The Thomas Hardy Project

WCT in Ossining will present the world premiere of The Thomas Hardy Project, an award-winning play by Becca Blackmore, a nationally recognized, multiple award-winning playwright based in Esopus near Kingston, NY. WCT was one of only six theaters nationwide selected as a regional producing theater for the nationally renowned NewPlayFest, a festival launched by the AACT (American Association of Community Theatre) in 2014. Following the performances, the play will be published in the AACT NewPlayFest Anthology (Dramatic Publishing Company). WCT actor/director/writer Susan Ward will direct.

The Thomas Hardy Project, selected by AACT from over 450 submissions, was the Clay & Water winner of the playwriting competition of Clamour Theatre Company in Jacksonville, FL, leading to a playwright residency in 2024. It was a finalist of the Inkslinger Playwriting Contest of Southeastern University in Louisiana.

The play tells the story of two markedly different high school senior girls vying for Valedictorian who are paired on a literature project. When a scandal about one of the girls erupts, they recognize the striking parallels between the school’s biased response and the cruelty aimed at women revealed in the Victorian-era writings of Hardy. The girls find themselves raging at injustice and bonding even as they compete for academic acclaim.

Says Blackmore, “In a world that continually looks to mediocre men as leaders, I was inspired to applaud two female figures who strive for excellence and value and celebrate their own intelligence. I wanted to see two smart women with their futures ahead of them push to be their best, in spite of the world around them.” Blackmore admires Hardy’s portrayal of women, musing that he may have been “a feminist” before his time.

Says Alan Lutwin (Ossining), executive director of WCT, “We are enormously honored and grateful that AACT has singled us out for this prestigious accolade. We selected this play from the finalists as it champions the values we extol.”

The actors in the production are Kandy Kapelle and Eva Kottakis. Sydney Mattea (Suffern, NY) and Annika Carlson will perform in two shows, dates TBD. David VanCleave of AACT is the dramaturg. Allison Schneider (New City) is the stage manager; Kim Chandler (New Rochelle) is sound operator; Chasity Perez (Ossining) is house manager/light operator.

The Thomas Hardy Project will be presented Fridays, June 19 and 26 at 7:30 pm; Saturdays. June 20 and 27 at 2 and 7:30 pm; and Sundays, June 21 and 28 at 3 pm. Tickets are $25, $20 for seniors and students. There will be a talk-back with Blackmore and Ward following the Saturday, June 20 matinee.

https://www.wctheater.org/

https://www.beccawrites.com/

ABOUT BECCA BLACKMORE

Becca Blackmore is the co-author of musicals including Quiz Bowl, Snow Way Out, The Peculiar Tale of the Prince of Bohemia and the author of plays including Peaceful Warrior, Bedtime, Dead Behind the Eyes or The Ingenue Play, and President Mom which won the Ronald M. Ruble New Play prize and a Tam & Young Arts Chair Visiting Artist Residency in Honolulu. Her pilot Republic of California won the Vancouver Women in Film and Television pilot competition, and her pilot Happy Medium won the Cinequest Teleplay Competition. Blackmore holds a BFA and an MFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

ABOUT SUSAN WARD

Susan Ward (AEA) has directed many plays in Northern Westchester. In 2025 she co-wrote and co-starred in a devised piece for the Chrysalis Theater Co. at The Chain Theater in NYC to rave reviews. Her solo show Wasbian, written by and starring Ward, won Best Autobiographical One Woman Show at the United Solo Festival NYC, directed by Austin Pendleton.