Quick Facts
Biography
Mary Hall Surface (born June 15, 1958) is an American playwright and director of theater, working primarily in the Washington, D.C. area. Surface's work has focused primarily on youth and family content. Surface has received accolades from critics for the inventive use of costumes and music mixed with classic storytelling, often with origins in folk tales. She has earned one Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Direction of a Resident Musical - out of eight nominations. In addition, soundtrack of her musical The Odyssey of Telémaca co-written with composer David Maddox won the 2004 Parents' Choice Gold Award. Ms. Surface is from Bowling Green, KY and was Kentucky's Junior Miss and First Runner Up in the America's Junior Miss Pageant.
Career
In December 2008, Surface directed the world premiere of Alice, her own adaptation of the Lewis Carroll books, at Round House Theatre in Bethesda, Maryland.
Helen Hayes Awards
| 1993 | Outstanding Director, Resident Musical | |
| Tintypes, Round House Theatre | Nomination | |
| 2000 | Outstanding Director, Resident Musical | |
| Grimm Tales, Theater of the First Amendment | Nomination | |
| 2001 | Outstanding Director, Resident Musical | |
| Sing Down the Moon, Appalachian Wonder Tales, Theater of the First Amendment | Nomination | |
| 2002 | Outstanding Director, Resident Musical | |
| Perseus Bayou, Theater of the First Amendment | Award Recipient | |
| 2002 | The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play | |
| Perseus Bayou, Theater of the First Amendment | Nomination | |
| 2003 | The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Musical | |
| Mississippi Pinocchio, Theater of the First Amendment | Nomination | |
| 2007 | The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical | |
| Lift:Icarus and Me, Theater of the First Amendment | Nomination | |
| 2009 | Outstanding Director, Resident Musical | |
| Goodnight Moon, Tribute Productions and Adventure Theatre | Nomination |
Recordings
- "The Nightingale" (1999) – playwright with composer David Maddox.
- "Sing Down The Moon: Appalachian Wonder Tales" (2002) – playwright with composer David Maddox.
- "Perseus Bayou: The Search for the Cajun Medusa" (2002) – playwright with composer David Maddox.
- "The Odyssey of Telémaca" (2004) – playwright with composer David Maddox.
Books
- "Prodigy: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart" (1988) – author. Published by Anchorage Press.
- "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (1994) – author. Published by Anchorage Press.
- "Most Valuable Player and Four Other All-Star Plays for Middle and High School Audiences (Young Actors Series)" (1999) – author. Published by Smith & Kraus.
- "Short Scenes and Monologues for Middle School Actors" (2000) – author. Published by Smith & Kraus.
- "More Short Scenes and Monologues for Middle School Students: Inspired by Literature, Social Studies, and Real Life (Young Actor Series)" (2007) – author. Published by Smith & Kraus.
- "Spirit Shall Fly" (2007) – author. Published by Anchorage Press.
- "The Tales of the Custard Dragon" (2009) – co-author with Danny Whitman. Published by Samuel French.
Stage
- Sing Down The Moon: Appalachian Wonder Tales (2000) – Director and playwright, composed by David Maddox at Theater of the First Amendment (VA).