CONTACT INFORMATION

Sandra Fenichel Asher
E-Mail: sandyasher@gmail.com

PROFILE

I can remember writing plays as far back as 2nd grade and persuading my friends to perform them with me. Our teacher sent us on tour around the entire school. James G. Blaine, in Philadelphia, where I grew up, was a three-story brick building that housed kindergarten through 8th-grade classes. We did fine on the two elementary floors. But when we reached the top floor, where the big kids lurked, we got nervous. We lined up in front of our first 8th-grade audience-- and promptly collapsed into giggles. The teacher eventually asked us to leave the room. That was the end of our touring company. But it was the beginning of my playwriting career.

Eighth graders--and others!--have since enjoyed my plays in productions across the US and in Canada, England, Ireland, the Czech Republic, and Australia. One has been translated into Dutch and another into Chinese. I've written more than three dozen, including A WOMAN CALLED TRUTH, THE WOLF AND ITS SHADOWS, IN THE GARDEN OF THE SELFISH GIANT, KEEPING MR. LINCOLN, TOO MANY FROGS!, and JESSE AND GRACE: A BEST FRIENDS STORY, inspired by poems written with David L. Harrison. I've even written a play all about 8th graders, ROMEO AND JULIET--TOGETHER (AND ALIVE!) AT LAST, adapted from the book by Avi.

My plays have received the Bonderman Award, the AATE Distinguished Play Award, an "Outstanding Play" citation from ASSITEJ/USA, NETC's Aurand Harris Award, and the Joseph Campbell Memorial Award, presented by The Open Eye Theater. Most recently, I've been honored with AATE’s Charlotte Chorpenning Playwriting Award for a distinguished body of work in children’s theatre and an Aurand Harris Playwriting Fellowship from the Children's Theatre Foundation of America.

PLAYS AVAILABLE

JESSE AND GRACE: A BEST FRIENDS STORY Ages 3 to 10 Available from Dramatic Publishing Photo credit: Pollyanna Theatre Company Jesse and Grace have been best friends since birth. But now they’re in 4th grade and about to celebrate their 10th birthdays. When Grace writes a birthday poem and gives it to Jesse, their classmates respond with nonstop teasing: “Jesse’s got a girlfriend!  Gracie’s got a boyfriend!” Can boys and girls ever just be friends? Developed from the poetry of Sandy Asher and David L. Harrison; commissioned by Pollyanna Theatre Company. 1m, 1f, 2m or f, plus puppets play 21 roles. About 50 minutes. Area staging.

KEEPING MR. LINCOLN Ages 9 to Adult Available from Dramatic Publishing Photo credit: Lexington Children’s Theatre In this ensemble tour de force commissioned by Lexington Children’s Theatre Company, actors take turns playing Abraham Lincoln and important people in his Kentucky childhood, Indiana youth, and Illinois and Washington, DC, adulthood. Along with songs of the era, the script celebrates Lincoln’s remarkable life through his own words and those of people who knew him.  1m, 1f, 2m or f play 27 speaking roles, plus extras. One act. Area staging.

TOO MANY FROGS! Ages 3 to 8 Available from Dramatic Publishing Based on the award-winning book.  Rabbit lives alone and likes it. Then along comes Froggie--fixing snacks and fluffing pillows. Too much fuss! But Froggie listens as Rabbit reads favorite folktales--all magically brought to life onstage. When Froggie invites dozens of cousins in for a story, Rabbit's patience runs out: Too many frogs! Or is it? One act. One set. 2m, 2 m or w plus puppets play 21 roles, plus extras.

TELL YOUR STORY: THE PLAYS AND PLAYWRITING OF SANDRA FENICHEL ASHER Edited by Judy Matetzschk-Campbell and John Dilworth Newman Middle School through Adult Available from Dramatic Publishing Contains A WOMAN CALLED TRUTH; ONCE, IN THE TIME OF TROLLS; IN THE GARDEN OF THE SELFISH GIANT; EVERYTHING IS NOT ENOUGH; TOO MANY FROGS!, and FAMILY MATTERS, plus commentary on their development. " . . . a unique overview of one of the most significant bodies of dramatic literature in the field of theatre for young audiences."

THE WOLF AND ITS SHADOWS Ages 8 and up Available from Dramatic Publishing One night, Wolf and Dog travel toward Dog's home, where Wolf intends to seek employment,  Along the way, a hunter, a priest, and a shepherd each spin a tale of the evil wolf's foolishness and greed. Wolf responds with very different stories of her own. By dawn, she and Dog understand the influence of stories and the high price of freedom.  One act; area staging, 1f, 2m use masks and puppets to play 18 roles.

A dozen authors and illustrators visit with school groups, teachers, and librarians during the day and at an autographing party in the evening.

Held Annually in the Spring
Warrensburg, MO

More than 40 authors and illustrators from around the country visit with schoolchildren, teachers, and librarians, including a huge autographing party.

Four days of panels, performances, presentations, exhibitors, and a lively Playwrights Slam--all by and for artists and educators devoted to Theatre for Young Audiences and the dramatic arts in our schools!

• AMERICA WRITES FOR KIDS!
• American Alliance for Theatre and Education (AATE)
• Anchorage Press Plays
• Dramatic Publishing
• The Association for Jewish Theatre's Directory of Plays of Jewish Interest for Young Audiences
• Sandy Asher's Author Page