Academia Nuts

About This Project

Becca Anderson, Writer and Producer

About: Academia Nuts is a musical inspired by Becca Anderson’s own life growing up in rural Arkansas. Set at the National High School Quizbowl Championship, Academia Nuts reminds misfits that “chasing your dream is never a trivial pursuit”. Academia Nuts is a satirical comedy with an energetic ‘nerd-rock’ score. The full-length musical was performed as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival’s (NYMF) 2014 Next Link Project.

Outcomes: Academia Nuts received the Excellence in Direction Award for director Thomas Caruso, Outstanding Individual Performance Awards for actresses Alyse Alan Louis and Jennifer Simard, Honorable Mention for Excellence in Writing for both Book and Lyrics at The NYMF Awards for Excellence. The production was also awarded the coveted Play-by-Play Best New Musical Award.

The success of the NYMF production of Academia Nuts has led to immediate career advancements for the writers. Becca Anderson and her collaborators are in talks with two major US regional theatres and an Off- Broadway not-for-profit theatre for future productions of Academia Nuts.

“Receiving a grant from KSF validated all the hard work I had put into my piece getting it ready for the stage.”