THEATER  PROJECTS

We Won’t Be Very Far ©

The play is a light-hearted musical snapshot of the day-to-day problems, growing pains, the uncertainties and the joys of a typical contemporary American family with school-age children. We Won’t be Very Far was performed in Columbus, Ohio to benefit the Homeless Families Foundation. Written by W. M. Goldberger, the play has a cast of five children and two adults and includes twelve original songs.

The Quik Chix of Hardleigh ©

The annexation by growing major cities of the quaint, small cities that serve as their bedroom communities has been a common occurrence. Based on an actual incident, the musical, The Quik Chix of Hardleigh, is a tongue-in-cheek portrayal of this trend in modern America. How the fictional Midwestern city of Hardleigh reacts to the threat of annexation by its’ big city neighbor is the subject of the musical play written by W.M. Goldberger.

The financial problems of Hardleigh are the result of changing times and largely beyond the control of its’ elected officials. A beautiful small old town, Hardleigh appears, on the surface, to be affluent. But beneath its’ picturesque, tree-lined streets are corroding and inadequate water and sewer lines that are badly in need of replacement. But having their property taxes increase with no end in sight, in the political era of “no new taxes”, The Hardleigh voters, for the first time, resoundingly defeat a proposed new school levy. The City Officials are stunned. With no room for growth and shops that cannot compete with the nearby megamalls. There is little opportunity for Hardleigh to generate new sources of revenue.

In desperation, the Hardleigh officials ask for help from Jackie Richmann, one of its’ wealthier citizens. He entices them with a plan to form a non-profit corporation to invest in the revitalization of the Main Street business district. But the first step in his plan is to tear down the historic Hardleigh Arts Theatre, which has survived by showing pornographic films. In its’ place would be a Quik Chix fast-food restaurant. Despite objections, the town council approves the demolition of the theater. That decision begins a series of events that pit neighbor against neighbor and the citizens against their elected officials and that changes their city and the lives of the people most involved. This story comes to life in the musical, The Quik Chix of Hardleigh.

An Inconvenient Remedy ©

This play was written to give a dramatic voice to the controversy between the U.S. Public Health Service and its’ critics about whether the disease of pellagra was infectious or due to nutritional deficiency. At the time, pellagra was a leading cause of death in the Cotton Belt South in the early part of the 20th century. The underlying issue was the refusal by many to accept scientifically established facts because of pride, prejudice and politics. As a result, in this case, many more suffered and died who might otherwise have been helped.

The play is about the life and career Dr. Joseph Goldberger (1874-1929), an early hero of modern American medicine.