Events
2023 EVENTS
January 14, 2023 — Reading Dog visit to Lancaster Public Library with Gracie, 10:30 a.m., free and open to the public.
January 24, 2023 — Exploring the Stories of Your Life writing workshop for Lancaster Downtowners, 7 – 9 p.m., free and open to the public.
February 8, 2023 — Professor John Newman of Utah Valley University and I will co-host ATVY Festival Conversations, based on American Theatre for the Very Young: A Digital Festival. 8 – 9 p.m., ET. Free and open to the public via ZOOM, but registration is required. Register at http://aate.com, under “Programs and Events.
February 11, 2023 — Reading Dog visit to Lancaster Public Library with Gracie, 10:30 a.m., free and open to the public. Our final visit until LPL moves to its beautiful new facility on Queen St.!
February 14, 2023 — Repeat airing of “Thunder Mountain” by The Open Eye Theater on WIOX-FM in the Catskills. Available worldwide at 6 p.m. ET. at http://wioxradio.org.
February 28, 2023 — I begin leading monthly BIC (Butt-in-Chair) Independent Writing Sessions for the Lancaster Downtowners. 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. ET, via ZOOM, on the last Tuesday of the month. Free and open to the public, but registration is required. Register at https://www.lancasterdowntowners.org/content.aspx?page_id=4002&club_id=517670&item_id=1936222&event_date_id=255
March 28, 2023 — Second time around for the monthly BIC (Butt-in-Chair) Independent Writing Sessions for the Lancaster Downtowners. 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., ET, via ZOOM. Free and open to the public, but you must register. https://www.lancasterdowntowners.org/content.aspx?page_id=4002&club_id=517670&item_id=1936222&event_date_id=255
April 16, 2023 — “Thunder Mountain” will be performed live in Yulee, Florida. Details TBA.
April 25, 2023 — Leading another BIC (Butt-in-Chair) Independent Writing Session for the Lancaster Downtowners. 7 – 8:30 p.m. ET, via ZOOM. Free and open to the public, but you must register: https://www.lancasterdowntowners.org/content.aspx?page_id=4002&club_id=517670&item_id=1936222&event_date_id=255
May 2, 2023 — Book sales and signing at Manheim Central School District’s “Reading Under the Stars” event, 6:30 – 8 p.m., Elden Rettew Field.
May 12, 2023 — Second Friday in Lititz book autographing at Aaron’s Books. Details TBA. Free and open to the public.
2022 EVENTS
September 24, October 22, November 26, and December 17, 2022, all at 10:30 a.m. Come read to us!
January 19, 2022 — “Exploring the Stories of Your Life,” a hands-on story-sharing workshop for Lancaster Downtowners.
January 24, 2022 — ATVY Festival Conversations, a ZOOM interview with The Gottabees creator and performer Bonnie Duncan about “Squirrel Stole My Underpants.” 8 p.m. EST.
February 1, 2022 — Revival of The Open Eye Theater’s radio production of Fidelio on WIOX FM at 6 p.m. EST. Tune in at http://wioxradio.org.
February 28, 2022 — ATVY Festival Conversations, a ZOOM interview with Kerfuffle creator and performer Amanda Pintore about “Wonderwander.” 8 p.m. EST.
March 28, 2022 — ATVY Festival Conversations, a ZOOM interview with director Kate Debelack about “By the Seashore” from Arts on the Horizon.
March 29, 2022 — I will be the guest of The Open Eye Theater’s Play Time on WIOX FM, reading from TOO MANY FROGS, WHAT A PARTY, and HERE COMES GOSLING and talking about how I adapted each book as a play. The series broadcasts worldwide and can be accessed at http://wioxradio.org at 6 p.m. EDT. Info about the books and the plays can be found on this site under “Books I’ve Written” and “Published Plays.“
April 9, 2022 — “Mariposa/Butterfly” opens at the Trike Theatre in Bentonville, Arkansas and will tour the area. More information at http://triketheatre.org.
April 22 – 24, 2022 — Attending Lawrence (KS) Arts Center’s Theater and Dance for the Very Young virtual conference. I will be presenting a session about ATVY: A Digital Festival on Saturday.
April 26, 2022 — Trike Theatre production of “Mariposa/Butterfly” moves to Notre Dame, IN, and will tour the area. More info at http://triketheatre.org.
August 4 – 7, 2022 — “Death Valley: A Love Story” will be presented as part of the Philadelphia Women’s Theatre Festival. For more info on the festival, see http://phillywomenstheatrefest.org. For more information about the play, see “Plays in Progress” on this site.
August 21, 2022 — I’ll be one of several authors sharing stories and signing books at Nook Books in Lancaster, PA, for their celebration of local authors. (https://www.nookbooks.shop). My official slot is at noon, but the festivities will start at 10 a.m. and continue until 1 p.m.
September 9, 2022 — ZOOM visit with Dakota DeMato’s theatre class at South Pointe High School in South Carolina. Students will be performing my play “In the Garden of the Selfish Giant” at a couple of competitions later in the fall. I’ll watch a rehearsal and we’ll chat.
September 10, 2022 — The second season of ATVY Festival Conversations begins at 8 p.m. as I host a ZOOM chat with Pollyanna Theatre Company Founder and Artistic Director Judy Matetzschk-Campbell. Free. Register here: https://www.aate.com/atvy-aate-events.
September 27, 2022 — Live interview on WIOX-FM with Amie Brockway. Producing Artistic Director of The Open Eye Theater. We’ll discuss playwriting and getting ideas for plays, including The Open Eye Theater’s upcoming production of my radio play, “Thunder Mountain.” Tune in world-wide at 6 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time at http://wioxradio.org.
October 10, 2022 — ATVY Festival Conversations continues at 8 p.m. ET as Professor John Newman of Utah Valley University and I host a ZOOM chat with Spellbound Theatre’s Susannah Brock. Free, but registration required: https://www.aate.com/atvy-aate-events.
October 11, 2022 — Live broadcast of my radio play, “Thunder Mountain” by The Open Eye Theater (https://www.theopeneyetheater.org) on WIOX FM in the Catskills. Available world-wide at 6 p.m. ET at http://wioxradio.org/index.html.
November 5, 2022 — I’ll be a guest at Lititz Public Library’s first Local Author’s Expo from 1-3 p.m. (https://lititzlibrary.org) Books will be available for purchase and autographing. Free and open to the public.
November 12, 2022 — Playwright Barry Kornhauser and I will lead a Dramatist Guild-sponsored workshop on “Writing Plays for Teenagers” at the beautiful Ware Center in Lancaster, PA. Free and open to the public. Registration required. Details TBA.
November 14, 2022 — ATVY Festival Conversations continues as Professor John Newman of Utah Valley University and I host a ZOOM chat with Kassie Misievicz, founder and Artistic Director of Trike Theatre. Free, but registration required: https://www.aate.com/atvy-aate-events
2021 EVENTS
February 3, 2021 — I’ll be doing a virtual visit with playwright and colleague Jose Casas’s class at the University of Michigan.
February 6 and 7, 2021 — Attending the American Alliance for Theatre and Education’s on-line symposium, “Everyone’s a Playwright,” and leading a virtual dine-around on using community-written stories in plays and performance pieces. Details at https://www.aate.com/everyone-s-a-playwright-2021-
February 9, 2021 — At 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, author/poet/colleague David Harrison and I will read a two-actor version of “Jesse and Grace: A Best Friend’s Story” as part of the Dramatists Guild – Philadelphia Footlights series. Suitable for elementary school students and their families. Free and open to the public, but registration is required.
February 10, 2021 — A virtual visit with Patricia Clark’s theater students at East Carolina University.
February 18, 2021 — A virtual visit with David Sweet’s cast of “In the Garden of the Selfish Giant” at Whitley County High School in Williamsburg, Kentucky.
March 9, 2021 — A virtual visit with Thomas Dalton’s class at Summer Creek High School in Houston, TX. They’ve been performing “A Woman Called Truth” at UIL competitions and sweeping up awards!
March 25-27, 2021 — Live performances of “In the Garden of the Selfish Giant” streamed from Whitley County High School in Williamsburg, KY.
March – October, 2021 — I will be mentoring a playwright as part of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education’s new mentorship program.
April 10, 2021 — Official began my work as a mentor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators – Eastern Pennsylvania mentorship program. I look forward to the next six months of working on two picture book manuscripts written by my mentee!
April 13, 2021 — Broadcast of “The Wolf and its Shadows” radio version over WIOX-FM kicks off a new bi-weekly radio program hosted by The Open Eye Theater.
April 30, 2021 — A ZOOM visit with Professor Patricia Clark’s theatre students at East Carolina University.
May 11, 2021 — David Harrison and I will be reading the two-hander version of “Jesse and Grace: A Best Friends Story” on WIOX-FM Radio at 6 p.m. ET. For world-wide access, see http://wioxradio.org.
June 6 – 13, 2021 — In virtual residence at NYU’s New Plays for Young Audiences workshop, where Jose Casas and I will work on “Mariposa/Butterfly,” our new bi-lingual script for very young audiences, under the direction of Jose Cruz Gonzales. Free, public readings on Saturday, June 12 and Sunday, June 13. Register via Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mariposabutterfly-tickets-155732609427.
June 23, 2021 — First in-person visit (I hope) since the pandemic began! A Story Path event at Quarryville Public Library, Quarryville, PA, featuring CHICKEN STORY TIME! I’ll be there from 10:30 – 11:30 a.m., reading the book, running a short “Where Do You Get Your Ideas?” writing workshop, and offering books for sale and autographing. Free and open to the public. To register: https://quarryvillelibrary.org/event/where-do-you-get-your-ideas-a-reading-and-writing-party-with-sandy-asher/?sd=1624406400
June 26, 2021 — Morning meeting in Buchanan Park with 4th and 7th grade Girl Scouts to work on their writing badges.
July 14, 2021 — I’ll be reading from my books at Manheim Township Public Library at 10 a.m. Free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase and autographing. More info at https://mtpl.info/event/outdoor-story-time-with-sandy-asher/?fbclid=IwAR2s14QPHpikjlg2lKKaSvHBIJz5FHxg8fw5udUkITLrXFnlJ3k3Jg7NFdU
September 12, 2021 — Pleased to be chosen to join 8 other local authors at the Aaron’s Books Children’s Author Book Fair, 1 – 4 p.m. Free and open to the public. Details and pre-ordering information at http://aaronsbooks.com See “Events.”
September 27, 2021 — First ZOOM meeting of “ATVY Festival Conversations,” an hour-long event led by Professor John Newman and me, co-founders and co-chairs of American Theatre for the Very Young: A Digital Festival. We’ll be joined by “Balloonacy” playwright Barry Kornhauser. For theatre professionals, educators, and students.
October 12, 2021 — Radio interview on WIOX FM in the Catskills with The Open Eye Theater’s Producing Artistic Director Amie Brockway in advance of her stage and radio production of “Fidelio.” I’ll be reading excerpts from “Fidelio” and “Thunder Mountain,” another of my radio scripts in The Open Eye Theater’s future. WIOX FM streams world-wide. The show, PlayTime, can be accessed at 6 p.m. Eastern Time on the website at http://wioxradio.org.
October 25, 2021 — A ZOOM visit with Kenton Jones’s drama class at Motlow State Community College in Smyrna, TN.
October 25, 2021 — “ATVY Festival Conversations,” a monthly, hour-long ZOOM event co-hosted by Professor John Newman and me, this time featuring Jose Casas, co-author of “Mariposa/Butterfly.” For theatre professionals, educators, and students.
October 26, 2021 — The Open Eye Theater will present my new radio play, FIDELIO, on WIOX FM, streaming world-wide at http://wioxradio.org at 6 p.m., ET. There will also be live performances on October 23, 24, 28, 29, 30, and 31 at The Open Eye Theater, Margaretville, NY. Details at http://theopeneyetheater.org.
November 22, 2021 — “ATVY Festival Conversations,” a monthly, hour-long ZOOM event co-hosted by Professor John Newman and me, this month featuring Treehouse Shakers’ “Hatched,” with Mara McEwin, Artistic Director.
2020 EVENTS
January 18, February 22 — Visits to the Lancaster Public Library with Reading Dog Gracie. All at 10:30 a.m., free and open to the public. We stay about 45 minutes to an hour. First come, first served. March and April visits have been cancelled because of the Coronavirus.
January 26, 2020 — Signed books at Barnes and Noble, Lancaster, PA, from 3-5 p.m., and reading TOO MANY FROGS! and HERE COMES GOSLING! at 3:45 p.m. as part of Matt Lubin’s Bar Mitzvah fundraising project to benefit the children of immigrants in our area. Mazel tov, Matt!
February 6, 2020 — ZOOM visit with the director and cast of “Family Matters” at Battle Ground High School, Battle Ground, MI. After a run at their school, this group will be taking their production to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland!
March 1, 2020 — Visited 3rd – 5th graders at Congregation Shaarai Shomayim in Lancaster to encourage interviews and writing for their immigration project.
March 2, 2020 — Read to classes at Carter and MacRae Elementary School in celebration of Read Across America Day.
March 6, 2020 — Read to first graders at King Elementary School’s “Share-A-Book” event.
March 13, 2020 — I’ll be in Millersville helping a local Girl Scout troop work on their “Write Away” badges. THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED.
March 19, 2020 — 7 – 8:30 p.m. — Barry Kornhauser and I will present a Dramatists Guild workshop on Writing Plays for Teenagers at the Ware Center. Free, but registration is requested. PLEASE NOTE: This event has been postponed. New date TBA.
March 31, 2020 — Barry Kornhauser and I will repeat our Writing Plays for Teenagers workshop at the Drake Theatre in Philadelphia. Free, but registration is requested. PLEASE NOTE: This event has been postponed. New date TBA.
April 17 – 18, 2020 — premiere of a new dance/theater piece adapted from my picture book, STELLA’S DANCING DAYS. School performances on Friday; public performances at Lancaster Public Library at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday. NOTE: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED. Future dates TBA.
April 23, 2020 — ZOOM visit with drama students at Bowling Green High School in Bowling Green, OH.
April 30, 2020, 8:30 – 9:30 p.m. EDT — As one ofI several “acts” in the Congregation Shaarai Shomayim Talent Show, I’m reading three of the poems I’ve written in response to the National Poetry Writing Challenge. Everyone is welcome! Go to http://www.shaarai.org for viewing information.
May 14 – 17, 2020 — I’ll be attending the TYA/USA and New Visions/New Voices joint conference at the Kennedy Center in DC. NOTE: This event will be presented virtually. More information at http://tyausa.org.
July 2, 2020 — Joining participants from South Africa, the UK, Australia, and elsewhere on a playwriting panel as part of the virtual National Arts Festival sponsored by ASSITEJ South Africa. This is the culmination of my service as a mentor to a South African playwright developing a new play for young audiences. A 10-minute excerpt of her play will be read at this gathering, and the full play will be read at another gathering in July. Here’s a link to the panel discussion: https://nationalartsfestival.co.za/show/in-the-works-discussion/. Artists from four continents are gathered on ZOOM!
July 11, 2020 — My 10-minute play “Scratch-Scratch-Scratch-Scratch-Thonk” will be given a virtual rehearsed reading as part of a three-day, Philadelphia-area festival sponsored by the Dramatists Guild.
July 23 – August 4, 2020 — attending the on-line national conference of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education, (http://aate.com), where I’ll be part of the virtual Playwright Slam. See me reading a 5-minute cutting from my radio play “Fidelio” at https://youtu.be/1oD3WyHv_iw.
July 31 – August 2, 2020 — attending the on-line national conference of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. (http://scbwi.org)
August 13, 20, and 24, 2020 — participating in a variety of innovative activities as part of the ASSITEJ South Africa’s virtual conference, including writing one part of an international “chain email play” that will be performed on August 20. (http://assitej.org.za)
August 19, 2020 through October, 2020 — I’ll be a “virtual playwright-in-residence” visiting Eastern Carolina University in Greenville, NC, for a series of classes and rehearsals, including performances of “A Woman Called Truth.” ZOOM performances of “A Woman Called Truth” are scheduled for October 22 and 23.
August 22, 2020 — 11 – 11:30 a.m. EDT. I’ll be reading from my picture books via ZOOM and Facebook Live as part of a day-long fund-raising event to benefit Quarryville (PA) Library Center. Autographed copies will be given away to generous donors. https://quarryvillelibrary.org/event/quarryville-library-first-annual-read-a-thon/?sd=1598054400
October 7, 2020 — Gracie and I begin on-line Reading Dog visits with children from Fulton Elementary School as part of the Lancaster Downtowners Z-Tutors project. On-line visits will continue every Wednesday as long as the students need them.
October 17, 2020 — the launch of Central Florida Center for the Arts’ Youth Theatre Festival, featuring performances of 5 new plays, including my own “Princess Bee and the Royal Good-night Story.” Once the festival launches, the plays will be available streaming on demand. More info and tickets here: https://cfcarts.secure.force.com/ticket/?fbclid=IwAR04EV_wq_KYbbOLDTBpHzT2enjMLcBQeQzgnTo-ti4PZtp8_a53RhWZrjA#/events/a0S6g000002FXkhEAG.
November 12, 2020 — ZOOM performance of “We Will Remember: A Tribute to Veterans” by Carrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa, FL.
December 15, 2020 — A reprise of “Welcome Home, Bear” on WIOX.FM’s show ‘Talk of the Town.” I’ll be interviewed at 6 p.m. EST, the performance will follow. and the actors will be interviewed at the end. The program streams world-wide. More information at http://wioxradio.org.
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS
Though I do love to travel, sometimes I’m “on the road” without leaving home . . .
Students at West Virginia Wesleyan University take off on their tour of “The Wolf and Its Shadows,” April, 2015.
Here, I’m being interviewed by Van, an Austin Library puppet, before my trip there to see the stage version of CHICKEN STORY TIME performed by Pollyanna Theatre Company:
Here’s a link to a recent blog interview by Adam Szymkowicz: http://aszym.blogspot.com/2017/08/i-interview-playwrights-part-977-sandy.html?spref=fb. I’m #977 in his planned total of 1000 playwrights!
And here’s an earlier email interview by Lindsay Bandy on PennPoints, the blog of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ Eastern PA chapter: http://easternpennpoints.wordpress.com/2014/11/20/a-cafe-chat-with-author-and-playwright-sandy-asher-by-lindsay-bandy/ . . .
And an article after a phone interview by Lancaster newspaper reporter Joan Kern: http://lancasteronline.com/features/all-hail-the-children-s-laureate-city-resident-has-duty/article_9549da1e-b7c6-11e4-94dc-47312c9c8790.html.
And an interview in the Lancaster newspaper by Jane Holahan: http://lancasteronline.com/features/entertainment/meet-sandy-asher-who-brings-together-the-stories-of-women/article_8b025012-8674-11e6-a9a0-b757fcb52b57.html.
Then there are the trips to classrooms, libraries, workshops, and theatres, near and far . . .
In February, 2020, Gracie and I will celebrate our three-year anniversary as a KPETS Therapy Dog team with weekly Reading Dog visits to Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School and Carter & MacRae Elementary School, and monthly visits to the Lancaster Public Library. Visits will continue throughout the year.
February 11, 2018 — Presentation of my Readers Theater piece, “Stand Up for a Child: The CASA Project” at Congregation Shaarai Shomayim, benefitting Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Lancaster. Read more about this pro bono script under “Plays in Progress” on this website.
September 7, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. and September 8, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. — Performances of “Princess Bee and the Royal Good-Night Story” at Lancaster Public Library. Learn more about this musical for young audiences at “Plays in Progress” on this website.
September 27, 2018 — Life-story writing workshop at Milagro House, Lancaster, PA.
October 31, 2018 — Life-story writing workshop at New Choices Career Development, Lancaster, PA.
November 28, 2018 — class interview visit with 1st graders at King Elementary School.
December 10, 2018 — ZOOM visit with Professor John Newman’s Theatre for Young Audiences class at Utah Valley University. They performed scenes from my play “Welcome Home, Bear!” as their final exam. More about this script for young audiences at “Plays in Progress.”
December 21, 2018 — “Share-a-Story” Day at King Elementary School. I read an excerpt from TEDDY TEABURY’S FABULOUS FACT to 3rd and 4th grade classes.
January 4 – 6, 2019 — Co-hosted and presented at American Alliance for Theatre and Education’s symposium, “American Theatre for the Very Young: A Digital Series Goes Live!” at the Ware Center, Lancaster, Pa.
February 7, 2019 — A visit to King Elementary School with director Anne Meeder to introduce 1st graders to “Welcome Home, Bear!” and get them started making flowers and other props used in the April 5 – 6 performances.
February 12 – March 19, 2019 — I taught an on-line course on writing plays for young audiences for the Dramatists Guild Institute. Class met via ZOOM on consecutive Tuesday evenings, 8-10 p.m., EST.
March 1, 2019 — “Read Across America Day” at Carter and MacRae Elementary School.
April 5 – 6, 2019 — Performances of “Welcome Home, Bear!” at the Lancaster Public Library.
April 7, 2019 — Encore reading of “For We Were Strangers in the Land” at Tellus360. Learn more about this pro bono script at “Plays in Progress” on this website.
August 2 – 6, 2019 — American Alliance for Theatre and Education’s annual conference, leading the “Hidden Treasures” session and the meeting of the Theatre for Young Audiences Network. Honored with the Sara Spencer Artistic Achievement Award for lifetime contribution to the field of theatre for young audiences.
September 21, 2019 — Presented the keynote and lead discussions at SCBWI-EPA’s Storyboard Renaissance at the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Courtyard by Marriott.
October 25 – 27, 2019 — Opening weekend of “Death Valley: A Love Story” at Springfield Contemporary Theatre in Springfield, MO. Learn more about this script for adult audiences at “Plays in Progress” on this website.
November 6, 2019 — “Meet the Author” presentation at the Iris Club, Lancaster, PA.
December 7, 2019, 1 – 4 p.m., “A Library Happening, ” the culminating event of the “It Happened at the Library” project, featuring the debut of the new book I compiled and edited and the stage presentation I created from some of the stories included, all by Lancaster County students, many of whom were on hand for a group autographing. At Lancaster Public Library.
SANDY ASHER 