Playing around

Hi everyone,

I received my royalty statement from Dramatic Publishing the other day. I have two entries in their catalog, both thanks to my multi-talented friend SANDY ASHER. In 2004, she wrote SOMEBODY CATCH MY HOMEWORK, a play inspired by various poems from my work, both published and un-. A few years later she and I teamed to write a long story in free verse, JESSE AND GRACE, A BEST FRIENDS STORY, also published by Dramatic.

JESSE AND GRACE has done well and Sandy won two coveted awards for it — AATE Distinguished Play Award and The Charlotte B. Chorpenning Playwright Award. It wasn’t produced during the past six reporting months but SOMEBODY CATCH MY HOMEWORK was. I was pleased to see in this new statement that it has recently appeared in Missoula Children’s Theatre (Missoula, Montana), Oak Farm Montessori School (Avilla, Indiana), and Saint Thomas More High School (Milwaukee, Wisconsin).

Think of a story about a new girl in a 4th grade class that has a lot going on. It’s sort of like a musical (really does have music) but when kids stop to perform, my poems come out of their mouths instead of songs. Is that cool? I think so!

SOMEBODY CATCH MY HOMEWORK!

Hi everyone,

Yesterday’s mail included a royalty statement from Dramatic Publishing, the publisher of Sandra Fenichel Asher (Sandy Asher)’s play, SOMEBODY CATCH MY HOMEOWORK, whose characters were inspired by my poetry. The play was first produced by Good Company Theatre for All Ages at the Vandivort Center Theatre in Springfield, Missouri, April 11-14, 2002, directed by Maxine Whittaker. Since then it has been produced numerous times, including at least once abroad, and I’m delighted each time.

According to this latest summary of activity, SOMEBODY CATCH MY HOMEWORK was produced on May 18, 2019 at the University of South Carolina Upstate and on May 27, 2019 by Westbridge Children’s Theatre. I’m proud and happy that this play is still so active seventeen years after it’s 2002 debut.

This is a one-act play that features a class of 4th grade students. There’s a new kid, a missing cat, a school bus, and plenty of action to keep young audiences entertained. Sandy chose poems from my various published (and unpublished) work at the time and I was wonderfully surprised that she found enough characters to populate her highly entertaining play. It’s sort of like a musical except when actors open their mouths, instead of singing, they perform my poetry. Yes!

For more information about how to bring the play to a school or other kid friendly venue near you, contact Dramatic Publishing, 311 Washington St., Woodstock, IL 60098. Telephone: 800-448-7469. Sandy can also provide more insight into the play so you can contact her too.
http://sandyasher.com
http://usawrites4kids.blogspot.com
http://americatheownersmanual.wordpress.com

A new production of SOMEBODY CATCH MY HOMEWORK

Hi everyone,

Sandy Asher has learned that SOMEBODY CATCH MY HOMEWORK, the play she wrote in 2002 based on my poems and published by Dramatic Publishing, shows a production of the play scheduled at the LDS church in Provo, Utah on August 3.

I don’t know how many times the play has been produced but quite a few, including at least once in Europe. Sandy might know. SOMEBODY CATCH MY HOMEWORK made its world premier in Springfield where I sat in the audience and glowed (or at least felt like it) when characters from my poems came to life on stage and, at appropriate times, recited various poems from my books. It’s like a musical but I’d call it a poetical.

Jesse and Grace go to Texas

Hi everyone,

Got a lot done yesterday. I needed the day to focus.

In the meantime I heard the good news from Sandy Asher that her play based on our script, JESSE AND GRACE: A BEST FRIENDS STORY, will make its next staged appearance February 25-27 at Carpenter Middle School in Plano, Texas.

Here’s how our publisher, Dramatic Publishing, describes the play. If you know of a school or other suitable venue where there might be an interest in producing the play, I hope you’ll pass along this information.

“A best friend is the best kind of friend of all.”

Winner of the AATE Unpublished Play Award

AATE Distinguished Play Award Winner

By Sandra Fenichel Asher. Developed from the poetry of Sandy Asher and David L. Harrison.
Cast: 1m., 1w., 2 either gender, plus puppets; may be expanded to a total of 21 m. and w. without puppets. Commissioned by Pollyanna Theatre Company, Austin, Texas; a winner of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education’s Unpublished Play Award; and a Purple Crayon Players’ PLAYground Festival selection, Jesse and Grace uses art, music, puppets and poetry in unique ways to create a child’s world that’s entertaining, convincing and tourable. Jesse and Grace have been best friends since birth, almost 10 years. Their moms were best friends before they were born. It never mattered that Jesse is a boy and Grace is a girl. They always understood each other, protected each other, comforted each other, and shared their jokes, toys, dreams, and love of poetry and basketball. But now they’re in fourth grade and about to celebrate their 10th birthdays. When Grace writes a birthday poem and gives it to Jesse one Monday morning at school, their classmates begin a routine of nonstop teasing: “Jesse’s got a girlfriend! Gracie’s got a boyfriend!” Denial only makes things worse. Hurt and confused, Jesse crumples up the poem and throws it away. Now it’s Grace’s turn to be hurt and confused. Before long, the two have stopped speaking to each other. Each goes in search of a new best friend and soon finds that no one else fills the bill quite as perfectly. Try as they might to avoid each other, they’re in the same class, and all eyes are upon them. Every encounter breeds more teasing, humiliation and anger. Then everyone is invited to a skating party in celebration of Grace’s birthday. Unable to avoid each other—or the teasing—at the rink, and secretly longing to forgive and forget, Jesse and Grace finally discover that “A best friend is the best kind of friend of all.” Pollyanna Theatre Company’s Jesse and Grace was nominated for B. Iden Payne awards for Best Youth Theatre Production and Best Actress in a Youth Theatre Production. Area staging. Approximate Running Time: 45 minutes.