New Musical Highlights Jim Naismith's Invention of Basketball

DANBURY, Conn., Jan. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- A new basketball musical is hitting the shelves and no, it's not another High School Musical sequel. Composer, producer, director, playwright and author John Grissmer has just released "The Perfect Game: Jim Naismith Invents Basketball" (published by AuthorHouse), a bound musical complete with stage directions, dialogue and lyrics.

"The Perfect Game" offers a fun, original take on the origins of one of America's most loved sports. Grissmer makes use of the musical theater form to weave together two narratives. In the historical story, a young man out on his first teaching job is given an assignment by his boss - devise a new game for physical education students. That teacher, Jim Naismith, fulfills his assignment and invents what he hopes will prove to be a perfect game. His students like to play what they call "Basket-Ball." Grissmer says:

The inventor of basketball was a pretty bright guy. He was a minister, a doctor, a coach and a mentor to all kinds of students, not just athletes. He was a chaplain in the army, a loving husband and father, and in all roles he gave it all he had. He was a lovable father-figure, even for his own kids.

In the other story, two of today's basketball coaches, Nancy and Frank, have their own issues to overcome. They wind up coaching together while falling in love. The two stories overlap when the historic Jim Naismith becomes a mentor figure for Nancy. They have some intense discussions over the true nature of basketball. Both stories are resolved in the context of the final game, The Home Team against their Arch Rivals. Down by one point, the Home Team's desperate last-second shot may or may not go in. Grissmer writes:

Bounce it off the floor? (BEAT) Well, why not? Bounce the ball at a flat angle off the floor to another player. Or ___ that's a funny idea ___ the player could bounce the ball to himself. Hah! One piece of the puzzle left to find. (BEAT) The goal. What's it going to be? Cross an end line? Kick the ball in a net? (BEAT) No kicking. The goal should be one that avoids congestion and injuries. No blocking the goal. And the throw to the goal should not be hard and flat like a baseball throw. No, it should be light and floating and open and ___ Arched (BEAT) Arched. That's it.

About the Author: John Grissmer has been involved with theater and film since the 1950s; he's performed on stage and directed professional and community stage productions. He's taught drama at the American University in Washington, D.C., and the University of Connecticut - Hartford.

"The Perfect Game" is Grissmer's first musical and has already been successfully produced twice, at Xavier University and The Catholic University. He previously published "The Ghosts of Antietam," a biographical Civil War novel of General George B. McClellan. He's also written a play about composer Charles Ives, "Glorious Noise," and wrote and directed the classic film thriller "Scalpel." For more information and music clips visit: http://www.perfectgamemusical.com

AuthorHouse is the premier book publisher for emerging, self-published authors. For more information, please visit http://www.authorhouse.com.

This release was issued through eReleases(TM).  For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com.

SOURCE AuthorHouse

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