The John Gassner Award Winner in 1981 was The Haunted Carousel, a whirligig through time and space by Ruth Angell Purkey.

Perhaps there are dimensions in time, mysterious and unexplored, where the past moves into the present and back again, revolving and revolving like the spinning of a carousel. This is the theme of Ruth Angell Purkey's drama which centers on the polar bear on a carousel where a woman left her little boy in the 1890's. He disappeared and she has spent the rest of her life looking for him.

The scene shifts to the early 1920's, with the carousel music indicating the time. A young intellectual couple discuss the man's obsession with the haunted memory of the merry-go-round polar bear. The music of the carousel indicates a change to the 1950's as a young hippie couple argue. Why is he, too, haunted by the polar bear and the loss of his mother? Suddenly the carousel music changes to a futuristic dissonance—the music of Tomorrow. A sophisticated young couple are on their way to a Space Scientists' Ball when they stop off at the merry-go-round. They puzzle over his obsession with the memory of a polar bear, and another tragedy from the past. At the end we hear the eerie voice of the original mother of the 1890's calling for her lost son.

Comments from judges of the John Gassner Memorial Playwriting Award contest sponsored by the New England Theatre Conference with over 200 entries:
"The play provoked a lot of discussion—as script, as opportunity for an imaginative director and skillful actors, and as a challenge to a technical staff. All in all, it was a really theatrical experience."
"Suggested mystery in its title and lived up to the title."
"Capitalizes on suspense, anticipation, mystery, surprise."
"It underscores pathos and anguish."
"It appeals to the audience's imagination."
"Allows a director all kinds of possibilities for staging—from simple to complex—depending on cast, facilities, and budget."

An exciting contest play and experimental theatre work. Bare stage except for a large circle representing the carousel and six chairs. Suggested music in Production Notes. Costumes typical of each period.

See also: Mystery, Murder, and Mayhem