On this Throwback Thursday, I want to high one of my favorite “music video” creations (courtesy of yours truly) from the opening number of the musical “The Burning of the White House.”
“The Burning of the White House” is by far my longest-nursed creative endeavor, which I have worked on with the great composer (and co-bookwriter) Norman Berman since early 2017.
Briefly, the musical tells the story of Paul Jennings, a house slave to James and Dolley Madison during the War of 1812 (which, contrary to its title, lasted from 1812-14) and specifically young Paul’s coming of age during the British capture and burning of Washington, DC in August of 1814.
Recruiting a wonderful cast, Norman organized a demo recording of the opening song (really, the opening scene – slightly truncated for the actual demo recording, but relatively intact) which takes place at the White House during one of Dolley Madison’s famous soirees – though, not too far away, the British are prowling the American coastline and threatening invasion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ny4vuDeu30Q
You can check out more about “The Burning of the White House” here on our website!
I am happy to say that one of my scripts has advanced to the semifinalist round in the 2024 national playwriting contest sponsored by the American Association for Community Theatre!
Since the script is still actively under consideration by the readers, I have been asked not to name it specifically until it has made its way through the full process, so… “shhhhh!”
Regardless, I’m thrilled by the news, as AACT is a well-regarded organization that brings together community theaters across the United States, helping community theaters to thrive “with expertise, assistance, networking, and support.”
For a trip down memory line, I myself was a theater leader at one point, founding and leading the group Speerhead Theatricals almost 10 years ago (time flies!) and leading it through two years of theatrical productions in New York and Connecticut – so I viscerally understand the challenges of the theater world and love what AACT does to support the arts in local communities.
A few other plays of mine have also been semifinalists or finalists in prior AACT contests, as well.
For this Throwback Thursday, I’m going to throw way back in time – to 2008! – back to my first produced show, as well as my first musical – the wonderful “Hail and Reign.”
For me, “Hail and Reign” was quite a labor of love – something I started writing myself around 2004, tweaked through 2005, and then found a great collaborator in composer Paul Lewis (based out of Bainbridge Island, WA) who wrote some beautiful music for the piece.
After a few years, “Hail and Reign” was given its world premiere product at Bainbridge Performing Arts on the aforementioned Bainbridge Island (which, for those who don’t know much about Washington state geography, is a quick ferry ride from Seattle).
Based on a true story from English medieval history about the battle for the throne between the well-meaning nobleman Stephen and the acerbic Matilda – a period in English history known as “The Anarchy” because of the chaos and devastation it caused – “Hail and Reign” is really a story about what we are willing to do for the people we love.
In this great end-of-Act-One song (one of my favorite songs from any of my musicals), the Chronicler (who has been narrating the storry to us) encourages Matty, the wife of Stephen, King of England, who, having snatched the throne from the rightful heir – the loud and obnoxious Matilda – has been defeated in battle and imprisoned – and while Matty sees her husband’s cause in tatters, the Chronicler, a young boy named Will (who Stephen rescued from death), and the surrounding crowd challenge the reluctant Matty to lead Stephen’s cause in his absence.
Matty being encouraged to take the lead by the Chronicler, Will, and Stephen’s supporters.
For this Throwback Thursday, I will highlight one of my musicals which has not seen (at least not yet!) the light of day and yet has probably the most tuneful score of any musical of which I’ve had the pleasure of being a part.
Of course, I cannot take credit for the tunefulness, because that goes to the composer with whom I collaborated on the show – the supremely talented Paul Robert Barstch (1944-2016) – who unfortunately died some years back, but who was a great, talented friend and someone who, if he had a bit more exposure, could have had his name in lights on Broadway.
Through the miracle of cyber collaboration, I ended up “meeting” Paul on a musical forum online and I proposed that we work together on “Hello World”, which is a tongue-in-cheek adaption of the Greek myth of Pandora – who, in a very Eve-like way, opened up a forbidden box/vase and let “The Furies” out into the world, creating all sorts of sin and devastation.
In the show, one of the best songs is the title song, which Pandora sings when she is first created by the chief god Zeus and is examining the wonders of this new world around her with childlike awe – and for those who have an appreciation for classical Broadway, the song has a wonderfully tuneful feel that would have played terribly well on Broadway, circa 1965.
I will give you two versions…
A longer version, sung by a wonderful singer who is shamelessly unknown to me after the passage of a decade:
A slightly shorter (original) version, which is sung by yours truly as part of the first recorded piano demo of the score:
You can hear more of my piano demo from “Hello World” here!
I am honored to report that my play “The Last Flight of the Electra” has received its second recognition in a month as a semifinalist in 2024 FutureFest, a new play contest sponsored by Dayton Playhouse of Dayton, Ohio!
Dayton Playhouse is a well-regarded community theatre founded in 1962 that provides outstanding theatrical productions to the Miami Valley area of Ohio and is the only theater in its vicinity to operate on a 12-month schedule.
Alongside its theatrical credentials, Dayton has become well-known for FutureFest, its annual festival of new and unproduced plays that started back in 1991, making it one of the longest-running new play festivals in the United States and a great incubator for new theatrical work.
Not only am I thrilled to be recognized as a semifinalist in such a well-known and well-respected contest, but there were over 470 script submissions entered this year alone, putting my script in the top 2.5% of all submitted scripts and making it one of the more selective contests in which any of my plays have been recognized. (Yes, I bothered to calculate the exact percentage!)
I sincerely wish Dayton Playhouse the best for the remainder of their festival and, again, am thrilled for “Electra’s” double recognition this April!
It’s been a long time in coming, but my collaborator Norman Berman and I have been working hard on our epic new musical “The Burning of the White House” – a (semi-)true story about Paul Jennings, the young house slave at the White House during the presidency of James Madison, who, through the struggles and turmoil surrounding the British invasion and burning of Washington, DC in the War of 1812, reaches manhood and appreciates his deserved place in the world.
Many thanks to Norman, we have had some wonderful demo sessions done for some of our songs for this great production with some of the best singers you can imagine.
While I have collected these songs here, I wanted to share some photos from some of our recent recording sessions for these songs and acknowledge the great talent involved.
Many thanks, as well, to Clear Lake Recording Studios in North Hollywood, CA, which provided the venue for all the recording sessions.
My collaborator, Norman Berman (second from left), with, starting to his left, Joshua Finkel, Tonoccus McClain, and Dink O’Neal, recording the opening song “It’s the End”.
Norman with Tonoccus McClain, Frederika Meek, and Maiya Sykes recording the Act 1 finale “Escape from the White House.”
Lisa Vroman, Olly Sholotan, Shabnam Kalbasi, and Alvin Shea recording the fun number “Give ‘Em A Kick.”
Alvin Shea and Tonoccus McClain recording the wonderful ballad “Here I Is.”
I am thrilled to report that my drama “The Last Flight of the Electra” was recognized as a finalist in the 2024 New Play Contest sponsored by Valley Players of Napa Valley, California.
The Valley Players had well over 200 submissions to their New Play Contest and my script was recognized among the top 10% of all entries, which is a great honor.
Even more to the point, it’s so encouraging to see groups like The Valley Players providing opportunities for new playwrights and their work! In the post-COVID world, it’s even harder to come by theaters that will recognize new plays, especially smaller theaters, so Valley Players deserves tremendous kudos for promoting opportunities for new playwrights to see their work performed.
Not only that, but my “finalist” badge is none too shabby, as well:
Many thanks to Artistic Director June Alane Raif and Valley Players for this honor!
For this Throwback Thursday, I wanted to highlight one of the best experiences in my entire playwriting career – and no, it doesn’t involve New York City or even London (my plays have been performed in both cities) but Northern Kentucky University.
As random as it sounds, Northern Kentucky University has a wonderful theater department and hosts a biennial festival of the new plays – the YES (Year End Series) Festival – which is the oldest collegiate new play festival in the United States and also one of the largest and most prestigious.
Back in 2015, I was very blessed for my tragicomedy “Encore, Encore” (about the famous wit Dorothy Parker and her first marriage) to be one of the three plays selected for production, where, with a wonderful student cast, inspired direction by established Cincinnati director Ed Cohen, and a fine set, “Encore, Encore” came to life before my eyes – and indeed, this production of my work remains one of the best I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing.
As one of the finalists for the festival, I was able to attend some of the early rehearsals in Highland Hills, Kentucky (just across from Cincinnati) and also attend the festival itself, where there was a special reception for the winners and I was given the chance to teach a special class to the theater students (the subject – history as represented in theater) – and in that regard, really have some great discussions with students who were very enthusiastic about my play.
One of the people who saw and reviewed “Encore, Encore” was Rick Pender, former chairman of the American Theatre Critics’ Association – who had some very kind words for the play:
I caught Crowley’s excellent tragicomedy Encore, Encore on Monday evening… The play traces (Dorothy Parker’s) meteoric writing career and her turbulent personal life. We see her become established as the sharp-tongued drama critic for Vanity Fair, and we witness the deterioration of her marriage.
NKU senior Victoria Hawley played the central role in a production directed by veteran guest director Ed Cohen. Crowley’s play, which uses Parker as its narrator as well as its central character, digs deep, providing a portrait of a vulnerable woman who lived her life in the spotlight and never found real happiness. Hawley portrays her from her first confident days at Vanity Fair, through her friendships and relationships with New York’s literary elite. She was known as flippant and brittle, a source of quick-witted, often obscene remarks, and Hawley handles them well — while also conveying Parker’s frustration and vulnerability.
NKU junior Hunter Henrickson rises to the challenge of playing Parker’s husband Eddie. He went off to World War I in France almost immediately after their marriage, returning after two brutal years in the field nursing service, shell-shocked and seriously dependent. Her intervening success became a source of friction and embarrassment between them. Henrickson showed Eddie’s initial, inebriated charm and did a fine job of playing the broken man he became. The show’s other fine performance came from junior Connor Moulton as Parker’s brash writing friend Robert Benchley, a steady source of insouciant foolishness.
For this Throwback Thursday, I will highlight my award-winning historical farce “Philosophus”, which has been produced three times – in New York, Texas, and Maryland – and which is currently published by Eldridge Publishing Company.
Like many works of mine, I actually had the original idea for “Philosophus” many years ago – when I was about 15 – after consuming a biography of Frederick the Great and finding his persecution of the great philosopher Voltaire so amusing and worthy of farce – and not only that, but I even wrote a script for “Philosophus” at age 16 (under a pseudonym, no less), which is not safe for human eyes (though not entirely unamusing).
Years (and years and years) later, I decided to revisit the story of “Philosophus” and, during my 2-hour commute from Westport, CT to New York City while I was VP of Customer Experience at the foodtech company Freshly, I completed a (rather good) first draft of a new version of the play in two weeks (January, 2016) – the fastest play I’ve ever composed – and from there, quickly found the play taking off and winning various contests.
While the play was first read by Best Medicine Rep of Maryland (courtesy of the great playwright and actor John Morogiello – who later produced the show, as well), “Philosophus” subsequently won the prestigious Maxim Mazumdar New Play Award presented by Alleyway Theatre of Buffalo, New York, one of the most interesting and innovative theaters in the US (their theater is actually an old Greyhound bus terminal on Buffalo’s theater row) – and thanks to the late, great artistic director, Neal Radice (“late” because he has since retired, not because he has met his maker), “Philosophus” was given its world premiere production at Alleyway in late 2018 – photos below!
In its various productions, the script has gotten some of the best reviews of any of my work:
“A delightful romp!” Peter Hall of BuffaloRising
“A thinking-person’s farce, Philosophus is a perfect fit for the area and a fun way to start the year… a farce to remedy our times… an up and coming work.” Debbie Minter Jackson of DC Theatre Scene
“Mr. Crowley’s script is chock-a-block with witty dialogue, broad comedy, and is very, very funny. He expertly melds what appears to be complex thought with farce… Philosophus is great fun. I enjoyed it thoroughly.” Ann Marie Cusella of BuffaloVibe
“A rib-tickling farce… For those familiar with British comedy, it resembles Benny Hill meets the Enlightenment, or Carry On Philosopher… a very entertaining evening of theater.” Jennifer Georgia of DC Metro Theater Arts
“The script is a cross between Mel Brooks (“Young Frankenstein”) and the Marx Brothers (“Duck’s Soup”). If you love the ridiculous and lots of double entendres, you will have a good time at this production.” Susan Brall, MD Theatre Guide
While the “film” title may lead you to think otherwise, the Austin Film Festival accepts all types of scripts, including stage plays that may work well as a film.
“A Flower of the Field” was among the top 20% of scripts submitted this year (and I’m happy to say was also recognized similarly in last year’s festival, as well).
One of the many great things the Austin Film Festival does is provide readers’ comments for your script, which I’m happy to include below and which include many kind nods to my writing:
Plot:
In 1349 Kilkenny, Ireland, a Franciscan friar willingly houses and treats those afflicted with the Black Death in the Nave of St. Francis’s Abbey until a witch, disguised as a healthy woman, exposes his dark secret. The conflict with every character and relationship is exposed with a moral dilemma ultimately well resolved in the end.
Concept:
A FLOWER OF THE FIELD is an original story taking place in 1349 Ireland during the Black Death, with the small cast of men and women questioning and experiencing the conflict between God’s will and witchcraft. The writer crafts a very compelling story with both potential and authenticity in the subject matter.
Overall:
A FLOWER OF THE FIELD is a unique and compelling story that begins with a mysterious slow build of tension that comes together for a satisfying resolution for the audience. The writer handles the material with ease and includes vivid stage directions. The cast size is reasonable, cast list is clear and precise, no intermission, simple location and set design all work well for the production. The writer shines with character development and surprising plot twists. The reader is invested in John Clyn’s journey and the multitude of sub-stories supporting the overall narrative arc. John Clyn’s story is complete, and the story concludes with a satisfying ending. The writer’s note on the stage directions is very helpful and makes clear the purpose is for dramatic cadence and visual poignancies. The lengthy directions do not detract from the story nor necessarily indicate the run time of the show.
Dialogue:
The dialogue works well for the created world taking place within the period 1349 Ireland. Though the speech isn’t written with an obvious Irish dialect, it’s presumed the appropriate characters will adapt appropriately. If the writer so chose, including specific dialect or Irish words might help craft more authenticity to the characters.
Structure:
The 90-page one act script can reasonably be performed in less time since much of the pages are filled with stage directions. The story is well-paced appropriately from slow build to dramatic climax with scenes that move the story forward in a consistent tone.
Characters:
The cast of five characters are interesting, compelling, distinct, and developed through backstory and action. The reader is invested in the characters and their journeys. The characters could have more Irish tone brought into the writing, but overall, all of the characters fit their words well.
