Princess KIM Takes Play Festival

Princess K.I.M. The Musical beat out 178 competitors to become crowned the best at a play festival in Ohio last week.

The play was one of the five finalists at the 2nd Annual Ronald M. Ruble New Play Festival, which is the “culmination of a nationwide search for the finest new works in children's and youth theatre.”

“Princess K.I.M. The Musical”, based on the series of children’s books written by Amherst author/illustrator Maryann Cocca-Leffler, was named the Ronald M. Ruble New Play Festival Outstanding New Work.

“We are thrilled to have been chosen as the winner and we look forward to the full production in 2013 in Huron, OH!” said Cocca-Leffler on her website.

The books tell the story of a young a girl named Kim, who moves to a new town with her dad and theatrical Grandma. She lies and tells her new friends that she is a princess, but her little lie grows out of control, causing her life to get very complicated.

A panel of 12 judges, 46 student participants, and nearly 400 members of our community weighed in on the five-show festival. The plays were presented onstage in staged reading formats during the weekend festival.

Princess K.I.M. will be performed at next year’s festival, and will also premiere at the Amato Theater in Milford alongside other possible venues next year. to adapt her books to the stage.

The writing team will also be awarded the $500 grand prize donated by the festival sponsor, Danny Boys Italian Eatery in Ohio.

Cocca-Leffler said that this is a valuable first step in fine tuning the play and introducing the show to the world.

“The faces of the children convinced me that we have something special to offer the children's theater world,” she said. “It is only the beginning for Princess K.I.M. We look forward to sharing our play with the world!”

Find out more about the Princess K.I.M. musical here.