The Final Countdown. . . (Cue Music)

By Jessica Bedford, MT’s Director of Education

It’s no secret that Montgomery Theater has a devotion to the playwright. The word on the page is the seed that gives life to Florida trailer parks, Catholic school classrooms, Second Avenue apartments, and all the other miniature worlds we create on our Main Stage. Loyal MT audience members know our long relationship with Chicago based writer James Sherman. (We’re doing the East Coast premiere of his latest work Jacob and Jack this fall!) But, when I came on board last summer, I noticed that we haven’t given a lot of love to writers from our own community in Southeastern Pennsylvania and the surrounding area. And so, inspired by Tom’s adaptation of Alice in Wonderland for the Project Stage last season, the Adaptation Competition was born. The call went out to universities, graduate programs, writers’ groups, and bulletin boards all over the area: send us your original adaptation of a story in the public domain, appropriate for a multi-aged cast and a family audience! Okay, so maybe it’s not the catchiest call to arms, a bit on the long side, but, nonetheless, it worked. It’s my pleasure to announce to you the finalist for Montgomery Theater, Too’s first-ever Adaptation Competition:
• Sleeping Beauty (And Friends) This classic fairy tale is given a peppy new update by Philadelphia favorite Kim Carson.
• Fairy Tale High School Hans Christian Anderson meets Glee! (well, minus the music) and asks, “What happens when all the characters from the classics have to go to school together and get along?” Bill D’Agostino, Education Director at Act II Playhouse, penned this delightful tale.
• Don Quixote The literary classic is given a zany treatment by Adam Danoff. If Adam’s name rings a bell, it means you caught his quirky and side-splitting performance as the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland.
• Once Upon a Time Worlds collide in this charming fractured fairy tale also by Kim Carson.
• Shifting for Himself Michael Schwartz took a break from his duties as MT’s go-to dramaturg to pen this adaptation of a novel by Horatio Alger, Jr.
• Under the Sea New Jersey playwright Walt Vail has adapted a Inuit myth and reset it in the warm waters of Mexico.
The next round of the competition asks the finalists to submit a draft of their completed work to the MT offices by June 1, 2011. Tom Quinn (Artistic Director), Allegra Ketchum (Managing Director), the members of our Education Committee and I will then pick a winner from these drafts. The winning writer will have his or her show produced on the Project Stage as part of our Montgomery Theater, Too series this October. So join me in keeping fingers crossed for our writers and keep your eyes peeled for when we announce the winner in late June!