18 - PRANCER by Greg Taylor (Ep. 52)

This week Hollywood screenwriter Greg Taylor stops by the show! Greg wrote the scripts for the 90s kids' classics, Harriet the Spy and Jumanji, as well as one of Melissa's favorite holiday films, Prancer, which Greg later adapted for the stage.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How the late great Cloris Leachman influenced Greg's script 
• The reindeer in the film vs the stage play
• How screenwriters and playwrights are treated differently
• Adapting novels to screenplays and screenplays to stage plays

And more!

Resources Mentioned
Prancer film
The Rose Theater
Prancer script from Plays for New Audiences

Prancer is playing at ALT, WV's Apollo Civic Theatre, and The Sauk during the 2023 holiday season.

***We have a gift for 101 Stage Adaptations listeners! Download a  FREE PDF perusal copy of Prancer  here using the discount code is 101Prancer. Valid until December 1, 2024 and only valid on Prancer.*** 

About Our Guest
Greg Taylor was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is a screenwriter, author and playwright.  His screenwriting credits include Prancer, Jumanji, and Harriet the Spy.

Greg is married, with two children, Jessica and Ian, and two grandchildren. From the time he and his wife, Joanne, had their first child, Greg has concentrated on writing stories for families, children and young adults.

For his adaptation of the stage version of Prancer, which premiered at the Rose Children’s Theater in Omaha, Nebraska, in 2016, Greg received the Omaha Theater Arts Guild award for Outstanding New Script. Since Prancer’s premiere and initial run, the play has been performed at community theaters throughout the US.

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