Short film “Kiss My Ashes Goodbye” wins another first place
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Uncategorized, Video on June 1, 2015
The short film that Hank Ebert and I made — “Kiss My Ashes Goodbye” — won another prize in the Bike Shorts Film Festival. (Also should point out that Chris Shepard did the music soundtrack, which was surely key to its victory, as well).
In early May, we won the audience vote at the initial Roanoke showing. On Saturday, May 30, we also won the audience vote at the Blacksburg showing. That was something of a surprise, since neither of us were in attendance and we’d done nothing, literally, nothing, to drum up support there.
Another film won the audience prize at the Lynchburg showing, so that means we took two out of three!
The film stars Blair Peyton as the bike messenger, Chris Shepard as the bike messenger company chieftain, Marianne Ebert as the funeral home attendant, Stephen Glassbrenner as thief one, Hannah Whitt as the woman with car trouble, Lincoln Humphry as thief two, Martha Weeks Boswell as the woman who requested the delivery, and Maggie Bryant and Alden Bryant as the two children.
I also have these photos from the making of KISS MY ASHES GOODBYE.
And here’s a list of the other films that Hank and I have done: Read the rest of this entry »
Two one-minute plays to be produced in New York festival
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized on May 15, 2015
Two of my one-minute plays will be produced in June at the U.S. version of the annual Gone in 60 Seconds Festival of one-minute plays. They will be June 11-13 at Brooklyn College in New York.
I also had two different pieces produced in the British edition of the same festival in early May. (See photos and video here.)
The two pieces in New York will be THERE ARE NO CELLPHONES IN SHAKESPEARE and THE UNEXPECTED CHEESE PARTY.
THERE ARE NO CELLPHONES IN SHAKESPEARE
A director does to an audience member with a cellphone what a lot of directors would surely like to do. Cast: Four, non-gender.
AN UNEXPECTED CHEESE PARTY
Some mice found one of their fellows dead in a mousetrap. What to do, oh what to do? What else? Eat the cheese! Cast: Four, non-gender. Running time: One minute.
So far in 2015: Read the rest of this entry »
Video: Two of my one-minute plays in festival in Britain
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized, Video on May 15, 2015
A scene from THE ONLINE AFFAIR at its dress rehearsal.
Two of my short plays were performed at the British version of the Gone in 60 Seconds Festival of one-minute plays on May 5 in Leeds.
They were SLAM POETRY and THE ONLINE AFFAIR.
SLAM POETRY
Two guys misunderstood, and think a poetry slam is where you slam poets into the ground as in a wrestling match. Physical comedy ensues. Cast: Three — two males, one non-gender. Running time: One minute.
THE ONLINE AFFAIR
A man and a woman – either husband and wife, or boyfriend and girlfriend – are sitting near each other, each texting on their phones. Except each thinks they’re texting to a secret online lover, when, in fact, they’re unknowingly texting each other. Cast: Two – one male, one female – or four – two male, two female.
Here’s the whole show. SLAM POETRY comes on at 7:26 and THE ONLINE AFFAIR is at 49:54.
So far in 2015: Read the rest of this entry »
“The Monkey At The Wedding” garners four prizes in Massachusetts competition
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Reviews on May 4, 2015
The cast of The Monkey At the Wedding. From right to left,
Top row: Father of Bride, Groom, Best man, Minister, Granny, Monkey, Mother of bride.
Bottom row: Pluto, Mother of groom, Zoe, Maid of Honor, Fatima, and the Bride.
My one-act THE MONKEY AT THE WEDDING had its debut on May 1 at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School in Acton, Massachusetts.
This was part of a festival and I’m told the production won four prizes. The actress playing Fatima won best actress; the actor playing Bobo the Monkey won best actor, plus there were firsts for best make-up and “best slap.”
Yes, that kind of slap!
Of note: The Fatima character was one I added in a re-write when the director said she had 13 people audition for 12 parts but felt bad about leaving someone out — so that re-write clearly paid off. The actor who won best actor — his part had no lines!
Photos to come.
Here’s a previous post about the show.
So far in 2015:
* Jan. 3: Staged reading of MISS COW PIE BINGO (full-length), Showtimers, Roanoke, Virginia.
* Feb. 6: Production of MACBETH GOES HOLLYWOOD (long one-act), Gull Lake High School, Richland, Michigan
* Feb. 13: Staged reading of 39 HOURS IN THE SOVIET CITY OF ROSES (full-length), Poetic Theater Productions, New York, N.Y.
* Feb. 13: Staged reading of three short pieces: CHERRY POP TARTS, MY CRIMSON LOVE and LUST, at Garfield Center for the Arts, Chestertown, Maryland.
* Feb. 25: Staged reading of THE RING (one-act) and CAT ON TRIAL (five-minute play), The Readers Repertory Theatre of San Pedro, Los Angeles, California.
* March 25: Staged reading of THE BREAK-IN (five-minute play), The Readers Repertory Theatre of San Pedro, Los Angeles, California.
* March 25-27: Production of HAMLET GOES HOLLYWOOD (long one-act), High Meadows School, Roswell, Georgia.
* May 1: Production of THE MONKEY AT THE WEDDING (one-act), Acton-Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, Acton, Massachusetts. (Won four awards in competition, including best actor and best actress.)
* May 1: Short film KISS MY ASHES GOODBYE wins audience prize at Bike Shorts Film Festival, Roanoke, Virginia.
Upcoming:
* Summer: THE ONE-WORD MACBETH, Pop Culture Theatre, Melbourne, Australia.
Short film “Kiss My Ashes Goodbye” wins audience prize at Bike Shorts Film Festival
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Uncategorized, Video on May 4, 2015
Each year for the past several years now, Salem filmmaker Hank Ebert and I have made a short film for the annual Bike Shorts Film Festival — short films about bicycles.
On Friday night, we won the audience vote at the Roanoke showing.
The 13 entries came from all over — some local to our corner of Virginia, but also some from Canada, Israel and Hong Kong. The judges picked one from Vancouver as their winner. The audience chose ours.
Here ’tis!
The film stars Blair Peyton as the bike messenger, Chris Shepard as the bike messenger company chieftain, Marianne Ebert as the funeral home attendant, Stephen Glassbrenner as thief one, Hannah Whitt as the woman with car trouble, Lincoln Humphry as thief two, Martha Weeks Boswell as the woman who requested the delivery, and Maggie Bryant and Alden Bryant as the two children.
Next up: There are showings (and more audience votes) in Lynchburg on May 7 and Blacksburg on May 30. And there’s also a prize for the most number of You Tube views in May, so start watching!
I also have these photos from the making of KISS MY ASHES GOODBYE.
And here’s a list of the other films that Hank and I have done: Read the rest of this entry »
“The One-Word Macbeth” to be produced in Australia
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized on April 24, 2015
I’ve just scored my first production in Australia. Pop Culture Theatre in Melbourne will produced my longish one-act, THE ONE-WORD MACBETH, this summer.
The script will be produced by the theatre’s youth ensemble, and apparently the kids picked the script, or at least had a hand in its selection. The theatre tells me: “Our youth performers are aged 15 – 18 and have asked to perform your piece this year because they want a challenge.”
As I understand it, the script will be done at the theatre, and then entered in three or four competitive festivals put on by the Victorian Drama League.
This will be the second production for the script. Here’s a synopsis:
THE ONE-WORD MACBETH
The Macbeth story, told with each character speaking lines that cost of only one word. Complete with witches and sword-fights, but limited dialogue. Cast: Ten or twelve or fourteen. If ten, 4 male, 4 female, 2 non-gender. If twelve, 4 male, 4 female, 4 non-gender. If fourteen, 4 male, 4 female, 6 non-gender. Running time: 45 minutes.
* Produced by West High School, West, Texas, Feb. 16, 2008.
I have several other “one-word” scripts:
THE ONE-WORD ANTIGONE
The classic Greek drama Antigone, more or less, in which each line consists of just a single word. Ideal for a class project. Cast: 10 – 3 female, 4 female, 3 non-gender.. Running time: Twenty five minutes.
THE ONE-WORD HAMLET
The story of Hamlet, much condensed, in which each actor speaks only one word at a time. Cast: Thirteen — 11 males, 2 females. There’s potential to double two male roles. Running time: Fifteen minutes.
• The eight-minute version of this script was performed in a staged reading in Herring Run Arts Fest, Middleborough, Mass., September 2005.
THE ONE-WORD ODYSSEY
The story of the Odyssey, more or less, in which each line consists of just a single word. Ideal for a class project. Includes monsters and a talking hamburger. Cast: As few as 18 — 9 males, 3 females, 6 non-gender — or as many as 33 — 17 males, 7 females, 9 non-gender. Running time: One hour.
THE ONE-WORD ROMEO AND JULIET
The essence of the Romeo and Juliet story, in one scene, with each
character uttering just one word at a time. Cast: Seven — 6 male, 1 female.
There’s also a slightly inaccurate version that can be done with a cast of four
3 male, 1 female. Running time: Fifteen minutes.
So far in 2015:
* Jan. 3: Staged reading of MISS COW PIE BINGO (full-length), Showtimers, Roanoke, Virginia.
* Feb. 6: Production of MACBETH GOES HOLLYWOOD (long one-act), Gull Lake High School, Richland, Michigan
* Feb. 13: Staged reading of 39 HOURS IN THE SOVIET CITY OF ROSES (full-length), Poetic Theater Productions, New York, N.Y.
* Feb. 13: Staged reading of three short pieces: CHERRY POP TARTS, MY CRIMSON LOVE and LUST, at Garfield Center for the Arts, Chestertown, Maryland.
* Feb. 25: Staged reading of THE RING (one-act) and CAT ON TRIAL (five-minute play), The Readers Repertory Theatre of San Pedro, Los Angeles, California.
* March 25: Staged reading of THE BREAK-IN (five-minute play), The Readers Repertory Theatre of San Pedro, Los Angeles, California.
* March 25-27: Production of HAMLET GOES HOLLYWOOD, High Meadows School, Roswell, Georgia.
Upcoming:
* May 1: THE MONKEY AT THE WEDDING, Acton-Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, Acton, Massachusetts.
* Summer: THE ONE-WORD MACBETH, Pop Culture Theatre, Melbourne, Australia.
Photos from short film “Kiss My Ashes Goodbye”
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Uncategorized, Video on April 7, 2015
Once again, filmmaker Hank Ebert and I have collaborated on a short film for the Bike Shorts film festival which is pretty much what you think it is — short films about bicycles. I’ll post the video once the festival happens on May 1, but here are some shots from the shoot:
Hank Ebert.
Chris Shepard (foreground) as manager of Acme Bike Messengers and Blair Peyton as his incompetent employee.
More photos below: Read the rest of this entry »
Another short play has a staged reading in Los Angeles
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized on April 7, 2015
My five-minute piece “The Break-In” had a staged reading at The Readers Repertory Theatre of San Pedro, Los Angeles, California on March 25, 2015.
This is the second month in a row the group has done some of my work at their monthly gathering.
THE BREAK-IN
Two elderly women break into a high school, trying to steal a trophy they felt their team should have won back when they were in school. Cast: Four: Two senior women, two men.
So far in 2015:
* Jan. 3: Staged reading of MISS COW PIE BINGO (full-length), Showtimers, Roanoke, Virginia.
* Feb. 6: Production of MACBETH GOES HOLLYWOOD (long one-act), Gull Lake High School, Richland, Michigan
* Feb. 13: Staged reading of 39 HOURS IN THE SOVIET CITY OF ROSES (full-length), Poetic Theater Productions, New York, N.Y.
* Feb. 13: Staged reading of three short pieces: CHERRY POP TARTS, MY CRIMSON LOVE and LUST, at Garfield Center for the Arts, Chestertown, Maryland.
* Feb. 25: Staged reading of THE RING (one-act) and CAT ON TRIAL (five-minute play), The Readers Repertory Theatre of San Pedro, Los Angeles, California.
* March 25: Staged reading of THE BREAK-IN (five-minute play), The Readers Repertory Theatre of San Pedro, Los Angeles, California.
* March 25-27: Production of HAMLET GOES HOLLYWOOD, High Meadows School, Roswell, Georgia.
Upcoming:
* May 1: THE MONKEY AT THE WEDDING, Acton-Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, Acton, Massachusetts.
Two short plays have staged reading in Los Angeles
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized on March 19, 2015
Two of my short plays had staged readings in Los Angeles last month, I learned today.
The Readers Repertory Theatre at San Pedro (a neighborhood of LA) featured a reading of the one-act THE RING and the five-minute script CAT ON TRIAL on Feb. 25 at the Croatian Cultural Center of Los Angeles.
Here are synoposes:
THE RING
Sixty years after a close call in a state championship girls basketball game, the star of the losing team still can’t reconcile herself to losing — so she breaks into the home of the star player on the winning team, hoping to steal her championship ring. A poignant story about regrets and sportsmanship. Cast: Two senior females.
• Produced at Haylofters, Burlington, Wisconsin, May 2014. (Placed second in audience vote at festival.)
• Staged reading at Readers Theatre of San Pedro, (Los Angeles), February 2015.
CAT ON TRIAL (The Active Retirement of Irene Anderson)
A retiree puts the neighbor’s cat on trial because it caught a bird. Two versions available. Cast: Two seniors — one male, one female.
• Staged reading at Readers Theatre of San Pedro, (Los Angeles), February 2015
So far in 2015:
* Jan. 3: Staged reading of MISS COW PIE BINGO (full-length), Showtimers, Roanoke, Virginia.
* Feb. 6: Production of MACBETH GOES HOLLYWOOD (long one-act), Gull Lake High School, Richland, Michigan
* Feb. 13: Staged reading of 39 HOURS IN THE SOVIET CITY OF ROSES (full-length), Poetic Theater Productions, New York, N.Y.
* Feb. 13: Staged reading of three short pieces: CHERRY POP TARTS, MY CRIMSON LOVE and LUST, at Garfield Center for the Arts, Chestertown, Maryland.
* Feb. 25: Staged reading of THE RING (one-act) and CAT ON TRIAL (five-minute play), The Readers Repertory Theatre of San Pedro, Los Angeles, California.
Upcoming:
* March 25-27: Production of HAMLET GOES HOLLYWOOD, High Meadows School, Roswell, Georgia.
* May 1: THE MONKEY AT THE WEDDING, Acton-Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, Acton, Massachusetts.
Photo from “The Monkey at the Wedding” in Massachusetts
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions, Uncategorized on March 12, 2015
The cast of The Monkey At the Wedding. From right to left,
Top row: Father of Bride, Groom, Best man, Minister, Granny, Monkey, Mother of bride.
Bottom row: Pluto, Mother of groom, Zoe, Maid of Honor, Fatima, and the Bride.
Here is the cast photo from the first day of rehearsal for my one-act THE MONKEY AT THE WEDDING, which will be produced in May at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School in Acton, Massachusetts.
This will be the world premiere.
Now, for an interesting story. I wrote the script several years ago, inspired by a local news story about a man who was trying to find a monkey to be ringbearer at his wedding. Don’t think he ever found one, though.
The director in Acton contacted me out of the blue — thanks, search engine! — and asked for some possible scripts. Eventually, she settled on this one.
Except, after auditions she had a problem. The show had a cast of 12 but she had 13 kids audition and she didn’t have the heart to turn one away. We bounced about some ideas, about splitting some characters in two but eventually settled on just writing in a 13th character. So I did.
I might mention that this “task mistress” of a director is a 9th grader. Bravo!
THE MONKEY AT THE WEDDING
A wedding goes afoul when the ringbearer — a monkey — swallows the ring. Chaos, and comedy, ensues. Features a motorcycle gang, and someone in a monkey suit. Cast: 12 or 13 — 5 male, 5 or 6 female, 2 non-gender. Running time: 30 minutes.
So far in 2015:
* Jan. 3: Staged reading of MISS COW PIE BINGO, Showtimers, Roanoke, Virginia.
* Feb. 6: Production of MACBETH GOES HOLLYWOOD, Gull Lake High School, Richland, Michigan
* Feb. 13: Staged reading of 39 HOURS IN THE SOVIET CITY OF ROSES, Poetic Theater Productions, New York, N.Y.
* Feb. 13: Staged reading of three short pieces: CHERRY POP TARTS, MY CRIMSON LOVE and LUST, at Garfield Center for the Arts, Chestertown, Maryland.
Upcoming:
* March 25-27: Production of HAMLET GOES HOLLYWOOD, High Meadows School, Roswell, Georgia.
* May 1: THE MONKEY AT THE WEDDING, Acton-Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, Acton, Massachusetts.
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