abby paige.writer.actor

The Voices Project

Before Glee, even before High School Musical, there was The Voices Project, an original musical stage production that I developed in collaboration with Vermont filmmaker Bess O’Brien and toured statewide in 2005 with an extraordinary teen cast and crew.

During a year-long research period, we conducted interviews and workshops with teens across Vermont in a variety of settings, from a homeless shelter in Burlington to a class for college-bound students. Based on the material gathered in those forums, we developed a script based on the lives and experiences of Vermont’s young people, treating subjects like pregnancy and teen suicide, but also love, friendship, and the joys of childhood. Original music was then written by a group of teen songwriters in collaboration with adult mentors. With our scripts and excellent musical score, we cast thirty talented teen actors and took the show on the road to towns across Vermont, eventually receiving the Vermont Agency of Human Services Secretary’s Award for the show’s extraordinary contribution to the health and well-being of Vermonters.

Read the New York Times story about the show.

In 2007, we adapted the script for the stage play into a screenplay, which Bess produced as the feature film, Shout It Out!. The film is available as part of an educational package for schools to inspire discussion on topics ranging from class, race, and sex, to self-esteem, parental relationships, and healthy coping skills. In addition, the script for the stage production will soon be available to high school drama programs.

Scripts for for a Variety of Multi-Media Projects

I’ve written voiceover scripts for more than a dozen CD-rom titles for children, including games featuring Dora the Explorer, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and Spongebob Squarepants. Working in software has taught me a lot about economy and collaboration in writing, and has given me the opportunity to work with some talented people.

One especially rewarding project was for Wannado City, a role-playing experience for kids located. In 2006, Motorola added their M-Lab to the Florida attraction, giving kids the chance to explore careers in invention through an immersive, interactive simulation of deep-sea exploration. I had the totally delightful task of developing scripts for the adventure, including for movies, interactive activities, and the live performers who are there to usher the young adventurers on their journey. Good fun — and I learned a lot about fish.

I still work freelance for a variety of software clients. For more detailed information about my past work in the multi-media industry, check out my writing CV.

Windy Acres

Vermonters have always been known for their wit and, more importantly, for their support of local products, from milk and maple syrup to home-grown humor. Windy Acres was a six-part comedy series created by Kingdom County Productions and broadcast by Vermont Public Television, to which I contributed comedy writing and in which I was played April LeMay, the grumpy ex-girlfriend of Lucien LaFlamme, the main character played by Vermont’s own superstar, Rusty DeWees. The show went on to win two New England Emmy Awards.

Killing My Lobster

I was country when country wasn’t cool, and I was a Lobster before I was a woman. I am grateful to have been a writing and performing member of the award-winning San Francisco comedy collective, Killing My Lobster, for five years and to have helped make it the SF institution it is today.