Archive for category Photos

Photos from Cone Man Running in Houston

Cone Man Running is an annual festival of short plays in Houston, Texas. Well, almost annual. I had two shows set for 2020 that got scratched due to the pandemic but they’re now being done in this multi-week festival in late June / early July 2021.

Two border patrol agents in Arizona are on the look-out for illegal immigrants. The veteran explains the desert to the rookie, with a twist at the end. (play) (Directed by Christine Weems; Performed by Scott Searles and David Toscano)

A young assistant at a funeral home misunderstands a widow’s instructions. (play) (Directed by Kacie Adams; Performed by Rafael Lozano and David Toscano)

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‘The Show Must Go On (With Some Exceptions) in Virginia

Some of the action.

In January, Showtimers community theatre in Roanoke, Virginia contacted me and asked if I would write them a script for a special event they were planning in May. What they wanted was a “silly script for a cast of six” that they’d do as an outdoor reading. The catch is that the cast wouldn’t see the script until they stepped on stage. So I wrote the script — THE SHOW MUST GO ON (WITH SOME EXCEPTIONS. To test it out, I held a private Zoom reading with a cast from Canada. Let’s give a shout-out to that cast:

Stage directions: Stacey Halloran
Toby: Robin Bennett
Percy: Mason Micevski
Cee Cee: Emily Bolyea-Kyere
Dee Dee: Arlene Thomas
Third Tree From the Left: Giselle Magie
Director: Lynne McIntee

Showtimers cast the show randomly, so wound up with one man playing a female role and one woman playing a male role:
Toby: Norm Fergusn
Percy: Sherilyn Lawson
Cee Cee: Bev Amsler
Dee Dee: Owen Merritt
Third Tree From the Left: Cathy Fisher
Director: Jayne Brill

All Owen Merritt knew at this point is that he would be playing a woman. So, nail polish and lipstick.

Curtain call. From left: Cathy Fisher, Owen Merritt, Bev Amsler, Norm Ferguson, Jayne Brill, Sherilyn Lawson.

For more photos, see here.

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Four pieces in Florida

Rough Magic Shakespeare Company in Florida produced four of my short pieces as part of their Shakespeare’s birthday celebration on April 23, 2021. Three of the four pieces — THE SHIPWRECK, THE GROUNDSKEEPER and MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE — were written in their quick-turnaround challenge event, the 14th quick turnaround play festival I’ve been involved in. The fourth, LADY MACBETH’S LAMENT, is an older piece.

“The Shipwreck.”
“The Groundskeeper”
“Message in a Bottle.” Notice the beard is now longer.
“Lady Macbeth’s Lament”

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‘Blood Relatives’ in Seattle festival

I’ve now taken part in 14 quick turn-around play festival. The latest was through the Rainy Day Arts Collective in Seattle although in this new virtual reality, the writers, directors and actors were from all across North America. We gathered virtually on Friday, April 9. I drew these prompts: Who (a bride), What (a game), Where (someplace scary), When (a family reunion and Why (“you’re going to have choose, is it [blank] or me?”). My result: BLOOD RELATIVES, directed by Sally Miller of Roanoke and starring Kelsey Boulton of Seattle as a vampire and Stephanie Kamau of Olympia, Washington as the fiance marrying into a vampire family.

Awesome logo by Dana Hall
The skeptical Valerie (at left) with the vampire Anastasia (right)

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Photos from ‘Veronica’s Dolls’ in Roanoke

Hidden Valley High School in Roanoke County, Virginia produced my one-act VERONICA’S DOLLS in April 2021, directed by Joe Kavanaugh.

The cast, crew, director and playwright.
Autographed copy of the script!

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‘The Stanley Cup Goes Missing’ produced in Chicago

I changed the title later.

Well, kind of in Chicago. On March 26-28 I took part in a 48-hour play festival sponsored by This Moment Productions, which is in Chicago, although the theatre had writers, directors and actors from 13 states and one Canadian province.

I drew “thriller/mystery” as my genre, then we were all instructed to use “did you enjoy yourself last night?” as our opening line and “I miss moments like this more than anything” as our closing line. We also had to construct a way to explain why all our characters were speaking virtually and encouraged to make use of all the whiz-bang technology available through the Steamyard platform, including the ability to do a TV-like “crawl.” I was assigned director Dane Rogers of Cincinnati and a cast of three — Sarah Hoback of Cincinnati, Stephanie Reynolds of Des Moines and Marc Motiejunas of London, Ontario. As soon as I heard the opening line, I immediately pictured a lawyer speaking to a client in jail. Surprise! Turns out Marc really is a lawyer — a prosecutor. What I came up with: THE STANLEY CUP GOES MISSING. More photos below:

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Photos: Three one-acts in Louisiana

Well, definitely three one-acts but only kind of in Louisiana. Pop Up Productions actually had 12 actors in seven states to perform three of my one-acts: GOD AND THE DEVIL MEET FOR A BUSINESS LUNCH, THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS and THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE INTERNET.

The cast
The cast
The cast
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Photos from ‘The Sandstorm’ in Texas

Paris Junior College in Paris, Texas planned to produce my ten-minute play THE SANDSTORM in 2020 as part of a festival. Alas, COVID-19 intervened. But the show must go on – and did, in a rescheduled festival in February 2021. Here are Will Montgomery Walker and Robyn Huizinga playing the two parts of a Martian provincial minister whose financial dealings are being investigated by a government auditor (they alternate roles each night). Directed by Lisa Martin.

The minister raises a toast with the last water from a dried-up lake.
The government auditor.
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Photos from ‘On The Thirteenth Day of Christmas’ in Colorado

Del Norte High School in Del Norte, Colorado contacted me, gosh, way back in 2020 about producing ON THE THIRTEENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS as a Christmas show. Then covid intervened. The show was off, then it was on, then it was delayed . . .and, frankly, I’d given up hope. But the show must go on! On February 18 and 19 the show finally managed to stage the show. Director Bill Sauvinge shares these photos.

The cast of Del Norte’s production of ON THE THIRTEENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS.
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Logo for ‘Miss Mitchell’s Comet’

Powerstories Theatre in Tampa, Florida will present my full-length script MISS MITCHELL’S COMET as part of their virtual festival Voices of Truth in March. The theatre only produces plays that are based on true stories about women and girls. My play is based on the true story of Maria Mitchell, America’s first female astronomer — and the first North American of any gender to discover a comet (1847). The show airs virtually Friday, March 12 at 8 p.m., starring Katerina Yancey of Fincastle, Virginia and Scott Cooper of Waterloo, Ontario. Here’s the logo for the show, designed by Samantha Sylvester of Mississauga, Ontario. I highly and happily recommend her work. Earlier I posted this video interview I did with the theatre.

Logo designed by Samantha Sylvester

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