Today I learned that my absurdist social satire “Whit(e)man” is a semi-finalist in the TRU Voices Annual Play and Musical Reading Series!

Theater Resources Unlimited (or “TRU”) “was formed to promote a spirit of cooperation and support within the general theatre community by providing information and a variety of entertainment-related services and resources that strengthen the capacity of producing organizations, individuals producers, self-producing artists and other theater professionals.”

My play “Whit(e)man” was among the top ten scripts submitted to the contest. I’m very grateful to Theater Resources Unlimited for providing this great opportunity for playwrights and for shining light on new work.

Best of luck to the finalists this year!

I have learned that my play “Whit(e)man” is going to be presented in the Dionysia New Play Competition sponsored by Khaos Theatre Company.

Khaos Company Theatre is  “a new professional regional theatre in the Indianapolis area aimed at providing professional experience to emerging artists.”

From the Khaos Company Theatre website:

“Up to twenty different five minute excerpts of full-length plays will be chosen and performed at the Competition. In a modern recreation of the Ancient Greek Playwright Festival, blindly cast actors perform excepts of new plays clad only in togas! Audience members cast their vote in their favorite excerpts to determine the winner. The winning play is performed in full in KCT’s 2018 Season! 
 
Every audience member will be provided one complimentary vote (Ostracon in ancient Greek) for their favorite play. Addition votes are one dollar with a limit of ten votes per night per person. The play with the most audience votes by the end of the production run will be declared the winner and will be performed in full during Khaos Company Theatre’s 2019 season.”

Thank you to Khaos Company Theatre for their inclusion of “Whit(e)man” in their new play festival!

With great pleasure, I have learned that my contemporary satire “Whit(e)man” is a semi-finalist for the 2017 Eugene O’Neill Theater Conference!

The Eugene O’Neill Theatre National Play Conference (sponsored by the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center of Waterford, CT) is one of the most respected new play development organizations in the country. I’m very happy that my new play is on their radar!

“Since its founding in 1965, NPC has developed over 600 new plays for the stage, launching the careers of many notable writers including: August Wilson, Wendy Wasserstein, Adam Rapp, John Patrick Shanley, Lee Blessing, John Guare, Gina Gionfriddo, and hundreds more.”

Previously, in 2016, my historical drama “Shadows of Men” was a semi-finalist for the Conference.

This will be the second year in a row when one of my plays has been recognized within the contest.

Today, I finished a new play, entitled “Whit(e)man” a contemporary satir on race and identity!

Briefly, “Whit(e)man” is the story of Wally Whitman, a good-looking, professional African-American male who, despite all appearances, insists that he is, and has always been, a white man. Born into the wrong race, Wally relates to us his prolonged journey of self-discovery, aided by a flashy, transgender girlfriend, a Delhi-based customer service representative from Time Warner Cable, a crass, ambulance-chasing trial attorney, a white hobo with blond dreadlocks and abstruse wisdom, and a kooky white psychiatrist, who, like Wally, was born into the wrong race (she is, in fact, Mongolian).

At its core, “Whit(e)man” is a clever, absurdist, thought-provoking parody of social stereotypes and identity. The play is witty, fast-paced, relevant to a diverse audience, and waiting to delight theatre-goers! It is my first foray into the droll world of social satire. I don’t typically write plays that relate much to current social conditions, but, this time, I stuck my toes into the fray (and I’ve rather enjoyed it).

You can find more about the play here!