EVCT is so excited to welcome back playwright J.S. Puller to our stage with her play The Secret Medusa. We took a moment to ask some questions to give our community a sneak peek behind the curtain for this World Premiere piece.

This is your second play that focuses on Greek Mythology. What do you think draws students to these stories and themes even today?

Everyone loves a good story.  I think the ancient Greeks knew that.  Scholars will tell you there are three major purposes of mythology: 1) explain the unexplainable, 2) cautionary tales, and 3) heroic worship.  But I think we’re undermining mythology if we don’t also ignore that the stories are just edge-of-your-seat compelling.  And I also give major credit to Rick Riordan.  The novels set in the world of Percy Jackson have gone a long way to making mythology relevant again.  I love the books myself!

What inspired you to write this adaptation of Greek Mythology?

I should preface by saying that I’ve always been in love with mythology.  My very first performed play was mythology, my first published play was mythology, and inevitably, every few years I return to mythology.  I have a special love of the “side characters” in myth, characters who don’t often get as much as a voice.  The inspiration for The Secret Medusa was very much Andromeda herself.  In most adaptations of her story, she’s treated as more of an object, a macguffin, than a living, breathing person.  I wanted to tell her story in a new way, a way that gave her not only agency but a sense of humor.

What is it that you look forward to most about seeing kids perform your work? 

Child actors are much better at bringing the fun to theatre.  Remember, it’s called a “play” for a reason.  If you’re not having fun while doing it, you’re not doing it right.  I always see so much more joy and celebration in performance with kids than I ever see with adults.  They find such remarkable, unexpected moments of humor and humanity in scripts.  I had the good fortune of hearing a couple of EVCT kids read through the script on Zoom, and I was amazed at the lines they read that were funnier than how I’d written them!

This is your 2nd time having your work presented by EVCT. Audiences loved The Clumsy Princess. What drew you back to EVCT? 

Thank you very much!  Honestly, my experience with The Clumsy Princess was utterly extraordinary.  I find myself constantly telling the story of how much fun I had seeing the show, getting to know the cast, and exploring Mesa.  What I don’t think people recognize is how rare and wonderful EVCT is, how unique an artistic home it is.  There are thousands of playwriting opportunities and contests out there in a given year, but so, so precious few in the world of children’s theatre, where the children are the ones to actually perform!  It’s genuinely all about the children.  That’s what brings me back here.  There is nothing like seeing your work come to life, performed for the target demographic by the target demographic.  EVCT is a very, very rare gem.

What do you hope audiences take away from this production?

I try not to write “lesson plays” that exist for the sole purpose of teaching, but as with all myths, there’s a message in The Secret Medusa about how looks can be deceiving and how knee-jerk reactions can have devastating consequences.