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---Saturday evening performances on June 20 and June 27. 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.