‘Rhonda’s High-Class Roadkill Chili’ is published

I’ve now had my third full-length script published (I’ve lost track of how many one-acts have been published; I generally just say a dozen). RHONDA’S HIGH-CLASS ROADKILL CHILI has been published by Norman Maine / Big Dog Plays. The script previously had a staged reading at Showtimers in January 2016; photos here.

My other published full-lengths are FAIRWEATHER FRIENDS BY Eldridge Plays and Musicals and THE HURLEYBURG TWIRLING SOCIETY by Rebel Belle Publishing.

The cover.

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‘Exchange of Gifts’ tour 2019: Behind the scenes

Here are some behind-the-scenes photos from the June 30 photo shoot for the publicity photos for EXCHANGE OF GIFTS, the Christmas tour that will be touring Virginia in December. Full list of dates here.

Cast and crew walking down Campbell Avenue en route to our photo location. It’s 90-plus and Lyndsey is in full winter garb.

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‘Exchange of Gifts’ will tour Virginia in December 2019

From left: Kiaya Hoagland as Tilly, Lyndsey Hanks as Svetlana, Olivia Hunter as Veronica. Photo by Hank Ebert.

I’ve put together a touring production of my Christmas play EXCHANGE OF TOUR that will play at nine different venues in western Virginia in December 2019. Kerry Plank, a veteran of Roanoke Valley theatre, will direct the show. The cast consists of Kaiya Hoagland, Lyndsey Hanks, Olivia Hunter.

Here are the show dates and times:

Friday, Dec. 6: Roanoke, Theatre 3, 7 p.m. SOLD OUT
Saturday, Dec. 7: Galax, Rex Theatre, 7 p.m. (Tix available here.)
Sunday, Dec. 8: Blacksburg, Beliveau Estate Winery, 3 p.m. (Tix available here).
Friday, Dec. 13: Critz, Reynolds Homestead, 7:30 p.m. (Call 276-694-7181 x 27 for reservations; no online sales).
Saturday, Dec. 14: Monterey, Highland Center, 7 p.m. (Tix available at the door only)
Sunday, Dec. 15: Clifton Forge, The Masonic Theatre, 2 p.m. (Tix available here)
Friday, Dec. 20: Bedford, Bower Center for the Arts, 6:30 p.m. (Tix available here.)
Saturday, Dec. 21: Axton, Mountain Valley Brewing, 2 p.m. (Call 276-833-2171.)
Sunday, Dec. 22: Lynchburg, Riverviews Artspace, 3 p.m. (Tix available here.)

For tickets, see each venue.

Here’s what the show is about:

EXCHANGE OF GIFTS
A sweet Christmas story with a message. Three foreign students studying at colleges in the United States find themselves snowbound at an airport for Christmas. One is from Australia, one is from Canada, one is from Russia. Adventure ensues — involving broken chairs, computer hacking, and a health scare. By the time it’s over, each one has learned something about themselves that changes the direction of their lives. Cast: Three women of college age.
* Staged reading by Attic Productions, Fincastle, Virginia, November 2017.

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Video: ‘A Couch for Luxury and Damned Incest’

Here’s video of my 10-minute play in Overnight Sensations 2019, a 24-hour play festival sponsored by Hollins University’s Playwright’s Lab and Mill Mountain Theatre. An earlier post detailed how the event works. Thanks to director Amile Wilson for the video (and the great direction!).

Cast:
Drifer: Gianni Palmarini
Bed: Bailee Adams
Chair: Nancy Lawrence
Couch: Kelly Anglim
Desk: Gene Marrano
Table: Walter Dodd

MY PREVIOUS OVERNIGHT SENSATIONS: Read the rest of this entry »

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Overnight Sensations 2019: The making of a 24-hour play

For the eighth time in 12 years, I was one of the writers in Overnight Sensations, a 24-hour play festival organized by the Hollins University Playwright’s Lab and Mill Mountain Theatre. I drew dream play in a furniture factory with a specific line of dialogue from Shakespeare. What I came up with: A drifter seeks overnight accommodations in an abandoned furniture factory. He blows some notes on a saxophone, which makes pieces of furniture come to life — and they want to perform Hamlet. Conveniently, Hamlet mentions a bed, a table, a couch, a desk and a table, so everyone has a part in A COUCH FOR LUXURY AND DAMNED INCEST. Here’s how it all went down:

1. Friday night. We gather at Mill Mountain Theatre, with Todd Ristau presiding.

2. The six writers draw their director from a hat. After that, the writers and director alternate in drawing a cast, a genre, a setting and a theme — which this year came in the form of a line from Shakespeare that we had to use as dialogue.

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Where I’ve been produced: 48 states, 7 provinces, 18 countries

Here’s the list of states where I’ve been produced (this also includes productions that are scheduled).

The current count: 48 states, 7 Canadian provinces and 18 countries.

The states I’m missing: Hawaii and New Hampshire.

The provinces I’m missing:New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Quebec.

Current through Dec. 31, 2024

AMERICAN STATES: 48

Alabama 4 one-acts
Alaska 1 ten-minute
Arizona 5 one-acts
Arkansas 1 one-act
California 8 one-acts plus 5 ten-minute plus 3 short play
Colorado 2 one-act plus 2 ten-minute plus 4 full-lengths
Connecticut 2 one-acts plus 3 ten-minute
Delaware 3 10-minute 
District of Columbia: 1 one-act plus 2 full-length
Florida 19 one-acts plus 5 ten-minute plus 4 shorts plus 1 full-length
Georgia 8 one-acts plus 1 full-length
Hawaii 0
Idaho 1 one-act
Illinois 13 one-acts plus 3 ten-minute plus 2 full-length
Indiana 3 one-acts plus 1 ten-minute
Iowa 3 one-acts
Kansas 5 one-acts
Kentucky 6 one-acts plus 1 full-length (counting virtual production that originated here) and 1 ful-length staged reading
Louisiana 5 one-acts plus 3 ten-minute
Maine 5 one-acts, 1 10-minute
Maryland 9 one-acts plus 7 ten-minute plus 1 full-length reading
Massachusetts 8 one-acts plus 5 ten-minute
Michigan 7 one-acts plus 4 ten-minute plus 2 full-length
Minnesota 11  one-acts plus 4 ten-minute plus 1 full-length plus 1 one-minute plus 1 full-length reading
Mississippi 2 one-act
Missouri 6 one-acts plus 1 short play
Montana 4 one-acts plus 1 full-length
Nebraska 15 one-acts plus 2 one-acts
Nevada 3 one-acts
New Hampshire 0
New Jersey 6 one-acts plus 1 full-length plus 2 ten-minute plus 3 short plays plus 1 full-length
New Mexico 3 one-acts
New York 4 one-acts plus 9 ten-minute plus 2 short play plus multiple one-minutes (lost count)
North Carolina 12 one-acts plus 4 ten-minute plus 1 full-length
North Dakota 8 one-acts plus 2 ten-minute
Ohio 14 one-acts plus 8 ten-minute plus 2 full-length
Oklahoma 8 one-acts plus 1 10-minute
Oregon 4 one-acts plus 1 full-length
Pennsylvania 8 one-acts plus 4 ten-minutes plus 1 one-minute plus 1 full-length
Rhode Island 1 one-act
South Carolina 7 one-acts
South Dakota 6 one-acts
Tennessee 7 one-acts
Texas 22 one-acts plus 6 ten-minute plus 2 one-minute
Utah 2 one-acts plus 2 full-length (this includes a classroom reading)
Vermont 1 one-act
Virginia 42 one-acts plus 16 ten-minute plus 10 full-lengths
Washington 12 one-acts plus 9 ten-minute
West Virginia 5 one-acts plus 3 ten-minute
Wisconsin 10 one-acts plus 1 full-length
Wyoming 1 one-act plus 1 full-length

CANADIAN PROVINCES: 7 provinces
Alberta 1 one-act
British Columbia 2 one-act
Manitoba 2 one-acts
New Brunswick 0
Newfoundland and Labrador 1
Nova Scotia 1 one-act
Ontario 5 one-act plus 2 ten-minute (and many shorter) plus 1 full-length reading
Prince Edward Island 0
Quebec 0
Saskatchewan 5 one-acts

COUNTRIES WHERE I’VE BEEN PRODUCED: 17
Australia 2 one-acts plus 2 10-minute plus 1 full-length
Cameroon
Canada
Germany
Great Britain — multiple short pieces plus 2 full-lengths
Hong Kong/China
India
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Japan
Mexico
New Zealand
The Philippines
Singapore
South Africa
South Korea
United States

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Photos from ‘The Contact Lens’ in Pennsylvania

The scene.

Looking . . .

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Photos from shorts on Long Island

The Ghost Lamp

Four of my short scripts were produced in April by the Babylon Arts Council, Lindenhurst, New York: DEEP INTO OCTOBER, FIREBALLER, THE GHOST LAMP and THE UNIFORM. Three of those deal with baseball so I’m not sure from the photos which ones are which but this is definitely THE GHOST LAMP.

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Photos: ‘Curiosity Killed The Cat’ in Ohio

Summit Academy in Xenia, Ohio produced my one-act CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT on May 23, 2019. Here are photos.

Curiosity and the private investigator.

Curtain call!

 

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Review for ‘The Debate At Bosworth Field’

My 10-play play THE DEBATE AT BOSWORTH FIELD just got a very nice review on the New Play Exchange:

“A delightful historical romp! Like Monty Python meets the History Channel – What fun characters, and cracking dialogue. Yancey’s imaginative set-up finds us out on Bosworth Field – the declarative WIN for Lancaster over York, duh – in this all-too-relevant satire. Thank you to this bold author for stuffing a short play with tons of characters! It’s hilarious, with all the farcical strings pulling in criss-crossing dimensions. You can say a ten-minute play can only have 2-3 characters, but then you wouldn’t have this epically hilarious gem! No wonder it was recently selected for a competitive festival. It’s a hoot.”

— Rachael Carnes

The festival she references is the Fight Like a Girl festival in Manchester, Great Britain in August (it’s a fund-raiser for cancer research). Here’s a synopsis:

THE DEBATE AT BOSWORTH FIELD
Imagine if Richard III and Henry Tudor had met in a campaign-style debate instead. This time, Richard wins. Cast: 8 – 5 male, 2 female, 1 non-gender.

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