Jason Heller of the theatre production group Action International approached me in 1982 with an intriguing proposal. He wanted me to write a two-act play to showcase the martial arts skills that he and his fellow actors had developed.

I had just finished the final draft of The Last Book and one of the novel's subplots struck me as the perfect vehicle for the show Heller wished to produce. Although the scriptwriting took me only a matter of weeks, the casting was finished even before I had copies ready for the eight players, so I was able to tailor the parts specifically for their talents. British thespian Michael Bannard was brought on board to direct the production. Fleet Theatre at the U.S. Naval Base in Yokosuka, Japan was selected as the venue for the premiere. And on February 18, 1983, The Door opened to a sell-out audience for two performances.

I plan to scan some photos of that production and add the full script here in the near future.