The new Page and Stage Book Club will give fans of theater and literature a chance to compare similar works in both art forms. The group’s first gathering will take place at Portsmouth Public Library on Saturday, Jan. 16.

Co-hosted by the library and the New Hampshire Theatre Project, the book club will compare and contrast stage productions with similarly themed books. The first meeting will include a discussion of Steven Galloway’s “The Cellist of Sarajevo,” a novel based on the brutal Siege of Sarajevo in 1992, and the play “Lysistrata,” a comedic account of a woman’s attempt to end The Peloponnesian War.

Genevieve Achiele, director of the N.H. Theatre Project, and Sherry Evans, head of public services at Portsmouth Public Library, will lead a discussion exploring commonality between “The Cellist of Sarajevo” and “Lysistrata,” which is currently running at West End Studio Theatre. Both war stories feature characters who struggle to maintain their dignity in the face of unthinkable violence and hatred.

The N.H. Theatre Project’s production of “Lysistrata,” co-directed by Meghann Beauchamp with an original score by Agnes Charlesworth, runs through Jan. 24 at West End Studio Theatre, 959 Islington St., Portsmouth, 603-431-6644. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $22, or $15 for students and seniors, with a $2 discount for NHTP or book club members.
The first gathering of the Page and Stage Book Club begins at 5 p.m. on Jan. 16 at Portsmouth Public Library, 175 Parrott Ave., Portsmouth, 603-427-1540.