The last we saw of John Grissmer, the multitalented writer, composer, movie director and theatrical producter, he was on campus premiering his latest creation, a perfect mixture of music, romance and basketball titled, “The Perfect Game.” Weaving together two simultaneous stories—a present day rivalry and the historical foundings of the game by James Naismith in 1891—the play offers up equal doses of intensity and drama.
After staging the show at Xavier, he made some minor adjustments—like a coach at halftime—and presented it at the Catholic University of America in 2008 and got such high praise that he’s taking the musical and offering it up to the rest of the country. Earlier this year, Grissmer, a 1955 graduate, published the play through AuthorHouse Publishing and is now offering it to theatrical companies via—of all places—Amazon.com. The traditional method of selling productions is to hire an agent to market it, a process known as longtail marketing. Using the reach and popularity of Amazon.com, though, is moving the whole concept in a new direction. “I’ve joined the modern world,” Grissmer says.
Songs from the play can be heard at www.perfectgamemusical.com, and the book is available at Amazon.
