POWERGRAMS

for the movie or the musical. I'm so pleased people saw something to create," he said. For Wallace, seeing the musical in Birmingham was especially meaningful. The Birmingham native attended Shades Valley Elementary School and the Altamont School, and drew inspiration from areas around Homewood, downtown Birmingham, Mountain Brook and Cullman. "Everywhere in the book, I could point to the places in town where I imagined it happening. For me it could not be more awesome," said Wallace. Keith Cromwell, executive director of RMTC, saw "Big Fish" on Broadway and again in the off-Broadway production in Boston. He decided RMTC was a perfect fit for the production. "Red Mountain Theatre Company is so focused on the renaissance of Birmingham and all the great and wonderful things that are happening downtown, and we want to be about telling Birmingham stories," said Jennifer Jaquess, managing director of RMTC. "We couldn't be more thrilled to bring it to the stage." Wallace's opening night viewing of RMTC's "Big Fish" was his first time seeing the musical off Broadway. "Seeing it in Birmingham to me is so valuable both artistically and emotionally because it takes place right here," he said. After the production, Wallace sat down with cast members and the audience to discuss the book and the production. "This felt much more true to my experience, the Southernness much more evident and I felt it more strongly here," Wallace said. Wallace continues to write and serve on the faculty of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has recently written and illustrated a children's book, "The Cat's Pajamas," and is finishing a novel he has been working on for the past three years. When thinking back on his success as a writer, Wallace's thoughts return to Birmingham. "Most important were the teachers I had at Altamont. I wouldn't be a writer without the teachers and education I received at Altamont," Wallace said. The success of "Big Fish" is one that Birmingham can celebrate alongside Wallace. "That's how I have come to this adventure. I've taken a backseat approach. It was never my ambition to see it come this far and the fact that there are other things that have happened has been an adventure I have loved," he said. "Big Fish" is one of many productions performed at RMTC. Founded in 1979 as Summerfest, RMTC is a nonprofit organization that fosters artists, inspires youths and engages audiences through quality theater and education programming. Throughout its 30-year history, it is one of the only year-round professional musical theater organizations in Alabama and is deeply committed to seeing its hometown thrive. "Big Fish was the perfect combination of what Red Mountain Theatre Company is all about," said Cromwell. "There were children acting for the first time on stage with a renowned Broadway actor, the lead female was played by a woman who started as a young girl at RMTC and came back to play that part. Add the author, Daniel Wallace, traveling to see the production and recognizing the economic development impact really, together, everything we want to see in the arts being a part of the revitalization of our community." Wallace, author of "Big Fish," joined the crowd for opening night at Red Mountain Theatre Company. COMMUNITY 24

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