A Is For Anything

Musical for young audiences. 2w, 1m. 45 min.

Anna is a bright young girl who excels in all ways but one: she lacks imagination. She seeks help from an eccentric doctor who claims to be the aviatrix Amelia Earhart. Together, Anna and Amelia go on an unforgettable adventure and discover the cure for her condition.

The epigraph for this piece comes from Theodore Roethke: “I learn by going where I have to go.” Those words are also a fitting description of my experience with this enchanting little musical, which I created, wrote, produced, composed, directed and schlepped around the mid-Atlantic region in the late 1980’s and early 90’s.

The Delaware Institute for Arts in Education, whose admirable mission is “to bring diverse arts programming and professional artists to schools and early learning centers throughout Delaware,” approached me to create a compact work of musical theater that could tour out of the back of a station wagon. The show was conceived to be done on a bare stage, with just a blackboard and a step-ladder for scenery, and relies heavily on a pre-recorded track of music and sound effects. (Of course, it could be more elaborately produced, with live music!) It also lends itself well to classroom activities, and lesson plans were provided for teachers to explore the themes of the work with their students.