"A meticulously
researched two-act drama accompanied by a musical score that skillfully evokes early 20th century Americana while remaining
thoroughly contemporary"
P.S. Colbert
Daily Herald
A SUMMER STORM has been in development
for just over a decade. I wish I had the ability that some playwrights possess to crank out one script after another
in rapid fire succession. Composing a musical is a long and arduous process for yours truly. But, with every re-write,
the script has taken on more depth and deeper meaning.
Like many writers, I have a deep appreciation
for the great american stage play, INHERIT THE WIND. Director Stanley Kramer presented the world with a wonderful
film adaptation of this masterwork starring Spencer Tracy.
Originally, I thought ITW would make a wonderful
musical. I pitched the idea to a few dramaturgs and they simply could not envision how a play focused on a
famous court case could be musically adapted. This case is, of course, known to the world as the "Monkey
Trial" in which the concepts of "Darwinism" and "Creationism" were energetically debated
in the early part of the century.
In case, dear reader, you also foster skepticism with regard to
giving a musical voice to such an event, there is something you should know. Literally hundreds of playwrights
and composers from across the world have attempted to procure the rights to this work , only to discover
that the original authors of ITW have made it extremely clear that no "musical adaptation" of their work can ever
be published or produced legally.
I was saddened and taken aback by this revelation. However, the muse inside me was
strongly persistent and I felt that perhaps the story could be told from a different angle.
In 2001,
I began research in ernest. Almost immediately, I discovered that the texture of ITW was woven with loose threads.
Despite the classic script's poetic passages worthy of praise, almost every incident fails to even approach the
reality of what really happened during that strange summer in 1925.
The challenge was clear. My version
needed to focus more on the people and events SURROUNDING the trial.
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DECEMBER 2002
The first edition of A SUMMER STORM was presented as a "reader's theatre" production in 2002 at the
Schaumburg Township Library Audio/Visual center in Illinois. Special credit must be given to my daughter, Shannon, for
an outstanding peformance in the lead role of REBECCA. In no way shape or form was the musical a complete entity.
But, I needed to see how an audience would react to the music and the story.
Fortunately, the feedback was quite positive and I gained the confidence needed to continue development
of the script. I began an even more detailed research project.
This next fact finding process took almost two years. I read personal accounts from the diaries
of individuals who witnessed what transpired in the streets of Tennessee during that infamous summer in Dayton.
I perused volumes of photographs. I collected books, pamphlets and other material via the John Scopes
museum. I also found some fascinating publications released through Bryan College.
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2006
By this time,
my script had grown to a ridiculous length. But, with patience and concentration, the script was shortened to a length
of just under three hours, which is average for most full length productions. It was a great honor to be informed that
A SUMMER STORM had been accepted as an entry in the ROBERT REDFORD SUNDANCE THEATRE WORKSHOP. This sparked me to continue
development further.
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2007 WOOD STREET THEATRE PRODUCTION
