The play's title may be Loser's Bracket but it looks as if this comedy is going to be a winner in a big way. A screenplay based on the Herky Wilbur Productions production is headed for the silver screen and the show itself will be seen in other cities around the country next year.

The play is about four buddies living in a small town together drinking beer, playing softball, fishing and planning an auto insurance fraud scheme under the direction of the town's wealthy big shot Hitch Bigwood.

Loser's Bracket was actually first conceived as a movie, said co-writer Clay Sander. The play was written as a way to get the concept out there and seen by people who might be able to make the idea into a film. "It's something that we set out to do from the very beginning," Sander said. To have achieved that film production goal seems incredible, he said. "It's a little overwhelming actually."

The show first opened at WNEP in the fall of 2002. A year later brothers Clay and Nate Sander did another staged reading of the show to see if they could get any backer interest. Herky Wilbur Productions was formed and it remounted Loser's Bracket at the Theatre Building for a 13-week run this summer with the original cast and Jen Ellison again directing.

Beau Rogers, executive producer of Gods and Monsters, has signed on to help Herky Wilbur make the play into an independent film feature. Working with a budget of $3-5 million the film will likely be shot outside of Chicago.

The brothers will be involved in production as the screenwriters and consultant producers. "We will have some say," Sander said. The screenplay will have a different ending and scenes only spoken about in the play now become part of the action. Casting is in the works and Sander reports that John Goodman's name is being bandied about to play the lead role of Hitch. "I hope we can afford him," Sander said, adding that the other players would be lesser-known actors because they'd only be able to pay for one "name" actor.

While the film is in the works Losers Bracket is set to open in Rochester, NY at the Downstairs Cabaret Theatre in 2005. The Sander brothers have been asked to submit to the Aspen Comedy Festival and a Los Angeles run is also in the works.

As president of the Women's Theatre Alliance, Katie Carey Govier is working to make the organization devoted to helping women in the theatre arts a true network of like-minded artists. One of her in-progress initiatives is updating the WTA's membership directory. What used to be a hard copy listing of members is being replaced by an Internet database on the alliance's website www.wtachicago.org.

"The directory had gotten out of date and had just sort of faded from existence," Govier said. When she became president last year she surveyed the 60 or so paid members (although there are closer to 120 men and women active in the WTA's workshops, salon series readings and new play development projects) to find out what they wanted her to focus on. Many pointed to the directory as something they wanted to see reborn as a way to find out about projects and seek out collaborators.

In the past month, Govier has been adding bios and headshots to the website to create a new online directory. "It's good publicity for the members," she said. Govier has been asking members to send short biographies and digital headshots to womenstheatre@lycos.com with "member pic" in the subject line.

Non-members take note: you don't need to be a member to check out the WTA's membership list. "The directory is important to those both new to Chicago and well established because it gives us an opportunity to find out what women are doing in Chicago theatre and how we can become involved either as participants or audience members," Govier said.

Chicago's impressive presence at this year's NYC Fringe didn't go unnoticed as Sue Carey and Karena Mendoza brought back accolades. The pair was recognized with a FringeNYC award for Africa & Plumbridge's songs. The show, based on Carey's own involvement with a troubled foster child, debuted at Theatre Building Chicago in July.

While in New York some of our theatre folk may have had a chance to see some of the Broadway hits. If not, they might have trouble getting their hands on an original cast recording, as labels have been moving away from recording musical theatre. Want to raise your voice against this trend? Visit www.stagespace.com/petition where you can add your name to a "Keep Broadway on the Record" petition being sent to chief executives at Sony, RCA Victor, Nonesuch, Atlantic and Hollywood Records. The petition initiative was started Aug. 17 and within two weeks had already surpassed 5,000 signatures.

Want to see your name or your theatre company's moniker in bold print? If you have news or announcements for Behind the Curtain e-mail Jenn at jqgoddu@sbcglobal.net.