Neena Beber, author of A Common Vision, Hard Feelings and Tomorrowland, will develop her latest play, Zachariah Mosley's Neon Blues at San Francisco's Magic Theatre, thanks to the company's $10,000 grant from AT&T's FirstStage program.

Zachariah Mosley's Neon Blues finds a sickly teenager confined to his bed for a year with nothing to do but stare at the ceiling. From the boredom, he hits on a great idea: what if he invented a glow-in-the-dark paint so he could have his own solar system without leaving his bedroom?

The Magic Theatre previously produced two of Beber's plays, A Common Vision in 1999 and The Brief But Exemplary Life of the Living Goddess (As Told By Herself). Other works include Thirst, Failure to Thrive and Emmy-nominated children's television writing.

Other theatres receiving AT& T grants for new musicals and new plays include The Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis, Classic Stage Company (for Steve Martin's adaptation of The Underpants), The Coterie Theatre, Geva Theatre, American Conservatory Theatre (for the musical Chinese Hell), Perseverance Theatre and the Joseph Papp Public Theatre/New York Shakespeare Festival (for Suzan-Lori Parks' adaptation of Peer Gynt). New musical recipients received $20,000.

The Magic Theatre is located in Building D at the Fort Mason Center on Marina Boulevard and on line at http://www.magictheatre.org. — By Christine Ehren