The Phillips’ Mill Drama Committee will present “The Half of It,” a new play written by Domenick Scudera and directed by Griffin Horn, as part of the Mill’s Premiere Showcase, on its historic stage on July 18 to 21.
“The Half of It” is a new biographical drama based on the life of one of Broadway’s first major drag performers, Bert Savoy, as retold by his partner, Jay Brennan, years after Bert’s death. As Jay uncovers his memories of Bert, he pulls back the curtain on an entire life they lived together—traveling the vaudeville circuit, advising would-be celebrities backstage, playing the press against itself, dodging their exes, discovering new ambitions as performers, and falling in love all along the way. It is a charming portrait of a larger-than-life personality, often overlooked today.
In addition to his work as a playwright, director and performer, Scudera is a Professor of Theater and Dance at Ursinus College, where he co-founded the Department of Theater and Dance and served as its former chair. “The Half of It” was born from Scudera’s artistic and academic passions, and revives whole vaudeville routines used by Bert Savoy in the course of the play. Scudera has previously seen his work presented at Phillips’ Mill through the Emerging Playwright Competition, a juried competition of original one-act plays that the Mill puts on every fall.
Horn has been working with Phillips’ Mill for slightly over a year, directing “Voices,” by Joy Nash, the 2023 Premiere Showcase. Additionally, Horn has come on as the Mill’s Theater Resident, working as a master of ceremonies for the Emerging Playwright Competition this past fall, as well as Play with Words, the Mill’s playwriting challenge for students in grades 7 to 12 held every spring. In December, he staged “Promises to Keep: A Yuletide Ceremony,” a revival of the Victorian tradition of telling ghost stories during the winter holidays.
The Phillips’ Mill Drama Committee has been producing a new play each summer starting in 2018, though halted during the COVID pandemic. These plays included “Writer's Block: An Absurd Comedy with Lofty Ambitions” by Christopher Canaan, “Bleeding in Black & White” by Richard Goodwin, and “Voices” by Joy Nash. “The Half of It” continues the Mill’s commitment to new work, particularly post-pandemic, after many theaters, especially those devoted to new work, have closed.
Tickets will go on sale June 12th. For more information, visit https://www.phillipsmill.org/event/premiere-showcase-the-half-of-it.
