Archive for category Uncategorized
3/4ths of a play and 1/5th of a play
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions, Uncategorized on November 13, 2018
The cast. From left, Kris Sorensen, Vanessa Mills, Joel Gruver, Betsy Quillen and Kelly Anglim.
Director Nick McCord asked me if I’d be one of five playwrights in a semi-collaborative project called NOT ANOTHER EXQUISITE CORPSE? The deal was one playwright would write 15 pages, then pass it on to the next playwright, who would only see the first playwright’s last two pages, and so forth and so on.
The only rules: We had a five-person cast previously lined up. Each character had to be in those last two pages. And we couldn’t kill someone off — unless we created another character for that actor to play. Otherwise, it was all fair game.
So I said sure. The other playwrights were Claire Wittman of Virginia, Shelby Love of Florida, Caitlin Gilman of Chicago and Kate Leslie of Chicago. As fate would have it, I drew the first straw. Actually, Nick drew it for me. I asked the cast for some prompts — I wound up with an genre of noir, a prop of diet soda, a line from Shakespeare and, well, I forget the others now but there were five, one from each actor. I was the over-achiever. I wrote an actual one-acts — about 20 pages — on the theory that I wanted something I could market after the project was over. I ended up writing two completely different ones — first, TONGUE OF THE DOG and then THE CURIOUS CASE OF JOCKSTRAP MALONE. Nick chose the latter one (it was the better choice for this project) and took the first 15 pages.
The result, once it ran through all the playwrights, was a delightfully silly mash-up but also an excellent writing project. So it’s fair to say that I had 3/4ths of a play produced as 1/5th of a play. And now I have two new one-acts to market.
The poster.
Video: “Picking Up Stars” in New York festival
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized, Video on October 31, 2018
In June, my one-minute play PICKING UP STARS was included in the annual Gone in 60 Seconds Festival of one-minute plays in New York. Now, the video is available.
Three pieces in industry showcase in London
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions, Uncategorized on October 26, 2018
This is the poster for Creative Collisions.
I have not one, not two but three short pieces in Creative Collisions, a industry showcase being presented in London (yes, that London) on Nov. 27 at the Cockpit Theatre.
The three pieces are CURTAIN SPEECH, BOLIVIA! and THE CELLPHONES OF THE DEAD.
The full title of CURTAIN SPEECH is CURTAIN SPEECH FROM THE HOUSE OF CULTURE OF STATE BALL-BEARING PLANT NUMBER 1 and is a standalone version of the opening scene of my full-length script at the 2002 Moscow theatre siege, 57 HOURS IN THE HOUSE OF CULTURE.
Poster for showcase in London
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions, Uncategorized on October 26, 2018
Poster for Horror! Horror!
I have one piece in the one-night show Horror Horror, being presented Oct. 28 in London (yes, that London) by Bashir Productions at the Et Cetera Theatre as an industry showcase.
My piece is listed here as CURTAIN SPEECH. The full title is CURTAIN SPEECH FROM THE HOUSE OF CULTURE OF STATE BALL BEARING PLANT NO. 1, and is a stand-alone version of the opening scene of my full-length script 57 HOURS IN THE HOUSE OF CULTURE, based on the true story of the 2002 Moscow theatre siege.
“The Cellphones of the Dead” in Minneapolis
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions, Uncategorized on September 27, 2018
The police officer at the scene of a mass shooting. Photo courtesy of Casey Holmes.
My short play based on the mass shooting at Virginia Tech in 2007 has gotten produced a lot this year as part of various theatrical productions that have risen up in the wake of the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida this spring. In September, THE CELLPHONES OF THE DEAD was included in the Safety Off show at The Phoenix Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Producer Casey Holmes shares this photo gallery.
THE CELLPHONES OF THE DEAD
A police officer’s somber monologue: He was at the scene of a mass shooting, and could literally hear the awful news start to spread — as the cellphones of the victims started to ring with desperate messages from their frantic friends.
Also:
* Photos from Roanoke, Virginia, April 2018
* THE CELLPHONES OF THE DEAD included in collection of short plays
Photos from staged reading for “Revenge of the Fairy Queen”
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Uncategorized on September 27, 2018
Katerina Yancey (left) as Oberon, transformed into a multi-creature beast. Photo by Bobbie Daniels.
In June 2018, I held a private staged reading for my script REVENGE OF THE FAIRY QUEEN. Dylan Kennedy Grey directed at the Bower Center for the Arts in Bedford, Virginia.
I have two wonderful photo galleries from this — one from Bobbie Daniels and one from, well, um, me. Hers are better.
REVENGE OF THE FAIRY QUEEN
The unauthorized sequel to Shakespeare’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Titania realizes that Oberon has duped her into falling in love with a mortal transformed into an ass. Furious, she plots revenge, to be carried out on Midwinter’s Day. Her plot, though, goes awry and many complications ensue. Cast: 12 – 4 female, 5 male, 3 non-gender.
Short play “Saguaro” included in Protest Plays collection of immigration plays
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Uncategorized on September 11, 2018
My five-minute play SAGUARO has been included in a collection of plays about immigration being promoted by Protest Plays.
Earlier this year, Protest Plays included my five-minute play THE CELLPHONES OF THE DEAD in a similar collection of short plays related to mass shootings.
More on Protest Plays here.
Here’s a synopsis:
SAGUARO
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. Cast: Two males. Running time: Five minutes.
* Staged reading at No Shame Theatre, Roanoke, Va., July 22, 2011.
List of 2019 productions
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in Productions, Uncategorized on August 29, 2018
Here’s a list of my scheduled productions for 2019:
* 1. January 18: THE FRUITCAKE (one-act), Midway Independent School District, Woodway, Texas.
* 2. January 19: Staged reading of THREE POSSUMS AT THE BAR (one-minute), No Shame Theatre, Charlottesville, Virginia.
* 3. Feb. 8-9: THE ONE-WORD ODYSSEY (long one-act), Great River School, St. Paul, Minnesota.
* 4. Feb. 21: JENNA AND HER PRIZE-WINNING PIG CHANGE THE COURSE OF HISTORY (one-act), Leo Adams Middle School, Haslet, Texas.
* 5. March 1: THE ONE-WORD MACBETH (one-act), North Caroline High School Drama Club, Ridgely, Maryland.
* 6. March 10: Staged reading of VERONICA’S DOLLS (one-act), by Piccione Arts, Dramatists Guild Foundation, New York.
* 7. April 4: HIT THE BOOKS (one-act), Marysville Unified School, Marysville, California.
* 8-11. April 7: DEEP INTO OCTOBER, FIREBALLER, THE GHOST LAMP and THE UNIFORM (one-minute), Babylon Arts Council, Lindenhurst, New York.
* 12. April 25: MACBETH GOES HOLLYWOOD (long one-act), Clay County High School, Clay County, West Virginia.
* 13-18. April 25-28: DEANNA DUPES THE DEVIL, THE FERRYMAN AND THE THIEF, LETTERS FROM THE MONA LISA, MY SUMMER AS A MERMAID, THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS and VERONICA’S DOLLS (most about ten-minutes), Paris Junior College, Paris, Texas. (Of note: This is a festival of 12 short plays; half of which are mine.)
* 19. April 26: THE CELLPHONES OF THE DEAD (short play), part of a #CodeRed production of short plays about guns, Mystic Vision Players, Linden, New Jersey.
* 20. April 26-28: Staged reading of THE RING (one-act), Geneva Theatre Guild, Geneva, New York.
* 21. April 27-28, May 3-4, May 24-26: Staged reading of THE RING (one-act), The Itinerant Theatre, Lake Charles, Louisiana.
* 22. May 1: THE GRAMMAR POLICE (short play), Play With Your Food, Mankato, Minnesota.
* 23. May 3-5, 10-12: CHEF PIERRE DOES NOT DO SIMPLE (ten-minute play), KMC Onstage Studio Shows, Kaiserslautern, Germany.
* 24: May 11: THE ONE-WORD MACBETH (one-act), Caroline County Arts Council, Denton, Maryland
* 25. May 23: CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT (one-act), Summit Academy, Xenia, Ohio.
* 25: May 30: HOW TO SUMMON A DEMON (one-minute), Gi60 Gone in 60 Seconds Festival, Leeds, Great Britain.
* 27. June 2: THE CONTACT LENS (ten-minute), Danniella DiClaudio and Friends, Charleroi, Pennsylvania.
* 28. June 21-22, 28-30, July 5-7, 12-13: THAT PLAY ABOUT THE GURGLING MUD PIT (ten-minute), The 10-10 New Plays Festival, Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, Chagrin Falls, Ohio.
* 29: July 6: A COUCH FOR LUXURY AND DAMNED INCEST (ten-minute), invited writer at Overnight Sensations, 24-hour play festival by Hollins University and Mill Mountain Theatre, Roanoke, Virginia.
* 30: July 19-21: THE SECRET LIFE OF PHONES (ten-minute), Dover Players, North Olmstead, Ohio.
* 31. July 20-21: TROUBLESHOOTING (ten-minute), Gemco Players Community Theatre, Emerald, Australia, at the Dandenong Ranges One Act Play Festival, Emerald, Australia.
* 32: Aug. 2-3: THE BEAUTIFUL OGRE AND OTHER FAIRY TALES (ten-minute), KenMore Kreative, Akron, Ohio.
* 33: August 15-17: THE DEBATE AT BOSWORTH FIELD (ten-minute), Fight Like A Girl Festival, Manchester, Great Britain.
* 34: Aug. 17: WAITING ON THE 10:15 (ten-minute), taking part in 24-hour play festival (ten-minute), Ixion Ensemble, Lansing, Michigan.
* 35: Aug. 24: TROUBLESHOOTING (ten-minute), Gemco Players Community Theatre, at the Famda One Act Play Festival, Foster, Australia.
* 36: Sept. 13-15: THE SECRET LIFE OF PHONES (ten-minute), Gemco Players Community Theatre, Emerald, Australia.
* 37: Sept. 13-15: THE UNOPENED VALENTINE (ten-minute), Old Courthouse Theatre, Concord, North Carolina.
* 38: Sept. 19-21, 26-29: THE GOVERNMENT’S SECRET TIME TRAVEL PROJECT EXPOSED, Asphalt Jungle Shorts festival, Kitchener, Ontario.
* 39-40: Sept. 25: THE CELLPHONES OF THE DEAD (short play) and CURTAIN SPEECH (short play), Bashir Productions, Tristan Bates Theatre, London, UK&
* 41: Sept. 27-29, Oct. 4-6: CHEF PIERRE DOES NOT DO SIMPLE (ten-minute), Soldiers Theatre, Vincenza, Italy.
* 42: Sept. 29: THE SECRET LIFE OF PHONES (ten-minute), Topanga Actors Company, Topanga, California.
* 43. Oct. 17: THE ONE-WORD MACBETH (one-act), West High School, Green Bay, Wisconsin.
* 44: Nov. 1-2: SOMETIMES ELEPHANTS DIE STANDING UP (ten-minute), Cecil College, Elkton, Maryland.
* 45: Nov. 16: Staged reading of EXTRACTED (full-length), Equity Library Theater of New York.
* 46: Nov. 21-23: THE SECRET LIFE OF PHONES (ten-minute), Service High School, Anchorage, Alaska
* 47: Nov. 22-23: RHONDA’S HIGH-CLASS ROADKILL CHILI (full-length), Salt Fork High School, Catlin, Illinois.
* 48: Nov. 29-30, Dec. 1, 5-7: THE GIRL WHO MADE EMUS BELIEVE THEY COULD FLY (one-act), Quannapowitt Players Suburban Holidays festival, Reading, Mass.
* 49: Dec. 1: THE FRUITCAKE (one-act), Desert Sands USD, La Quinta, California.
* 50: Dec. 6: THE FRUITCAKE (one-act), Woodlands Middle School, Lake Worth, Florida
* 51 Dec. 6-8, 13-15: LET THERE BE LIGHTS! (one-act), Mills Masquers Theatre, Glenwood, Iowa.
* 52: December 6-8, 13-15, 20-22: EXCHANGE OF GIFTS (full-length), touring production by 57 Hours Productions, at nine locations in Virginia: Roanoke, Galax, Blacksburg, Critz, Monterey, Clifton Forge, Bedford, Axton and Lynchburg.
* 53: Dec 11: FATHER CHRISTMAS (ten-minute) Snyder Schools Drama Club, Snyder, Oklahoma.
* 54: Dec. 13: A ZOMBIE CHRISTMAS (one-act), Chesterfield Children’s Theatre, Richmond, Virginia.
* 56: Dec. 13-14: GOD AND THE DEVIL MEET FOR A BUSINESS LUNCH (ten-minute), American River College, Sacramento, California.
* 57-58: December 13-15, 20-21: LET THERE BE LIGHTS!, JOY TO OTHER WORLDS, A ZOMBIE CHRISTMAS (one-acts), Beyond The Proscenium Ensemble, Cincinnati, Ohio.
* 59: Dec. 15: THE CHRISTMAS GOAT (10-minute), The Ambassadors, at New Wimbledon Theatre, London.
* 60: Dec. 19: THE FRUITCAKE (one-act), Encore Academy, Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
* 61-62: Dec. 20-21: DEATH BY POINSETTIA and THE WEIRD SISTERS GO WEST (one-act), Unified Theatre Company, Lynchburg, Virginia.
63: Date unknown: RHONDA’S HIGH-CLASS ROADKILL CHILI (full-length), Big Piney High School, Big Piney, Wyoming.
64:Date unknown: RHONDA’S HIGH-CLASS ROADKILL CHILI (full-length),Fowler Public Schools, Fowler, Michigan
65: Date unknown: SANTA CLAUSTROPHOBIA (one-act), St. Mary’s High School, St. Mary’s, West Virginia
66: Date unknown: THE KEYS TO THE UNIVERSE (ten-minute), Produced by North Hunterdon High School, Annandale, New Jersey
66: Date unknown: SANTA CLAUSTROPHOBIA (one-act), Wright City Schools, Wright City, Oklahoma.
List of 2018 productions
List of 2017 productions
List of 2016 productions
List of 2015 productions
Review: My entry in Overnight Sensations called “the best”
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Reviews, Uncategorized on July 14, 2018
The big finish. Photo by Dan Smith
OVERNIGHT SENSATIONS, the annual 24-hour play project sponsored by Mill Mountain Theatre and the Hollins University Playwrights’ Lab, isn’t a competition but my entry this year got a nice review from local journalist Dan Smith:
Here’s what Dan had to say about my piece in his review on the night’s performance:
“There were many notable moments and accomplishments, not the least of which was Dwayne Yancey’s fall-down funny “The Denmark County Barbershop Quartet Presents …,” wherein an oddball quartet gets by singing about disasters. This is, I think, the first musical I’ve seen in the 11 Overnight Sensations and the crew (Reilly Lincavicks, Michael Mansfield, Erica Musyt, J.P. Powell, Chris Shepard and Ally Thomas) carried if off beautifully. I thought it was the best of all the plays last night.”
MORE FROM OVERNIGHT SENSATIONS 2018:
* Photos and videos from THE DENMARK COUNTY BARBERSHOP QUARTET PRESENTS . . .
* More photos by other photographers
* Lots more photos here.
More photos from Overnight Sensations 2018
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions, Uncategorized on July 14, 2018
Here are some more photos — from other photographers — from Overnight Sensations 2018 and, in particular, my piece THE DENMARK COUNTY BARBERSHOP QUARTET PRESENTS . . . .
The Denmark County Barbershop Quartet. Photo by Dan Smith.
Reilly Lincavicks with the skull of Yorick. Photo by Todd Ristau.
Michael Mansfield directs the quartet. Photo by Dan Smith.
The big finish. Photo by Dan Smith.
More photos below:
dwayneyancey 