Posts Tagged royalty-free plays
“Miss Mitchell’s Comet” one of three finalists in Orlando
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized on November 7, 2017
I am one of three finalists in an annual competition run by a major theatre in Orlando. My full-length script MISS MITCHELL’S COMET will have a staged reading sometime in December; based on the feedback there, one of those three plays will then get a full production in April 2018 by the Playwrights’ Round Table at the Orlando Shakespeare Center. Sharp-eyed fans will notice that April 2018 is also when I have another full-length play making an international debut in Melbourne, Australia. MISS MITCHELL’S COMET is based on the true story of Maria Mitchell, America’s first female astronomer — and the first American of any gender to discover a comet. Her discovery in the 1840s sparked an international controversy. At the time, there was a competition sponsored by the King of Denmark that would give a prize to the first astronomer to discover a comet with a telescope — as opposed to the naked eye. All the big observatories of Europe were keen to claim the honor. No one envisioned that instead it would be an American — and not just any American, but an amateur at that who wasn’t affiliated with any observatory. And a woman! This was news that some in Europe simply could not believe.
The 29-year-old Mitchell was the daughter of a Nantucket Island merchant who grew up in a sailing and whaling community where keeping an eye on the stars was part of business. In time, the unknown Mitchell was awarded the prize . . . and went on to become a major figure in American astronomy and the women’s rights movement. This play is set many years later, when she’s in her 50s and 60s and is teaching at Vassar College. I am indebted to Todd William Ristau of Hollins University. Some years ago, he gave me advice on how to write a one-person script. At the time, I had two sprawling, multi-character scripts about science figures. I took RED MOON RISING IN THE EAST, about the father of the Soviet space program, and re-wrote it into a one-man play. It’s gone on to become my most-frequently produced full-length script — produced in Virginia, Wisconsin and Minnesota (and might be produced again in May 2018, awaiting details). I took MISS MITCHELL’S COMET and re-wrote it as a two-person script, although the Mitchell character has 95 percent of the lines, so I think of it as a one-woman play with some incidental parts for a man. It’s come close several things before in other competitions, but now will at least get a stage reading an a 1-in-3 chance of a full production.
My first international production of a full-length script
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized on October 31, 2017
Some of the artwork that will promote the show.
I’ve had seven full-length scripts produced in the United States. And I’ve had many shorter scripts produced around the world — Australia, Canada, Great Britain, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea. But I’ve never had a full-length script produced outside the United States. Until now. Or, more accurately, April 2018. That’s when the Burwood Student Theatre Company of Deakin University of Melbourne, Australia will produced THIS ROSE HAS THORNS — which, incidentally, will be the world premiere of that particular script.
I’m still waiting the exact production dates, but the show is a go. It will be directed by John Jennings, who is also the artistic director of Pop Culture Theatre, the Melbourne theatre that has produced two of my one-acts in the annual Victorian Drama League competition — THE ONE-WORD MACBETH in 2015 and THE RULES ARE THE RULES ARE THE RULES in 2017. (Video of the former show here. Photos from the latter here.)
John has some great ideas for the show — which he calls a “comedic masterpiece.” He says of this show: “Think Shakespeare meets The Play The Goes Wrong meets Black Adder meets Game of Thrones!”
THIS ROSE HAS THORNS
A parody of some common Shakespeare themes, with good stage combat roles for women and girls. The daughters of a lord receive letters from their boyfriends, informing them that they have been imprisoned in the Tower of London and expect to be executed. The two girls do what seems only natural to them; they dress up as men and set off to London to rescue them – not realizing that the boyfriends intended these as break-up letters. Comedy ensues. Cast: 13 – 7 females, 6 males.
More promotional artwork.
Photos from “The Rules Are The Rules Are The Rules” in Australia
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions on October 31, 2017
The cast.
Here are some photos from the Australian production of THE RULES ARE THE RULES ARE THE RULES, the one-act that Pop Culture Theatre of Melbourne produced this summer (winter to them) as an entry in the Victorian Drama League competition.
This is the second time that Pop Culture has produced one of my shows. In 2015, the group produced THE ONE-WORD MACBETH. (Video of that show here.)
THE RULES ARE THE RULES ARE THE RULES
A farce set on an airplane. A male passenger has apparently died, and the flight attendants carry him up to first class, telling other passengers he’s simply drunk. The chief flight attendant, though, insists they go by the book and perform CPR and mouth-to-mouth on the hapless victim until the plane lands. The other flight attendants devise ways to skirt those rules, with increasing hilarity. That hilarity hits its peak when it turns out the man isn’t dead, after all. Cast: Five — four female, one male. Running time: Thirty minutes.
* Produced by the Castle Players, Lytchett Matravers Village Hall, near Poole, England. Feb. 18-29, 2011.
* Produced by Pop Culture Theatre, Melbourne, Australia, July-September, 2017.
More of the cast.
List of 2018 productions
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in Productions, Uncategorized on September 26, 2017
Here’s what I’ve already got booked for 2018. So far, I’ve got shows in the United States, plus Australia, Canada and Great Britain.
* Jan. 21: THE FRUITCAKE (one-act), Upper Sandusky High School Drama Club, Upper Sandusky High, Ohio.
* Feb. 3: THE BIGFOOT SIGHTING (one-minute play), Fast and Furious Festival, Spokane Stage Left Theatre Spokane, Washington.
* March 14: THE BANANA MAN, CAT AND DOG, GRADUATION SPEECH TRANSLATED, JIMMY’S PLAN FOR WORLD DOMINATION (short plays), Play With Your Food, Mankato, Minnesota.
* March 20: Staged reading of THE CELLPHONES OF THE DEAD (short play) as part of “Playwrights Say Never Again To School Shootings,” Oregon Contemporary Theatre, Eugene, Oregon.
* March 21: Staged reading of THE CELLPHONES OF THE DEAD (short play) as part of “Playwrights Say Never Again To School Shootings,” Palace Theatre, Chattanooga, Tennessee.
* March 23: Staged reading of THE CELLPHONES OF THE DEAD (short play) as part of “Playwrights Say Never Again To School Shootings,” Luna Stage Company, West Orange, New Jersey.
* March 24: Staged reading of THE CELLPHONES OF THE DEAD (short play), part of 17 short plays related to school shootings. Organized by Nu Sass Productions, held at The Pinch, Washington, D.C.
* Spring TBA: Unknown number of short pieces, North Hunterdon High School in Annandale, New Jersey.
* April 5-7: THIS ROSES HAS THORNS (full-length), Bustco Theatre, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia.
* April 5-7: LUCY (one-act), by Ghost Light Productions, Elko, Nevada.
* April 8: Staged reading of JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE (one-act), Shakespeare in the Burg, Middleburg, Virginia.
* April 11: THE ONE-WORD MACBETH (one-act), Thomas University, Thomasville, Georgia.
* April 20: Staged reading of THE CELLPHONES OF THE DEAD (short play) as part of “Playwrights Say Never Again To School Shootings,” Roanoke, Virginia.
* April 27-29: THE COLLEGE SQUIRRELS, THE OCEANS OF MARS and BIG TIME COLLEGE CHEMISTRY (short plays), by North Hunterdon Theater Organization, Annandale, NJ.
* May 4-5: THE MONKEY AT THE WEDDING (one-act), Red River Revue, Clarksville, Texas
* May 10: Staged reading of THE CELLPHONES OF THE DEAD (short play) as part of “Playwrights Say Never Again To School Shootings,” Rich Heritage of Cedar Rapids Theatre Company, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
* May 17: DAMSEL NOT IN DISTRESS, THE BANANA MAN, THE COLLEGE SQUIRRELS, CAT AND DOG, THE RECRUITER, DOROTHY GETS A DOG, A VAMPIRE SOAP OPERA, THE ORPHANAGE AND THE BEAUTIFUL OGRE AND OTHER FAIRY TALES, Radcliffe Creek School, Chestertown, Maryland.
* May 23: THE FACE ON MARS (ten-minute), Horatio Theatre, London, UK.
* May 25-27: NURSERY CRIMES (one-act), Paris Community Theatre, Paris, Texas.
* May 28: CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT (one-act), by RuBarb Productions, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.
* May 31: MERMING and THREE POSSUMS AT A BAR (one-minute plays), Gi60 Gone in 60 Seconds Festival, Leeds, UK.
* June 4: SOMETIMES ELEPHANTS DIE STANDING UP (ten-minute), Peeskill High School, Peeskill, New York.
* June 7: THE SANDSTORM (ten-minute), Centreville High School, Clifton, Virginia
* June 7-9: PICKING UP STARS (one-minute play), Gi60 Gone in 60 Seconds Festival, Brooklyn, New York.
* June 14-16, 21-23: A MERMAID WALKED INTO A BAR (short play) and THE CONTACT LENS (ten-minute play), Asphalt Jungle Shorts, Kitchener, Ontario.
* June 20-21: THE BEAUTIFUL OGRE AND OTHER FAIRY TALES (ten-minute) Youth Education on Stage, Williston, North Dakota.
* June 22-24, June 29-July 1, and July 6-8: THE MURDERESS AND HER ATTORNEY (short play), Short Attention Span Theatre, Chestertown, Maryland.
* July 7: THE DENMARK COUNTY BARBERSHOP QUARTET PRESENTS . . . (ten-minute play), Overnight Sensations 24-hour play project, Mill Mountain Theatre / Hollins University, Roanoke, Virginia.
* July 19-22: THE BEAUTIFUL OGRE AND OTHER FAIRY TALES (ten-minute), Forge Theatre, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
* Aug. 2-3: LETTERS FROM THE MONA LISA (ten-minute play), Donna Scott Productions, Charlotte, North Carolina.
* Aug.24-25: STRANGE VEGETABLES (one-act), Red River Revue, Clarksville, Texas
* Sept. 14-16, 21-23: THE CELLPHONES OF THE DEAD (short play), produced as part of “Safety Off,” a program of short plays about school shootings, Phoenix Theatre, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
* Sept. 22: THE CELLPHONES OF THE DEAD (short play), produced as part of “Code Red Plays,” Steel City Playhouse, Pottstown, Pennsylvania.
* Oct. 7: PUTTING THE FAIR IN TOOTH FAIRY and THE COLLEGE SQUIRRELS (short play), Play With Your Food, Mankato, Minnesota.
* Oct. 12-Nov. 3: DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN (one-act), Broom Street Theater, Madison, Wisconsin.
* Oct. 18-21: JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE (one-act), Roial players, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.
* Oct. 26-28: THE SANDSTORM (ten-minute play), Playwright’s Playground Festival, Spokane Stage Left Theatre, Spokane, Washington.
* Oct. 28: CURTAIN SPEECH, Bashir Productions, Et Cetera Theatre, London.
* Nov. 3: * May 31: MERMING and THREE POSSUMS AT A BAR (one-minute plays), re-run of selected pieces from Gi60 Gone in 60 Seconds Festival at Ilkley Literature Festival, Ilkley, Great Britain.
* Nov. 3: Staged reading of scene from THE ARMADILLO QUEEN (full-length), produced as part of series of public reading by Khaos Theatre Company / Emerging Artists Theatre, Indianapolis, Indiana. (Audience vote will determine which script goes on to a full production in 2019).
* Nov. 3: THE FRUITCAKE (one-act), by Bynum Independent School District, Bynum, Texas.
* Nov. 8: THE FRUITCAKE (one-act), by KMHS Drama Club, Kettle Moraine High School, Wales, Wisconsin.
* Nov. 9-11: The first 15 pages of NOT ANOTHER EXQUISITE CORPSE?, a collaborative play by five different playwrights, uses the first 15 pages of my one-act THE CURIOUS CASE OF JOCKSTRAP MALONE, Page to Stage Theatre, Roanoke.
* Nov. 15-18: FISHING FOR MEN and THE GHOST LAMP (one-minute plays), Houston Community College, Houston, Texas.
* Nov. 16: THE KISSING CONSULTANT (one-act), Chatfield High School, Chatfield, Minnesota.
* Nov. 17: CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT (one-act), The American School of Yaounde, Yoaunde, Cameroon.
* Nov. 17: CHRISTMAS SPIDERS (one-act), Attic Productions, Fincastle, Virginia.
* Nov. 27: CURTAIN SPEECH, BOLIVIA!, and THE CELLPHONES OF THE DEAD (short plays), Bashir Productions, at Cockpit Theatre, London.
* Dec. 5: NURSERY CRIMES (one-act), Emerald Coast Middle School, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida
* Dec. 7-9, 13-15: DEATH BY POINSETTIA (one-act), Tri-County Players, Cincinnati, Ohio.
* Dec. 8: Staged reading of NOBODY EVER ASKS ME (one-minute), No Shame Theatre, Charlottesville, Virginia.
* Dec. 9: MAC AND BETH (one-act), McMichael High School, Greensboro, North Carolina.
* Dec. 10: LETTERS FROM THE MONA LISA (ten-minute) and PEAKED IN HIGH SCHOOL (ten-minute), Adams State University, Alamosa, Colorado.
* December date unclear: THE GIRL WHO MADE EMUS BELIEVE THEY COULD FLY ON CHRISTMAS (one-act), edited version produced by a private tutor teaching English as a Second Language, Hong Kong, China.
* Dec. 14: CHRISTMAS SPIDERS (one-act), Varnum High School, Seminole, Oklahoma.
* Dec. 14-15, 20-22: ON THE THIRTEENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS (full-length), Fountain Theater, Fountain, Colorado.
* Dec. 16: THE ANGEL TREE (one-act), SANTA KILLS THANKSGIVING (short) and THE YEAR DAD FINALLY LOST IT AT CHRISTMAS, A Danniella DiClaudio and Friends Production, Elizabeth, Pennsylvania.
* Dec. 18-19: JOY TO OTHER WORLDS (one-act), Liberty High School, Frisco, Texas.
* DEC. 19: LET THERE BE LIGHTS! (one-act), Otto-Eldred High School, Duke Center, Pennsylvania.
* Dec. 19: LET THERE BE LIGHTS! (one-act), St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Hickory, North Carolina.
* Dec. 21: LET THERE BE LIGHTS! (one-act), Pine Island High School, Pine Island, Minnesota.
* Date unknown: THE COLLEGE SQUIRRELS (five-minute) and BIG TIME CHEMISTRY (five minute), North Hunterdon High School, Annandale, New Jersey
* Dec. TBA: LET THERE BE LIGHTS! (one-act), Geo Prep Mid-City of Greater Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
List of 2017 productions
List of 2016 productions
List of 2015 productions
“Death By Poinsettia” wins awards at Maryland festival
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized on August 29, 2017
My play DEATH BY POINSETTIA won two awards at the annual Silver Spring Stage one-act festival in Silver Spring, Maryland.
It was one of two scripts honored for “outstanding ensemble.” I’m not sure if that means they tied for first or if there were an unlimited number of awards available. In any case, two productions got that award — one was mine, the other was A WOMB WITH A VIEW by Rich Orloff.
The show also was third runner-up for “outstanding production.”
There were 14 shows in the festival.
Photos from “Death by Poinsettia” in Maryland
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions, Uncategorized on August 22, 2017
Silver Spring Stage in Silver Spring, Maryland (Washington suburbs) produced my one-act DEATH BY POINSETTIA August 18-20. Here are some photos.
A lonely woman tries to commit suicide at Christmas by eating a poinsettia, and broadcasting it via webcam.
She invited all her co-workers to a party, knowing they wouldn’t show up. But the nerdiest one did. He also knows something she doesn’t: Poinsettias aren’t really poisonous.
He also brought mistletoe. Love happens, reluctantly.
Theatre is that-a-way.
This was the third production of the script.
DEATH BY POINSETTIA
A lonely woman tries to kill herself at Christmas by eating a poinsettia, convinced the plant is poisonous. It’s not, though. A male co-worker shows up and a touching scene ensues. Cast: Two – one male, one female.
* Produced at Studio C, Hollywood, California, December 2015.
* Produced by Artists Exchange, Cranston, Rhode Island, August 2016.
* Produced by Silver Spring Stage, Silver Spring, Maryland, August 2017.
Photos from “Black Market Bombs” in India
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions on August 22, 2017
G.D. Birla Memorial School in Ranikhet, Amora, Uttarkhand, India produced three of my short plays June 29-30: THE FERRYMAN’S APPRENTICE, COPIER DEMON and BLACK MARKET BOMBS. Here are photos from BLACK MARKET BOMBS, which traces the path of a small nuclear weapon from Russia into the hands of a terrorist.
The businessman.
The middlemen.
Awesome fake tattoes!
More photos here.
Video: “Grown Attached” in London
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized, Video on July 19, 2017
KDC Theatre in London produced my short play GROWN ATTACHED in June as part of an evening of short, scary shows. Here’s the whole production. My piece starts at 22:50 and runs until 26:37.
GROWN ATTACHED
A young boy got his head stuck between the railings of an old house.Now he’s a teenager, and he’s still stuck there — and his parents are moving out. Sad and funny at the same time. Cast: Two — one adult female, one juvenile male.
Photos from “The Sandstorm” in Texas
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions, Uncategorized on May 22, 2017
My 10-minute play THE SANDSTORM was produced May 12, 2017 at Rockwall Heath High School in Heath, Texas.
The inspector interrogates a government official about discrepancies in his account.
They’re Martians. He’s siphoning off money to pay for a vault to store Martian artifacts after the planet’s oceans dry up and no life remains. They drink a toast of Martian water.
THE SANDSTORM
A dark vision from the last days of Mars. A local official in charge of building canals instead diverts some of the money to build an underground library to store his civilization’s artifacts because he knows Mars is doomed. Cast: Two non-gender.
* Produced by Otherworld Theatre, Chicago, Illinois, July 2015.
* Produced by Rockwall Heath High School, Heath, Texas, May 2017.
Photos from Gone in 60 Seconds Festival 2017 in Leeds, UK
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions, Uncategorized on May 21, 2017
I had three pieces in the 2017 edition of the Gone In 60 Seconds Festival of one-minute plays in Leeds, Great Britain on May 13. Here are photos.
Cast photo.
“Two Squirrels On A Powerline.” Ignore the “Fincaster” on the screen. I’m from Fincastle. Even in English some things get lost in translation!
“The Science Fair Project.”
“Nobody Ever Asks Me.” Great product placement for the book about one-minute plays, which I am honored to be included in.
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