Canadian acting legend Christopher Plummer will do a benefit reading of the Mordecai Richler classic "Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang" at the Stratford festival next summer.

Proceeds from the Plummer reading on Aug. 23 will fund a visit to the festival by underprivileged youth, the festival said Monday in a news release.

"Christopher Plummer recorded `Jacob Two-Two' in the 1980s but he has never before presented it to a live audience," Don Shipley, co-artistic director of the festival, said in the release.

"Christopher has an exceptional repertoire of voices and accents that bring the characters to life and evoke the wonderful spirit of the story."

"Jacob Two-Two" is the story of a little boy who has to say everything twice in order to be heard by his older brothers and sisters. But when he finds himself imprisoned by the dreaded Hooded Fang, Jacob learns that small does not mean helpless.

"It's a rare event – as Jacob Two-Two would say: `not to be missed, not to be missed!"' Shipley said

Abridged from Richler's story, the reading will last about an hour and will be held at the festival's Avon Theatre.

Tickets for the event are available through the Stratford Shakespeare Festival box office, 1-800-567-1600. Prices range from $15 to $20 for adults and $8 to $12 for children.

The box office is now open to members of the Stratford festival; it opens to the general public on Dec. 1.