About the Show
High school football star Johnny Diskakis is a tiny wide receiver with big dreams of athletic triumphs. But when Johnny tests positive for steroids, he and his dad, Yiorgos, are forced to move back to their native village on the island of Crete in Greece. As they grapple with a new life working at the grandfather’s family farm and inn, Johnny plots a return to football in the U.S. While out on a training run, he gets hit in the head by a frisbee and meets Thina, a local athletic phenom who captains the Greek national team for the mixed-gender sport of Ultimate Frisbee. Thina recruits Johnny and he quickly becomes an essential part of the team, but this new self-officiated sport tests Johnny in unexpected ways. As he battles past demons, mixed signals from Thina, and Yiorgos’ dis-approval, Johnny may get a shot at redemption, but it’s not clear if that’s the shot he’ll take.
About the Creator
Philip Vlahakis is a New York-based musical theater writer, and a world champion ultimate frisbee player. His original full-length show, Spirit of the Game: The Ultimate Musical, explores how the sport’s emphasis on self-regulation and sportsmanship can have resonance beyond the sporting world. Philip is also the composer, lyricist, and co-author (with Nathan Carver) of the original full-length musical, Liberty in a New World (Rave Theater Festival finalist 2020). Other work includes the original musical short, Dog Run, selected for, and presented at, the Emerging Artists Theater New Work Series, 2019. Philip has composed in a range of styles and has recorded two collections of piano works, Ballad ‘n Blue I and II. He holds a certificate of dramatic writing from the Dramatists Guild Institute, is a member of Unmuted: Musical Theater Writers’ group, and is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, Inc. He is a strong believer in the power of musical theater to both lift spirits and deliver positive messages for society.