Theatre Artists Studio Presents BABE: AN OLYMPIAN MUSICAL, 3/16-4/1

Mildred "Babe" Didrikson excelled in basketball, baseball, track and field and golf before her death in 1956 of colon cancer at age 45. America's first female golf celebrity in the 1940s and early '50s, Didrikson won 17 straight tournaments as an amateur before turning pro and was one of the founders of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). Prior to that, she gained two gold medals and one silver medal in track and field in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics.

When Studio member Andrea Jill Higgins answered an ad in the Composer's Forum five years ago, she took the first step on a long journey that will culminate in the world premiere of Babe: An Olympian Musical at Theatre Artists Studio March 16 through April 1.

The woman placing that ad was playwright Carolyn Gage of Portland, Maine, who had originally written the Didrikson play over 20 years prior. Gage had recently reworked the script and written lyrics, but she needed the right composer as a partner in her quest to honor Didrikson. After receiving the script from Gage, Higgins said she "could hear the melodies in my mind for these lyrics." A few days at her piano and she was ready to play and sing two newly composed pieces for "Babe." "Carolyn told me she auditioned 100 composers before me", said Higgins.

The two polished the script for the next few years and had several staged readings, then presented it to Theatre Artists Studio, where it was accepted for a full production.

The musical styles featured in Babe run the gamut from haunting ballads, country, and dynamic up tempos to rollicking chorus numbers and even a Tango. "I wrote this musical score to fit each individual character in Carolyn's play," said Higgins.

Directed by Christy Welty, Babe stars Shana Rebilas Bousard as the icon, Babe Didrikson. Bousard has the challenge of playing Babe from age 17 up until the time she joined with colleagues to help form the LPGA. The story is told through the eyes of the often-quoted, famed sports writer Grantland Rice, who is played by Bousard's father and fellow Studio member, Joe Bousard.

Babe: An Olympian Musical opens Friday night, March 16, and runs Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. through April 1. Tickets are $20 General Admission, $10 for students age 25 and under and $15 for groups of 10 or more, seniors age 65 and over and members of the military (both active and retired).

To obtain tickets, call 602-765-0120 or visit www.thestudiophx.org.