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 »
Video: Staged reading of “Softball Is Life”
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized, Video on January 7, 2014
A staged reading of my script “Softball Is Life” was held January 4, 2014 at Showtimers in Roanoke, Virginia. Here’s the video (reading was quite good, my video, not so much.)
Act 1 is above, Act 2 is below. Alas, the video cuts off in the final scene, so you miss the final minute or so.
From left to right:
* Vickie Haynie (stage directions), Heather Sexton (Linda, the former school softball star who is now in prison), Stevie Holcomb (prison guard), Patrick Kennerly (Mr. Barnett, the science teacher/softball coach), Kelly Anglim (high school principal), Emma Sala (Larsen, Linda’s daughter and an undiscovered phenom), Jeff Price (custodian), Gary Reid (Mr. Wellington, the former principal), and James Honaker (Squirrel, the creepy boyfriend of the cousin that Larsen is living with.)
Directed by Melora Kordos.
Cast photo from “On the Thirteeth Day of Christmas”
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions, Uncategorized on December 19, 2013
Here’s a photo from “On the Thirteenth Day of Christmas,” which was produced this month at Santiam High School in Mill City, Oregon.
This was the first production of this script, and the sixth full-length script I’ve had produced.
MORE ON THE SHOW
* Director calls “On the Thirteenth Day of Christmas” a “true gem.”
* About “On the Thirteenth Day of Christmas.”
“On the Thirteenth Day of Christmas” called “a true gem”
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Reviews, Uncategorized on December 17, 2013
One of my Christmas plays, “On the Thirteenth Day of Christmas,” was produced last week in Oregon at Santiam High School in Mill City.
This marks my sixth full-length script to be produced.
Director Bill Brown sends this account (and promises photos soon):
“It went very well. Many people commented on how funny the show was and all thoroughly enjoyed it . . . Thank you for the awesome opportunity to “test out” On the 13th Day of Christmas for you. It is a true gem.”
I have a synopsis — plus a list of my other full-length scripts that have been produced — here. As “On the Thirteenth Day of Christmas” is unpublished, it remains available royalty-free.
“Softball Is Life” to have staged reading January 4
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized on December 10, 2013
I’m thrilled to announce that my latest full-length script, “Softball Is Life,” will have a staged reading on Saturday, January 4, 2014 at Showtimers in Roanoke, Virginia.
Melora Kordos of Lynchburg will direct. The cast consists of Kelly Anglim, James Honaker, Stevie Holcomb, Patrick Kennerly, Jeff Price, Gary Reid, Emma Sala and Heather Sexton — an all-star cast of performers from the Roanoke Valley (with the exception of Jeff, who is an all-star performer from Lynchburg.)
This is a script I’m very excited about and was eager to see and hear how it works. I’m indebted to Showtimers for helping make this happen, and the talent cast and director for volunteering their time.
My goal was to write a sports play for women, although the result is somewhat different. Despite the title, this play isn’t really about sports; it’s about something else entirely. Relationships, I suppose you could say.
The quick synopsis goes like this: A former high school softball star sits in prison, estranged from her 14-year-old daughter, who shares her gift for pitching but doesn’t realize it. Instead, she is more concerned about protecting herself from the predatory boyfriend of the cousin she’s forced to live with.
Note: Some adult language and situations.
There is no sports action in the show (sports action always being hard to depict on stage, anyway.) The opening scene has the sounds of a softball game happening off-stage; after that, the play takes place entirely outside softball season. Some of it takes place in a women’s prison; some of it takes place around a Dumpster.
Cast of eight — three women, one teen-age girl, three men, and one non-gender role (the school custodian, which will be played here by Jeff Price.)
“57 Hours in the House of Culture” called “well-crafted” and “compelling”
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Reviews, Uncategorized on November 19, 2013
Just got one of the nicest rejection letters ever, this from a theatre in . . . well, let’s just say somewhere in the United States.
This was in reference to my full-length script “57 Hours in the House of Culture,” about the Moscow theatre siege.
And I quote:
“I did want to let you know that out of the 200 submissions we considered, 57 Hours in the House of Culture made a very strong impression and stayed on our shortlist until close the very end. It is a well-crafted story told in a compelling manner with characters that are diverse and strong. However, due to the larger cast size along with technical elements we felt were essential to telling this story correctly, we had to pass on it this year. However, we look forward to considering it again next year, along with any other work you submit in the future.”
The show was originally produced in May 2012 at Studio Roanoke in Roanoke, Virginia. Here’s more on that production:
MORE ON “57 HOURS IN THE HOUSE OF CULTURE”:
* Video: “57 Hours in the House of Culture” at Studio Roanoke in May 2012
* Backstage graffiti from the show
* Photos from the show
* Audience reaction to the show
* Review: “It ain’t ‘Oklahoma!'”
* Congressman Goodlatte attends the show
* Review: “Most interactive show I’ve seen”
* Media interviews about the show
* The set takes shape
* Rehearsal photos
* Rehearsal begins
* The poster for the show
At least eight productions this fall, including one in India
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized on November 9, 2013
The flag of India. I’m about to have my first production there.
I have at least eight productions this fall, including my first in India!
I say “at least eight” because some of my publishers don’t report productions until after they’ve happened, so it’s likely that number is higher.
But here are the ones I do know about, which are happening in six different states and the forementioned Republic of India!
* The one-act “The Fruitcake,” a Christmas show, remains my most frequently-produced script. It’s published by Brooklyn Publishers these four productions will take me up to the 40th production mark:
— Patrick Henry Academy, Estill, South Carolina, Oct. 29
— McCool Schools, McCool Junction, Nebraska, Nov. 1
— New Underwood School District, New Underwood, South Dakota, Nov. 23
— Mitchell High School, Mitchell, Nebraska, Nov. 26.
* The one-act “Hit the Books” continues to climb up the charts. It’s published by Eldridge Plays and Musicals and these two productions will be the 13th and 14th of this script:
— Milestone Public School, Milestone, Montana, Nov. 23
— Catholic Central High School, Burlington, Wisconsin, Dec. 14
* The hour-long one-act “Macbeth Goes Hollywood” is my second most-production script. It’s also published by Eldridge Plays and Musicals and this production will be the 26th production — and my first in India.
— Pathways School Gurgaon, Gurgaon, India, Nov. 16. (This is on the outskirts of New Delhi.)
That won’t be my first production in Asia, though. Earlier this year, a group in Singapore produced another of my one-acts, “Mac and Beth.” It also was a Shakespeare spoof, perhaps underscoring how much Shakespeare is a universal language.
On another note, I’m struck again by how many productions I get in the Upper Midwest.
Finally, as previously noted, one of my full-length scripts is scheduled for production in December in Oregon — “On the 13th Day of Christmas” at Santiam High School in Mill City, Oregon. That will be the first production of that script, but will be the sixth full-length script I’ve had produced.
Note that all these one-acts have been published, so royalties are involved. But impoverished directors take note, I have many more scripts that are unpublished and I allow those to be produced royalty-free. Here’s why.
F0r more on these and all my other scripts, see the scripts category.
Video: “The Truth About Broccoli” at Liminal
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Uncategorized, Video on October 28, 2013
Katerina Yancey and Jonah Woodstock performed a staged reading of my short piece “The Truth About Broccoli” at the monthly reading series at the Liminal alternative artspace in Roanoke.
The broccoli appeared as itself.
The theme, by the way, was “eat your words.”
Audio: Seven of my pieces on Falcon Radio Theatre
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in Productions, Radio plays, Uncategorized on October 22, 2013
Falcon Radio Theatre at Seattle Pacific University ended its run on May 21, 2013 with a grand finale that included seven of my pieces.
Specifically:
* “The Liberal Arts Pirates”
* “Occupations”
* “Zucchini Are Planning to Take Over the World”
* “God and the Devil Meet for a Business Lunch”
* “If Cats Had Lawyers”
* “Damsel Not in Distress”
* “Somewhere Tonight the Last Washington Senators Game Still Plays On.”
“Occupations” is a one-act; “God and the Devil” and the “Washington Senators” are ten-minute scripts; the rest weigh in at about five minutes.
The audio has just now gone online, and here it is.
dwayneyancey 