Archive for category Photos
Show poster from “The Face on Mars” in Connecticut
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions, Uncategorized on August 8, 2014
Top billing!
Here’s some of the publicity for my ten-minute script THE FACE ON MARS, which plays August 19 in Suffield, Connecticut as part of the Suffield Players’ festival of short plays.
Here’s the present line-up of productions I have for the rest of the year.
And here’s the synopsis:
THE FACE ON MARS
The supposed face on Mars? It was commissioned by a politician who knew the truth — that Mars was running out of water. But he told the public something else entirely. Cast: Two, non-gender.
Photos (and fan mail) from “The Other Side of Oz” in Montana
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions, Reviews, Uncategorized on August 1, 2014
The cast of THE OTHER SIDE OF OZ.
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My show THE OTHER SIDE OF OZ plays this weekend in Billings, Montana, produced by the Backyard Theatre, which, true to its name, really is in somebody’s back yard.
This is my seventh full-length script I’ve had produced. This isn’t a single story, but rather a collection of short Oz-related scenes using characters in the public domain. All that, and my list of previous full-length productions, is detailed in this previous post.
My version is probably what you’d expect of my work: We have Dorothy on the psychiatrist’s couch, we have the sheriff complaining about dogs, we have Munchkin insurance adjusters going over the damage to the house — mostly in five-minute scenes.
I have the show poster and some rehearsal photos below but first, allow me to share this — fan mail! Yes, two young members of the cast (one of them 9, not sure about the other, but about the same) took the time to send me thank-you notes:
Dear Dwayne
Thank you. The show is very fun! I get to be Munchkin One in The Wizard Arrives in Oz and The Witch of the East in Sensible Shoes, I am also the munchkin in Horse of a Different Color. I am sending you some photos my mom took, the last photo is my Young Witch of the East hair and make up. Thank you for writing such a fun and awesome play. I hope I get to work with you again.
Thanks
hello my name is ****** I just wanted to thank you for the script for the other side of oz I played the young witch of the west and a munchkin I really enjoyed it its an awesome script you did a great job writing it!
once again thank you
sincerely,
I’ve never gotten fan mail from cast members before!
Lots of photos below:
The show poster.
Glinda and Dorothy.
A Munchkin insurance adjuster.
You know who this is! The tin man!
I do believe that’s Toto in this scene!
The huckster professor and future wizard.
William Shields, Seja Foster, Micah Hornsby and Ryland Nelson go over a map of Kansas with the professor (Trevor Bionich).
Glinda.
Oh, now we have a bad witch, too! And Dorothy.
Dorothy and crew go to the horse racing track.
The complete set of photos is here. And here’s what the Billings Gazette said.
Photos from the cast party here.
British critic calls my work “absolutely fantastic” and “all-around brilliance”
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions, Reviews, Uncategorized, Video on July 24, 2014
The Congleton Players in Congleton, England produced my short one-act REVENGE IS SWEET WITH A SLIGHT AFTERTASTE OF IRONY on July 18. It was one of five scripts out of 211 submitted to make the cut for the group’s annual festival.
If that’s not honor enough, theatre critic D.C. Wood had exceptionally kind words to say about my work. You can hear them for yourself in this video — they start at the 6:47 mark. You can also see photos from my show, and others.
Among the things the critic had to say:
* “This was all-around brilliance.”
* “Absolutely fantastic.”
* “Dwayne Yancey wrote a genuinely witty and sharp script.”
He ranked my show one of his two favorites — “it was so close, it could have gone either way” — and said he loved it so much “I personally don’t have any criticism of this play.”
In the end, the audience vote for best in show went to yet a different script. (Details on that about the 15-minute mark.)
Here’s the synopsis of the script:
REVENGE IS SWEET WITH A SLIGHT AFTERTASTE OF IRONY
A famous food critic visits a restaurant. The manager wants desperately to please him; the chef wants revenge. Dark comedy and slapstick ensues. Cast: Six — four male, two female. Running time: Fifteen minutes.
Thanks, Congleton!
You can find a more or less complete list of my productions this year here.
Here are the still photos from the show:
A famous food critic shows up at a restaurant, much to the chagrin of the staff.
Comedy ensues.
The end.
“The Ring” finished second out of 260 entries in Wisconsin
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions, Uncategorized on May 29, 2014
My second place certificate.
I’m a pack rat, so I always ask theatres that perform my work to send me posters, programs, photos, and what not if they can. When The Haylofters in Burlington, Wisconsin recently performed my one-act, THE RING, I didn’t have to ask. Since this was a competition, the theatre mailed me my certificate.
As previously noted, THE RING took second place in the audience vote. What I didn’t realize until I read the program was there had been 260 entries. Second place out of 260? I’ll take that!
Thanks, Wisconsin!
And I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that THE RING, like all my unpublished work, is available royalty-free. I explain why here.
More photos below: Read the rest of this entry »
“The Longest Home Run Ever” at the Liminal
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Uncategorized on May 21, 2014
A rare shot of the playwright performing his own work. Photo by Heather Yvonne Brush
I don’t usually perform my own work. For one thing, I don’t claim to be an actor. But mostly, I want to see how my work, well, works — and it’s hard to do that when you’re doing it.
However, this month’s theme at the monthly readings at the Liminal gallery in Roanoke was “Anything Goes,” so why not.
Heather Yvonne Brush took this photo of me performing THE LONGEST HOME RUN EVER, one of my many short pieces about baseball.
THE LONGEST HOME RUN EVER
Based on actual science, the explanation of the longest home run possible. Cast: One, non-gender. Running time: Five minutes.
More photos here.
Photos from “Chef Pierre Does Not Do Simple” in Newburgh, N.Y.
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in Photos, Productions, Uncategorized on May 8, 2014
Cabot Parsons as Chef Pierre.
The Newburgh Free Academy in Newburgh, N.Y. has run an annual festival where solicits scripts worldwide, the students pick the ones they want and then produce them. Alas, the school board there has seen fit to cut the program. The final festival is coming up later in May and will include my script “The Ring.” In the meantime, director Terry Sandler, who is presumably packing everything up, came across these photos from the 2009 production of my script “Chef Pierre Does Not Do Simple.”
Here’s the synopsis:
CHEF PIERRE DOES NOT DO SIMPLE
A television producer explains to a TV chef that he need to simplify some of his language because many younger viewers do not understand them. He reacts badly and winds up creating a mess with broken eggs and flour. Cast: Four — One male, three non-gender. Running time: Ten minutes.
Terry writes:”The gentleman playing Chef, Cabot Parsons, made a huge mess; eggs went flying, milk spilled everywhere, and tons of flour. There are still remaining stains on the curtains and ceiling from that performance. But it was bloody hilarious.”
Thanks, Terry, for finding and sharing the photos. Here are some more: Read the rest of this entry »
“God and the Devil Meet for a Business Lunch” by the Lake Players
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions on March 31, 2014
Blake Lipscomb as the devil and Mary Anne Leslie as God. Photo by Heather Yvonne Brush. Note the Sopranos hat.
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I have a series of short pieces involving God and the Devil, which always end the same way, with the angelic Almighty getting the better of the harried Prince of Darkness. The Lake Players, at Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia, included the 10-minute “God and the Devil Meet for a Business Lunch” as part of their reading series on March 28.
Here are some photos from the evening, or you find the entire set here.
A full house! The show was in the social hall of Resurrection Catholic Church in Moneta, Virginia.
The devil (Blake Lipscomb) shows up at an out-of-the-way diner, hoping to make a business proposition to the Almighty. Marlene Truesdell is the sassy waitress.
Guess what’s on the menu. Loaves and fishes.
Want to see more?
* Here’s video of a group in Sacramento, California doing the same piece in 2005.
* Here’s audio from when Falcon Radio Theatre in Seattle did the script in 2013.
* Video: “God and the Devil Settle a Contract Dispute”
* Video: “God and the Devil Debate The Issues”
Behind-the-scenes photos from the short film “Unwanted”
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Uncategorized, Video on March 20, 2014
Hank Ebert (left) with Gary Reid (the police officer) and Kelly Anglim (the evidence tech) with Charlie and Martha Boswell somewhere under the sheets.
I’m a stage guy, not a film guy. But once a year, Salem filmmaker Hank Ebert and I wind up collaborating on a short film for various local competitions.
In the past, we’ve done:
* “My Kid Could Paint That” for a festival at the Grandin Theatre in 2009
* “Back to the Future” for a Sweded film festival in the 2012 Marginal Arts Festival.
* “The Secret Lives of Goldfish” for the 2013 Bike Shorts Festival (behind-the-scenes photos here.)
This year, Hank and I once again have teamed up to produce a short film for the Bike Shorts Festival, which, as the name implies, is seeking short films about bicycles.
Since the entry deadline hasn’t passed yet, and the film showing isn’t until early May, I won’t give away TOO many details, but below are some photos from our two film shoots on March 1 and March 8. You can find the entire set here.
Photos from “Sweets to the Sweet” in suburban Chicago
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions on February 4, 2014
Hamlette (left) and Laurita (right) in their sword fight at the climax of “Sweets to the Sweet.”
In September, Gorilla Tango Theatre in Skokie, Illinois (an offshoot of the one in Chicago proper) staged my full-length script “Sweets to the Sweet.” At last, here are some photos from the show.
“Sweets to the Sweet” is my re-write of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. I’ve switched the genders — so Hamlet becomes Hamlette, Laertes becomes Laurita, Ophelia becomes Phil, Claudius becomes Claudia and so forth — and set the show in a modern-day slumber party. The language is modern, but includes all the famous Shakespeare lines. To me, it’s a way to help introduce audiences to the real thing. Plus, it creates a lot of female roles in what otherwise is a male-heavy show — and allows for some girls to try out stage combat.
Director Jessica Sawyer has shared these photos. So here goes: Read the rest of this entry »
Photos from staged reading of “Softball Is Life”
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions, Uncategorized on January 7, 2014
Larsen (played by Emma Sala) gets ready to throw a softball through a hornet’s nest, under the glaring eye of Mr. Barnett (Patrick Kennerly), the hard-hearted science teacher and softball coach and the hopeful eye of Kristin Turner (Kelly Anglim), the soft-hearted principal who hopes the feat will show the coach the troublesome student has a gift.
My latest full-length script, “Softball Is Life,” had a very successful staged reading on January 4, 2014 at Showtimers community theatre in Roanoke, Virginia. Strong performances, strong turn-out, plus I came away with a list of small tweaks to make to the script.
My goal with “Softball Is Life” was to write a sports play for women. This isn’t really a sports play, though. Except for the opening scene, the entire play takes place outside softball season. It’s really about family relationships. A former high school softball star sits in prison, estranged from her 14-year-old daughter who shares her mother’s talent for pitching but doesn’t realize it. Instead, the girl lives in fear of the creepy boyfriend of the cousin she’s living with. The script is set mostly in 1994-95, with a few flashbacks to 1979.
Melora Kordos, former artistic director of Studio Roanoke who is now active in Lynchburg theatre, came to town to direct the reading.
* Stage directions: Vickie Haynie
* Kristin Turner, the school principal: Kelly Anglim
* Mr. Wellington, the school principal in 1979: Gary Reid
* Mr. Barnett, the science teacher/softball coach: Patrick Kennerly
* Linda Alderson, the former high school softball star now in prison: Heather Sexton
* Larsen Alderson, her 14-year-old daughter: Emma Sala
* Prison guard: Stevie Holcomb
* Squirrel, the creepy boyfriend of the cousin that Larsen is living with: James Honaker
I have video of the reading here with a complete photo gallery here.
Here are some key shots below: Read the rest of this entry »
