Mary
Hall Surface
Playwright,
Director
Inquiries
regarding reading copies and performance rights for following plays should
be addressed to
Mary Hall Surface, or directly to publishers.
Tel/fax: (202) 232-5397
New in 2007
Books
Published plays
Unpublished plays
Musicals with
David Maddox
School Sculptures
Willie
Bell Music HOME page
Who is
she?
Mary Hall Surface is an internationally-recognized playwright
and director who specializes in work for family audiences. She has been
commissioned to write plays for the Kennedy Center, the Seattle Children's
Theatre, the Smithsonian's Discovery Theatre, Natural History Museum and
National Zoo, Childsplay (Tempe, Arizona), the Round House Theatre, Theater
of the First Amendment and the California Theatre Center. Her plays are
published by Anchorage Press, Dramatic Publishing, Verlag der Autoren
(Germany) and by Smith and Kraus. Her collaborations with composer David
Maddox included The Nightingale, Gandhara: East-West Passages,
Sing Down the Moon: Appalachian Wonder Tales, Perseus Bayou,
Mississippi Pinocchio, The Odyssey of Telemaca and Lift: Icarus and Me.
She has
been nominated for four Helen Hays Awards for Outstanding Direction (for
Tintypes [1993], Grimm Tales [2000], Sing Down the Moon
[2001], Perseus Bayou [2002]), winning the award for Perseus
Bayou.
She was the Vice-President of the International Association of Theatre
for Young Audiences/US Center from 1983-1991, project curator for ASSITEJ/USA
(in partnership with the Kennedy Center) of the National Festival of Theatre
for Young People and Families, New Visions 2000: One Theatre World and
a current ASSITEJ/USA board member. She is currently an on-site evaluator
for the National Endowment for the Arts, and served on the theatre panel
in 1998 and 2003. She has been a featured speaker at International Theatre
Festivals in Australia, Germany, Peru, Venezuela, Scotland, Ireland, France,
Sweden and Japan. She received the 2006 Charlotte Chorpenning Prize from the American Alliance for Theatre in Education for an outstanding body of work as a playwright of theatre for young people.
Most
Valuable Player and Four Other All-Star Plays for Middle and High School
Audiences published by Smith and Kraus,
Inc. Publishers. To order call: (800) 895-4331, www.smithkraus.com
Contains:
Most Valuable Player, an award-winning drama for five actors about
Jackie Robinson, the first black major league baseball player. Prodigy,
a music-filled drama about Mozart's childhood, for six or more actors.
Dancing Solo, a drama for five actors about a 16-year-olds
struggle with her alcoholism in her family. Broken Rainbows,
adrama for four actors about prejudice and hate-violence among African-American
and Jewish teenagers. Blessings, a drama for seven actors
about the friendship between two very different young teenagers, one with
sever learning disabilities and one an over-achieving perfectionist.
Short
Scenes and Monologues for Middle School Actors
published by Smith and Kraus, Inc. Publishers. To order call: 1-800-895-4331.
www.smithkraus.com
New in Spring 2007:
MORE Short Scenes and Monologues for Middle School Students: Inspired by Literature, Social Studies and Real Life. Published by Smith and Kraus, Inc. Publishers. To order call: 1-800-895-4331. www.smithkraus.com
Published Plays by Mary Hall Surface:
Available for reading and performance rights from Anchorage Press, P.O. Box 8067, New Orleans, LA 70182. Phone: (504) 283-8868. Fax: (504) 866-0502. www.applays.com
The Reluctant Dragon. An adaptation of the classic Kenneth Graham story about a peace-loving dragon, for eight or more actors.
The Sorcerer's Apprentice. A magical adaptation for three actors and three movers of the classic German tale of a young apprentice who must learn the power of magic.
Prodigy. A music-filled drama about Mozart's childhood, for six or more actors.
Available for reading and performance rights from New Plays Inc., P.O. Box 5074, Charlottesville, VA 22905. Phone: (804) 979-2777. Fax: (804) 984-2230. www.newplaysforchildren.com
Round Pegs, Square Pegs. A drama for the youngest audiences about the peaceful resolution of conflick in a world divided between Rounds and Squares.
Available for reading and performance rights from Dramatic Publishing, 311 Washington St., Woodstock, IL 60098. Phone: (815) 338-7170. Fax: (815) 338-8981. www.dramaticpublishing.com
Dancing Solo
A drama for five actors about a 16-year-olds struggle with her alcoholism in her family.10 x 10
Edited by Jeff Gottesfeld. Ten ten-minute plays inspired by the ten commandments, by ten different authors. Each features 1 - 4 characters. Mary Hall's "Wonder on Paper" is inspired by the second commandment.The Surface-Maddox musicals Sing Down the Moon, Perseus Bayou, and Mississippi Pinocchio are also published by Dramatic.
Unpublished Plays available from the author:
The Hundred Dresses
Adapted from the book by Eleanor Estes, commissioned by the Seattle Children's Theatre. Maddie is caught in the middle of a game she doesn't want to play -- teasing a child who claims to have a hundred dresses. A classic of children's literature adapted for nine actors.Spirit Shall Fly
A young inner-city teenager learns patience and trust from an Appalachian horse whisperer and a wild mustang in her care. This unlikely coming together of three spirits is a story of new-found understanding and healing. Commissioned by Stage One in Louisville, Kentucky, the play was featured in a reading at the Provincetown Playhouse in New York in June 2005, the ASSITEJ International Congress in Montreal in September 2005 and selected as an outstanding new play of 2006 by the American Alliance for Theatre and Education.A Light in the Storm
available from the Kennedy Center.
An adaptation of Karen Hesse's book from the popular "Dear America" series, published by Scholastic Books. A drama for four actors, set in a lighthouse on Fenwick Island, Delaware, it tells the story of 16-year-old Amelia Martin as her family is divided by the the Civil War. Kennedy Center national tour in the fall of 2002. Reading copies available from the Kennedy Center. Contact Michelle Kozlak at (202) 416-8834 or MKozlak@kennedy-center.orgAlice
A play for six actors, designed for touring, of the Lewis Carroll classic.International Holiday
A collection of four stories: Hanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and Japanese New Year. Requires four actors. Cast can be as large as 25.La Mascarada de la Vida
A colorful play with music for eight or more actors that follows the fortunes of a Mexican peasant and his encounter with La Muerta (death).Our Town Went to War
A play for five actors set in a small Kentucky town during World War II.The Small Poppies by David Holman, adapted by Mary Hall Surface
A play for six or more actors about starting first grade.What Part Will I Play?
A play for thirteen teenage girls about growing up set at a theatrical audition.A Perfect Balance
A solo mutli-media adventure that follows a young artist on his fanciful quest to capture the way he sees the world. (See www.schoolsculptures.com)
