While Shelbyville eagerly awaits the premiere of the movie "Our Very Own," Cameron Watson, the writer/director of the film, who is also a native of Shelbyville, hasn't been idle while post-production is completed.

Watson is directing the stage play, The Habitation of Dragons, written by Horton Foote at the Crossley Terrace Theatre in Los Angeles and the performance is getting rave reviews.

The play is described as "a painstakingly honest, worthy and worthwhile production" by the Hollywood Reporter, and adds that "Cameron Watson's directing is sure, unhurried and savvy."

The play was made into a film in 1995 and Foote has been an active playwright for 50 years, including "The Trip to Bountiful," "Baby the Rain Must Fall" also winning an Academy Award for his adaptation of Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird."

It's also ironic that a member of the cast of the 1962 film version of "Mockingbird," Mary Badham, also has a role in Watson's "Our Very Own," which was filmed in Shelbyville last year.

According to a story published in Backstage.com, Watson has an advantage directing Foote's work; Cameron is proud to call the playwright a mentor and a personal friend.

When Watson was getting his acting start in New York, he was recommended by Herbert Berghof to read for the lead in the original production of Foote's The Widow Claire at Circle in the Square. Watson studied with Berghof at the time.

Watson auditioned for the part and quickly became the playwright's first choice to replace Matthew Broderick in the role, however the producers wanted a star.

"Horton didn't think they needed one," Watson told Backstage.com. "The show was already a big hit. He fought fiercely for me and, ultimately, I got to do it." Afterward, Watson appeared in three other Foote plays, including a production of The Habitation of Dragons a decade ago.

But Foote's influence doesn't stop there; Cameron told Backstage.com that he believes he would never be making his debut as a filmmaker without his history with Foote.

"His style has always been a major influence on me as an actor," he said. "As I wrote my screenplay for 'Our Very Own,' my trust in Horton's vision was part of what came out: His simplicity and honesty. My story and the film are not pumped up with a lot of theatrical things to muddy the journey. I often wonder what my life and career might have become if I'd never been recommended to read for Horton."