanMrs. Sparsit: Elizabeth KlettStephen Blackpool: Nigel BoydellRachael: Karen SavageMrs. Blackpool: Bev J. StevensMrs. Pegler: Sally McConnellJames Harthouse: Algy PugSlackbridge: John SteigerwaldVoice 1: syllyVoice 2: J L RaimundoJane Gradgrind: GoldfishWaiter: Nigel BoydellMan: Algy PugClown: Bev J. StevensText prepared by Arielle Lipshaw and Elizabeth KlettAudio edited by Elizabeth Klett
23 AUG 2026 · Charles Dickens' 1854 novel opens with the philosophy of education espoused by the eminently practical Mr. Gradgrind, who prizes "facts and calculations." He raises his children, most prominently Louisa and Tom, to eschew imagination and emotion and embrace order and reason. The results are disastrous: Louisa marries out of duty to the supposed self-made man Mr. Bounderby, while Tom grows up dissolute, ultimately commits theft and blames it on an unfortunate laborer, Stephen Blackpool. Set in the fictional Coketown, a mill town in the north of England, Dickens' novel satirizes capitalism, social mobility, class stratification, and Utilitarianism. This dramatic reading of the novel features a full cast of LibriVox volunteers, who lend their voices to Dickens' vibrant comic characters. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)CastNarrator: Bob NeufeldMr. Gradgrind: Marty KrisSissy Jupe: J L RaimundoBitzer: mbGentleman: Tom CrawfordLouisa Gradgrind: Arielle LipshawMr. Bounderby: Andy MinterMrs. Gradgrind: Beth ThomasTom Gradgrind: Max KorlingeMr. E. W. B. Childers: David LawrenceMaster Kidderminster: Elizabeth KlettMr. Sleary: Ron AltmanMrs. Sparsit: Elizabeth KlettStephen Blackpool: Nigel BoydellRachael: Karen SavageMrs. Blackpool: Bev J. StevensMrs. Pegler: Sally McConnellJames Harthouse: Algy PugSlackbridge: John SteigerwaldVoice 1: syllyVoice 2: J L RaimundoJane Gradgrind: GoldfishWaiter: Nigel BoydellMan: Algy PugClown: Bev J. StevensText prepared by Arielle Lipshaw and Elizabeth KlettAudio edited by Elizabeth Klett
22 AUG 2026 · Charles Dickens' 1854 novel opens with the philosophy of education espoused by the eminently practical Mr. Gradgrind, who prizes "facts and calculations." He raises his children, most prominently Louisa and Tom, to eschew imagination and emotion and embrace order and reason. The results are disastrous: Louisa marries out of duty to the supposed self-made man Mr. Bounderby, while Tom grows up dissolute, ultimately commits theft and blames it on an unfortunate laborer, Stephen Blackpool. Set in the fictional Coketown, a mill town in the north of England, Dickens' novel satirizes capitalism, social mobility, class stratification, and Utilitarianism. This dramatic reading of the novel features a full cast of LibriVox volunteers, who lend their voices to Dickens' vibrant comic characters. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)CastNarrator: Bob NeufeldMr. Gradgrind: Marty KrisSissy Jupe: J L RaimundoBitzer: mbGentleman: Tom CrawfordLouisa Gradgrind: Arielle LipshawMr. Bounderby: Andy MinterMrs. Gradgrind: Beth ThomasTom Gradgrind: Max KorlingeMr. E. W. B. Childers: David LawrenceMaster Kidderminster: Elizabeth KlettMr. Sleary: Ron AltmanMrs. Sparsit: Elizabeth KlettStephen Blackpool: Nigel BoydellRachael: Karen SavageMrs. Blackpool: Bev J. StevensMrs. Pegler: Sally McConnellJames Harthouse: Algy PugSlackbridge: John SteigerwaldVoice 1: syllyVoice 2: J L RaimundoJane Gradgrind: GoldfishWaiter: Nigel BoydellMan: Algy PugClown: Bev J. StevensText prepared by Arielle Lipshaw and Elizabeth KlettAudio edited by Elizabeth Klett
21 AUG 2026 · Charles Dickens' 1854 novel opens with the philosophy of education espoused by the eminently practical Mr. Gradgrind, who prizes "facts and calculations." He raises his children, most prominently Louisa and Tom, to eschew imagination and emotion and embrace order and reason. The results are disastrous: Louisa marries out of duty to the supposed self-made man Mr. Bounderby, while Tom grows up dissolute, ultimately commits theft and blames it on an unfortunate laborer, Stephen Blackpool. Set in the fictional Coketown, a mill town in the north of England, Dickens' novel satirizes capitalism, social mobility, class stratification, and Utilitarianism. This dramatic reading of the novel features a full cast of LibriVox volunteers, who lend their voices to Dickens' vibrant comic characters. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)CastNarrator: Bob NeufeldMr. Gradgrind: Marty KrisSissy Jupe: J L RaimundoBitzer: mbGentleman: Tom CrawfordLouisa Gradgrind: Arielle LipshawMr. Bounderby: Andy MinterMrs. Gradgrind: Beth ThomasTom Gradgrind: Max KorlingeMr. E. W. B. Childers: David LawrenceMaster Kidderminster: Elizabeth KlettMr. Sleary: Ron AltmanMrs. Sparsit: Elizabeth KlettStephen Blackpool: Nigel BoydellRachael: Karen SavageMrs. Blackpool: Bev J. StevensMrs. Pegler: Sally McConnellJames Harthouse: Algy PugSlackbridge: John SteigerwaldVoice 1: syllyVoice 2: J L RaimundoJane Gradgrind: GoldfishWaiter: Nigel BoydellMan: Algy PugClown: Bev J. StevensText prepared by Arielle Lipshaw and Elizabeth KlettAudio edited by Elizabeth Klett
20 AUG 2026 · Charles Dickens' 1854 novel opens with the philosophy of education espoused by the eminently practical Mr. Gradgrind, who prizes "facts and calculations." He raises his children, most prominently Louisa and Tom, to eschew imagination and emotion and embrace order and reason. The results are disastrous: Louisa marries out of duty to the supposed self-made man Mr. Bounderby, while Tom grows up dissolute, ultimately commits theft and blames it on an unfortunate laborer, Stephen Blackpool. Set in the fictional Coketown, a mill town in the north of England, Dickens' novel satirizes capitalism, social mobility, class stratification, and Utilitarianism. This dramatic reading of the novel features a full cast of LibriVox volunteers, who lend their voices to Dickens' vibrant comic characters. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)CastNarrator: Bob NeufeldMr. Gradgrind: Marty KrisSissy Jupe: J L RaimundoBitzer: mbGentleman: Tom CrawfordLouisa Gradgrind: Arielle LipshawMr. Bounderby: Andy MinterMrs. Gradgrind: Beth ThomasTom Gradgrind: Max KorlingeMr. E. W. B. Childers: David LawrenceMaster Kidderminster: Elizabeth KlettMr. Sleary: Ron AltmanMrs. Sparsit: Elizabeth KlettStephen Blackpool: Nigel BoydellRachael: Karen SavageMrs. Blackpool: Bev J. StevensMrs. Pegler: Sally McConnellJames Harthouse: Algy PugSlackbridge: John SteigerwaldVoice 1: syllyVoice 2: J L RaimundoJane Gradgrind: GoldfishWaiter: Nigel BoydellMan: Algy PugClown: Bev J. StevensText prepared by Arielle Lipshaw and Elizabeth KlettAudio edited by Elizabeth Klett
19 AUG 2026 · Charles Dickens' 1854 novel opens with the philosophy of education espoused by the eminently practical Mr. Gradgrind, who prizes "facts and calculations." He raises his children, most prominently Louisa and Tom, to eschew imagination and emotion and embrace order and reason. The results are disastrous: Louisa marries out of duty to the supposed self-made man Mr. Bounderby, while Tom grows up dissolute, ultimately commits theft and blames it on an unfortunate laborer, Stephen Blackpool. Set in the fictional Coketown, a mill town in the north of England, Dickens' novel satirizes capitalism, social mobility, class stratification, and Utilitarianism. This dramatic reading of the novel features a full cast of LibriVox volunteers, who lend their voices to Dickens' vibrant comic characters. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)CastNarrator: Bob NeufeldMr. Gradgrind: Marty KrisSissy Jupe: J L RaimundoBitzer: mbGentleman: Tom CrawfordLouisa Gradgrind: Arielle LipshawMr. Bounderby: Andy MinterMrs. Gradgrind: Beth ThomasTom Gradgrind: Max KorlingeMr. E. W. B. Childers: David LawrenceMaster Kidderminster: Elizabeth KlettMr. Sleary: Ron AltmanMrs. Sparsit: Elizabeth KlettStephen Blackpool: Nigel BoydellRachael: Karen SavageMrs. Blackpool: Bev J. StevensMrs. Pegler: Sally McConnellJames Harthouse: Algy PugSlackbridge: John SteigerwaldVoice 1: syllyVoice 2: J L RaimundoJane Gradgrind: GoldfishWaiter: Nigel BoydellMan: Algy PugClown: Bev J. StevensText prepared by Arielle Lipshaw and Elizabeth KlettAudio edited by Elizabeth Klett
18 AUG 2026 · Charles Dickens' 1854 novel opens with the philosophy of education espoused by the eminently practical Mr. Gradgrind, who prizes "facts and calculations." He raises his children, most prominently Louisa and Tom, to eschew imagination and emotion and embrace order and reason. The results are disastrous: Louisa marries out of duty to the supposed self-made man Mr. Bounderby, while Tom grows up dissolute, ultimately commits theft and blames it on an unfortunate laborer, Stephen Blackpool. Set in the fictional Coketown, a mill town in the north of England, Dickens' novel satirizes capitalism, social mobility, class stratification, and Utilitarianism. This dramatic reading of the novel features a full cast of LibriVox volunteers, who lend their voices to Dickens' vibrant comic characters. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)CastNarrator: Bob NeufeldMr. Gradgrind: Marty KrisSissy Jupe: J L RaimundoBitzer: mbGentleman: Tom CrawfordLouisa Gradgrind: Arielle LipshawMr. Bounderby: Andy MinterMrs. Gradgrind: Beth ThomasTom Gradgrind: Max KorlingeMr. E. W. B. Childers: David LawrenceMaster Kidderminster: Elizabeth KlettMr. Sleary: Ron AltmanMrs. Sparsit: Elizabeth KlettStephen Blackpool: Nigel BoydellRachael: Karen SavageMrs. Blackpool: Bev J. StevensMrs. Pegler: Sally McConnellJames Harthouse: Algy PugSlackbridge: John SteigerwaldVoice 1: syllyVoice 2: J L RaimundoJane Gradgrind: GoldfishWaiter: Nigel BoydellMan: Algy PugClown: Bev J. StevensText prepared by Arielle Lipshaw and Elizabeth KlettAudio edited by Elizabeth Klett
17 AUG 2026 · Charles Dickens' 1854 novel opens with the philosophy of education espoused by the eminently practical Mr. Gradgrind, who prizes "facts and calculations." He raises his children, most prominently Louisa and Tom, to eschew imagination and emotion and embrace order and reason. The results are disastrous: Louisa marries out of duty to the supposed self-made man Mr. Bounderby, while Tom grows up dissolute, ultimately commits theft and blames it on an unfortunate laborer, Stephen Blackpool. Set in the fictional Coketown, a mill town in the north of England, Dickens' novel satirizes capitalism, social mobility, class stratification, and Utilitarianism. This dramatic reading of the novel features a full cast of LibriVox volunteers, who lend their voices to Dickens' vibrant comic characters. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)CastNarrator: Bob NeufeldMr. Gradgrind: Marty KrisSissy Jupe: J L RaimundoBitzer: mbGentleman: Tom CrawfordLouisa Gradgrind: Arielle LipshawMr. Bounderby: Andy MinterMrs. Gradgrind: Beth ThomasTom Gradgrind: Max KorlingeMr. E. W. B. Childers: David LawrenceMaster Kidderminster: Elizabeth KlettMr. Sleary: Ron AltmanMrs. Sparsit: Elizabeth KlettStephen Blackpool: Nigel BoydellRachael: Karen SavageMrs. Blackpool: Bev J. StevensMrs. Pegler: Sally McConnellJames Harthouse: Algy PugSlackbridge: John SteigerwaldVoice 1: syllyVoice 2: J L RaimundoJane Gradgrind: GoldfishWaiter: Nigel BoydellMan: Algy PugClown: Bev J. StevensText prepared by Arielle Lipshaw and Elizabeth KlettAudio edited by Elizabeth Klett
16 AUG 2026 · Charles Dickens' 1854 novel opens with the philosophy of education espoused by the eminently practical Mr. Gradgrind, who prizes "facts and calculations." He raises his children, most prominently Louisa and Tom, to eschew imagination and emotion and embrace order and reason. The results are disastrous: Louisa marries out of duty to the supposed self-made man Mr. Bounderby, while Tom grows up dissolute, ultimately commits theft and blames it on an unfortunate laborer, Stephen Blackpool. Set in the fictional Coketown, a mill town in the north of England, Dickens' novel satirizes capitalism, social mobility, class stratification, and Utilitarianism. This dramatic reading of the novel features a full cast of LibriVox volunteers, who lend their voices to Dickens' vibrant comic characters. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)CastNarrator: Bob NeufeldMr. Gradgrind: Marty KrisSissy Jupe: J L RaimundoBitzer: mbGentleman: Tom CrawfordLouisa Gradgrind: Arielle LipshawMr. Bounderby: Andy MinterMrs. Gradgrind: Beth ThomasTom Gradgrind: Max KorlingeMr. E. W. B. Childers: David LawrenceMaster Kidderminster: Elizabeth KlettMr. Sleary: Ron AltmanMrs. Sparsit: Elizabeth KlettStephen Blackpool: Nigel BoydellRachael: Karen SavageMrs. Blackpool: Bev J. StevensMrs. Pegler: Sally McConnellJames Harthouse: Algy PugSlackbridge: John SteigerwaldVoice 1: syllyVoice 2: J L RaimundoJane Gradgrind: GoldfishWaiter: Nigel BoydellMan: Algy PugClown: Bev J. StevensText prepared by Arielle Lipshaw and Elizabeth KlettAudio edited by Elizabeth Klett
15 AUG 2026 · Charles Dickens' 1854 novel opens with the philosophy of education espoused by the eminently practical Mr. Gradgrind, who prizes "facts and calculations." He raises his children, most prominently Louisa and Tom, to eschew imagination and emotion and embrace order and reason. The results are disastrous: Louisa marries out of duty to the supposed self-made man Mr. Bounderby, while Tom grows up dissolute, ultimately commits theft and blames it on an unfortunate laborer, Stephen Blackpool. Set in the fictional Coketown, a mill town in the north of England, Dickens' novel satirizes capitalism, social mobility, class stratification, and Utilitarianism. This dramatic reading of the novel features a full cast of LibriVox volunteers, who lend their voices to Dickens' vibrant comic characters. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)CastNarrator: Bob NeufeldMr. Gradgrind: Marty KrisSissy Jupe: J L RaimundoBitzer: mbGentleman: Tom CrawfordLouisa Gradgrind: Arielle LipshawMr. Bounderby: Andy MinterMrs. Gradgrind: Beth ThomasTom Gradgrind: Max KorlingeMr. E. W. B. Childers: David LawrenceMaster Kidderminster: Elizabeth KlettMr. Sleary: Ron AltmanMrs. Sparsit: Elizabeth KlettStephen Blackpool: Nigel BoydellRachael: Karen SavageMrs. Blackpool: Bev J. StevensMrs. Pegler: Sally McConnellJames Harthouse: Algy PugSlackbridge: John SteigerwaldVoice 1: syllyVoice 2: J L RaimundoJane Gradgrind: GoldfishWaiter: Nigel BoydellMan: Algy PugClown: Bev J. StevensText prepared by Arielle Lipshaw and Elizabeth KlettAudio edited by Elizabeth Klett
Charles Dickens' 1854 novel opens with the philosophy of education espoused by the eminently practical Mr. Gradgrind, who prizes "facts and calculations." He raises his children, most prominently Louisa and...
show more
Charles Dickens' 1854 novel opens with the philosophy of education espoused by the eminently practical Mr. Gradgrind, who prizes "facts and calculations." He raises his children, most prominently Louisa and Tom, to eschew imagination and emotion and embrace order and reason. The results are disastrous: Louisa marries out of duty to the supposed self-made man Mr. Bounderby, while Tom grows up dissolute, ultimately commits theft and blames it on an unfortunate laborer, Stephen Blackpool. Set in the fictional Coketown, a mill town in the north of England, Dickens' novel satirizes capitalism, social mobility, class stratification, and Utilitarianism. This dramatic reading of the novel features a full cast of LibriVox volunteers, who lend their voices to Dickens' vibrant comic characters. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)CastNarrator: Bob NeufeldMr. Gradgrind: Marty KrisSissy Jupe: J L RaimundoBitzer: mbGentleman: Tom CrawfordLouisa Gradgrind: Arielle LipshawMr. Bounderby: Andy MinterMrs. Gradgrind: Beth ThomasTom Gradgrind: Max KorlingeMr. E. W. B. Childers: David LawrenceMaster Kidderminster: Elizabeth KlettMr. Sleary: Ron AltmanMrs. Sparsit: Elizabeth KlettStephen Blackpool: Nigel BoydellRachael: Karen SavageMrs. Blackpool: Bev J. StevensMrs. Pegler: Sally McConnellJames Harthouse: Algy PugSlackbridge: John SteigerwaldVoice 1: syllyVoice 2: J L RaimundoJane Gradgrind: GoldfishWaiter: Nigel BoydellMan: Algy PugClown: Bev J. StevensText prepared by Arielle Lipshaw and Elizabeth KlettAudio edited by Elizabeth Klett
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