Playwright's Perspective: Sword in the Stone

Young Playwright Anthony Delaney shares his thoughts on the original story, and his adaptation.

Playwright’s Perspective: Sword in the Stone

For our first play, Homegrown Theatre Camp commissioned Anthony Delaney to write an adaptation of The Sword in the Stone. Anthony was asked to adapt this work not only because of his storytelling abilities, but also because of his ready access to suits of armor and cool prop swords. Below are some of Anthony’s thoughts on the script.

 

The Sword in the Stone is a classic tale, written as a novel by the British author T. H. White in 1938. In 2014 the book received the Retro-Hugo award for best novel of 1939. This adaptation of the story takes many elements from White’s original novel such as Merlin’s relationship to Arthur as a guide and mentor, but an original concept I’ve incorporated is the antagonist Ankou. Ankou was an ancient Briton god of the underworld. Ankou’s inclusion brings a connection to England’s ancient past, contrasted with Arthur’s role as England’s future.

 

In The Sword in the Stone, Arthur is forced to face conflict within himself to determine his own self worth and identity. In modern times it can be difficult to find ones own identity amidst the blur of social media, and to find inner value in yourself instead rather than allowing others to give you worth.

 

Throughout the play Arthur grapples with these issues. It is all too apparent to me that these problems fundamentally shape a young person’s future based on their self perception and confidence. The Sword in the Stone offers a unique perspective, it shows us what we can do when we determine our own self worth as opposed to what we have to do when we allow external forces to determine identity and value for us.

 

-Anthony Delaney, Playwright & Self-Proclaimed Knight

 

The script and camp materials can be downloaded here.

See Anthony in the Sword in the Stone rehearsal videos, beginning July 13th.