Drama playwright Zay Amsbury (’09) received the Ecole Supérieure de Réalisation Audiovisuelle's (ESRA) Screenwriting Award for his screenplay Au Clair de la Luna, as part of their annual competition; he wrote the book and lyrics, with music and additional lyrics by Robert Intile. The film was directed by ESRA students Antoine Espagne and Dominique Filhol, and featured Drama alumni Danielle Treuberg (’08), Kathleen Choe (’08), Diana Basmijian (’08), Bridget Ori (’09), and Mark Cajigao (’08).

ESRA, a division of the famed French television and film school, has been in the United States auditing classes in the arts, and brought several of their graduates to Drama to observe American actors in training. When the ESRA students began their final film projects, they approached Drama to further the collaboration between the schools. “While working with ESRA, Drama directing alum David Little (’08) came to me with the idea of writing a musical that involved Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville's audio recording of the French folk song ‘Au Clair de la Luna,’ which is the first audio recording in history,” explains Amsbury of the project. “We also wanted it to have something to do with America, France, and ‘love.’ From that, I developed the story and the songs.” Amsbury is extremely proud of the finished film, editing, and changing the script through a series of workshops and readings. “It was their film project, so I told them to go with their gut and cut/change what they needed. They stayed absolutely true to the heart of the story, and realized the script beautifully.”

As for the award, Amsbury wasn't even aware there was a competition, and at the screening it was also announced that the film was ineligible to compete. The honor was awarded as a result of a write-in vote based on the strength of the story, which came as a surprise to him.

“I’m extremely proud of the collaboration,” Amsbury says. “It was totally fun and I learned a great deal. It’s fantastic when you know you've found a powerful story and you come from a program that provides you with a solid, dynamic toolset to realize that story in its most powerful form. Playwriting ChairPippin Parker and Drama has really put together one of the strongest MFA Playwriting departments in the country.”

View the film’s trailer online at the New School for Drama website .